1. Late Antiquity: The Age of New Boundaries, 250-600
The West
CHAPTER 6

2. The Breakdown of Imperial Government
Chronic civil war and political turmoil between 233 and 284 C.E.
Invasions in both eastern and western provinces
Economic collapse and administrative breakdown
Political decentralization, as power shifted to provincial capitals

3. Reformation under Diocletian, 284-305 C.E.
Tetrarchy - the empire was divided in two, each half with a senior and junior emperor
Heightened the symbolic power of the emperor
Separated administrative and military bureaucracies, in provinces
New tax system to pay for larger government

4. The Unintended Consequences of Reform
Increasing social inequality
Shift in power from urban élites to imperial bureaucracy led to deterioration of urban life
Acceleration of decentralization and fragmentation
Political and economic power shifted decisively to the eastern half of the empire

5. Constantine: The First Christian Emperor
Constantine (r ) became sole emperor abandoning tetrarchy
Retained separate eastern and western administrations
Conversion to Christianity led to eventual Christianization of entire empire
Built city of Constantinople - came to symbolize the link between empire and Christianity

6. The Spread of Christianity
Christian community evolved into a formal organization, with an administration and hierarchy modeled on imperial system
The Petrine Succession - by mid-fifth century, the bishop of Rome achieved preeminence
Christianity transformed the physical appearance and spiritual life of cities
Increasing intolerance of non-Christian religions - polytheistic worship banned in 391

7. Christian Doctrine and Heresy
Demarcation, by the Church, between orthodox and heretical thought
Dispute between Arians and Athanasians over the nature of the Trinity and the nature of Jesus Christ
Nicene Creed (325) - stated Jesus was identical in nature and essence to God
Council of Chalcedon (451) - declared Jesus was both human and divine

8. Communities of Faith and Language
Chalcedonian (Orthodox or Catholic) - North Africa, Balkans, Italy, Gaul
Monopysite - Armenian church and kingdom, Coptic church in Egypt, Syriac church in Syria
Arian - Germanic settlers in western Empire
Latin was the language of Christianity, in the west
Greek was the language of Christianity, in the east

9. The Monastic Movement
Egyptian ascetic movement challenged the wealth and hierarchy of the Church
Monastic communities: Pachomius (ca ) wrote instructions to regulate communal, ascetic life
Monasticism offered women an opportunity for independence from male world, but also reinforced negative perceptions of women in Christian thought

10. Jews in a Christian World
Advance of Christianity led to legal discrimination against Jews
Abolition of Jewish Patriarchate, 429 B.C.E., spelled the end of Jewish status as an official ethnic community within the empire
Rabbinic Judaism legitimized the subordination of women, in Jewish communities

11. Access to Holiness: Christian Pilgrimage
Competition for relics of saints and martyrs
Palestine became the spiritual focus of the Christian world and a principal pilgrimage destination
Pilgrimage fostered a sense of Christian community between people of many lands
Development of a “spiritual geography”

12. Christian Intellectual Life
After 312, the Church began to reconcile Christian and classical thought
Monasteries were instrumental in the preservation and transmission of classical learning
Neoplatonic thought reinforced Christian asceticism and ideas about the soul
Disconnection of human destiny from the fate of the Roman Empire, in historical thought

13. The Fall of Rome’s Western Provinces
Lacking the military capacity to repel Germanic invaders, the western government offered them land within the empire
Germanic settlers consolidated and strengthened over several generations
Gradually, these settlements became independent kingdoms

14. The End of Roman Rule in the Western Empire
Germanic settlers were numerically inferior, but militarily superior - they retained a distinct identity
Loyalty and allegiance to local kings superseded service to empire
Development of new warrior aristocracies, with personal ties to local king

15. The Birth of Byzantium: Christianity and Law
The emperor Justinian defined the imperial role in explicitly Christian terms
Enforced uniformity of Roman law and orthodox Christianity, by force
Constantinople became the political and spiritual center of a monotheistic empire, united under one God, one emperor and one law

16. Conflicts to the West and East
Justinian’s attempts to re-conquer the western provinces overextended Byzantium’s resources
Resentment of Justinian’s doctrinal interference fueled divisions between Christian churches in the east and west
Intermittent and persistent warfare with the Persian Empire

17. A Transformed World
Division of Europe into two culturally, politically and linguistically separate regions
Emergence of Christianity as a defining characteristic of Western civilization