...CHURCH HISTORY From the fifth century, it has been customary to reckon ten great persecutions: under Nero, Domitian, Trajan, Marcus Aurelius, Septimius Severus, Maximinus, Decius, Valerian, Aurelian, and Diocletian. This number was suggested by the ten plagues of Egypt taken as types (which, however, befell the enemies of Israel, and present a contrast rather than a parallel), and by the ten horns of the Roman beast making war with the Lamb, taken for so many emperor. But the number is too great for the general persecutions, and too small for the provincial and local. Only two imperial persecutions – those, of Decius and Diocletian- extended over the empire; but Christianity was always an illegal religion from Trajan to Constantine, and subject to annoyance and violence everywhere. Some persecuting emperors- Nero, Domitian, Galerius, were monstrous tyrants, but others- Trajan, Marcus Aurelius, Decius, Diocletian-were among the best and most energetic emperors, and were prompted not so much by hatred of Christianity as by zeal for the maintenance of the laws and the power of the government. On the other hand, some of the most worthless emperors- Commudos, Caracalla, and Heliogabalus-were rather favorable to the Christians from sheer caprice. All were equally ignorant of the true character of the new religion. The long and bloody war of heathen Rome against the church, which is built upon a rock, utterly failed. It began in Rome under Nero, it ended near Rome under...
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...Alexis Taylor Period 6 The main topic of this article is accounts and excerpts of Roman law towards Jews in the middle Ages. Constantine the Great (306-337) was the first Roman emperor to issue laws which radically limited the rights of Jews as citizens of the Roman Empire. This document was produced October 18, 315 by Constantine the Great. During this time period Christianity had begun to really develop and rapidly spread as a religion. Roman Christians began using Christianity as its way of making their own social classes. This document was intended and produced for the followers of the Christian faith and the Jews whom were a part of the Roman community. Constantine the Great wanted to stress and clarify the guidelines in which Jews were expected to conduct their lives more than likely because with the Roman Law uprising would come about from concerned Christians and Jews. There are two separate audiences that this document could have been intended for and both perceived it differently. For believers of the Christian faith, they received the document as a positive reassurance that no Jew has any authority over them, so in their case they benefit. As for the Jewish community they received this document quite negatively because for starters Constantine a follower of the Christian faith is affecting their lives tremendously by placing them at the bottom of the current society’s social system. Not allowing Jews to marry Christians, not allowing Jews to have Christian...
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...Emperor of Rome Augustus is well known for being a self-proclaimed restorer of Rome. He introduced a number of religious, moral and political reforms in order to improve Roman society and formulate a new Roman government and lifestyle. The basis of each of these reforms was to revive traditional Roman religion in the state and make things in the empire all together better. First, Augustus restored public monuments, especially the Temples of the Gods, as part of his journey for religious revival. He also commissioned the construction of monuments that would further promote and encourage traditional Roman religion After Augustus generated renewed interest in religion, he sought to renew the practice of worship In order to do so, Augustus revived the priesthoods and was appointed as pontifex maximus, which made him both the secular head of the Roman Empire and the religious leader. Augustus also enacted social reforms as a way to improve morality. He felt particularly strong about encouraging families to have children. As such, he politically and financially rewarded families with three or more children, especially sons. This incentive stemmed from his belief that there were too few legitimate children born from “proper marriages.” On the other hand, he penalized unmarried men older than 38 years old by imposing on them an additional tax that others did not have to pay. They were also debarred from receiving inheritances and attending public games. Augustus also amended divorce...
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...investigates why this mattered to anyone and what would have changed if only new material was used in the creation of Old St. Peter’s Basilica. Bosman states, “A number of important questions are raised by the spolia apparently incorporated into the Early Christian basilica of Saint Peter. Can it be established that spolia was actually used in the basilica? If so, is it possible to determine why spolia was used instead of new, previously unused, material?” (Bosman, 2013, p. 66) Bosman sets out to prove that the technique of spolia was used in the fourth century for meaningful and aesthetic purposes only. He states that some scholars in the past connect spolia to the effect of supply shortage or cost reasons, but Bosman argues that Roman emperors had all the resources they needed to produce the type of basilica they desired and cost was not a factor for them. I agree with Bosman’s perspective based on his study of the multicolored, marble columns in Old St. Peter’s Basilica. His research proved that some of the original forty-four columns had never been used before, but twenty-eight of the nave columns were in fact spolia. (Bosman, 2013) The specific re-used columns were made from detailed marble that Constantine probably wanted in his basilica because of their uniqueness and meaningful value. In Stockstad’s Medieval Art Early Christian Period, it is stated, “Constantine intended that the basilica over the shrine be larger and more splendid in appearance than any other religious...
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...The Roman Emperor Constantine the Great reigned from 306 to 337 AD, Christianity began to transition to the dominant religion of the Roman Empire. It still remains uncertain about Constantine's reasons for favoring the Christian religion, historians have argued about which form Christianity he was faithful to. There is no agreement to whether he adopted his mother Helena's Christianity at a young age, or encouraged her to convert to the faith himself. Constantine's decision to stop the killing of Christians in the Roman Empire was a turning point for Christianity, sometimes referred to as the Triumph of the Church, the Peace of the Church or the Constantinian shift. In 313, Constantine and Licinius issued the Edict of Milan making Christian worship not illegal. The emperor became a big financial supporter of the Church and set a precedent for the position of the Christian emperor within the Church and the notion of orthodoxy, Christendom, ecumenical councils and the state church of the Roman Empire declared by edict in 380. He was highly respected as a saint and isapostolos in the Eastern Orthodox Church and Oriental Orthodox Church for his example as a Christian monarch. Writing to Christians, Constantine made clear that he believed that he owed his successes to the protection of that High God alone....
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...recognize the change. However, with a drawn out decline, like that of the Roman Empire, that lasted around hundred or more years, it is very difficult to predict or be cognizant of, the dramatic change that is occurring. Like the frog, everything...
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...The battle for Butte left an indelible blight upon the territory of Montana as the Wars of the Copper Kings came to a close. Against this backdrop of wanton corporate avarice and conflict, the territory of Montana was reduced to the status of an eastern corporate colony that was beholden and subjected to the capricious whims and unbridled rapaciousness of corporate robber barons. This odious corporate struggle left very few apparent victors and a significant number of losers. Montana’s miners and its citizens were the veritable losers who suffered extensively in this hegemonic struggle for Butte’s copper industry. Moreover, while Marcus Daly, William A. Clark, and Heinze may have suffered personal defeats in their business dealings they gained...
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...The crucifix was also an important symbol to the Emperor of Rome, Constantine. In the history behind the symbol of the Crucifix, the time before Constantine became emperor, Christian’s were reserved about openly portraying the Crucifix, since it exposed them to danger. In the age of Christ, a practice called crucifixion was of a slow and painful execution where the victim would be nailed to a large wooden cross like figure and left hang for several days until death. Once Constantine went into power, he converted to Christianity and eradicated the crucifixion as a death penalty (encyclopedia Britinancia). Constantine then promoted the Crucifix as a symbol to the Christian faith. By the end of the 11th Century, Constantine...
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...Antoninus Pius was know as one of the Five Good Emperors in Ancient Rome. The other four emperors were known as Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, and Marcus Aurelius. These dictators were all partially responsible for the Pax Romana, or the Roman peace that was present between the different nationalities within the Roman Empire. Antoninus Pius had quite a significant role during the time in which he was emperor. Some factors include his characterization, early life, and ruling period. Pius had left a mark on the Roman Empire that would change Roman history forever. Antoninus Pius became emperor when the previous emperor, Hadrian, died on July 10, 138 AD. Antoninus Pius was said to be the adopted son of Hadrian and jumped to the throne when his foster father perished. In addition, the emperor's last name, Pius, signifies the word dutiful. He was a popular, respected man whom...
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...The many economic and political differences between the patrician and plebeian classes caused a lot of civil unrest in Ancient Rome. These discrepancies led to a disparaging difference in the quality of life for Roman citizens. The plebeian class was disgruntled to an extreme, and eventually they began to lead revolts against the aristocratic republic that they felt held them down. Around the time of B.C. 500, the Roman community had two people’s assemblies: the Comitia Curiata and Comitia Centuriata. For a long time, the Comitia Curiata was the only legal representation that the Roman populus had (Encyclopedia Britannica Online, par. 2). The Curiata was, of course, made up of only patricians. The patricians were the wealthy citizens. The Curiata was originally given the responsibility of electing Consuls, passing laws, and trying judicial cases. With the creation of the Comitia Centuriata, the importance of the Curiata began a slow decline. The Plebeian class was allowed to participate in the Comitia Centuriata, but the organization tended to serve the interests of the elite. The Comitia Centuriata...
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...On late Roman Empire, christanity was one of the many religions and became one of the most popular and well organized religions. Rome’s reaction toward the christanity was variable, sometimes it was persecuted and restrained, other times the Faith was tolerated. One of the many reasons of persecutions was because Christans refused to follow and worship the gods and goddesses of the state religion, including the emperor himself. That made some people a threat to the political stability of the empire. emperor Costantine issued an edict of tolerance for all religions. This veredict turned all religions to be practiced openly, but above it Costantine himself padronized Christanity for he attributed his success in a key battle to...
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...Christianity throughout the western world. How did a persecuted cult spread to form a widespread religion within a few hundred years? Persecution of Christians Emperor Nero was one who persecuted Christians brutally with punishments often resulting in death. Emperor Nero killed many Christians by setting dogs loose on them, burning them alive and other horrible methods. Christians were most likely persecuted because the Roman religion saw that Christians did not sacrifice to the Roman Gods. In the eyes of the Roman religious followers this is seen as an...
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...Constantine was the emperor of Rome and spread christianity through Rome, which was pretty amazing at the time. He also had to fight lots of people of high power to become emperor! Well anyway in this paper I’ll be telling you about Constantine, how he got to power, and his achievements. Constantine was a Roman Emperor who took over by tyranny and monarchy, and was born somewhere between 272-285 AD. Constantine was sent to rule the eastern part of Rome, and he learned under Latin and Greek . While this went on, Constantine’s father ruled Rome under Maximian, yet when Maximian resigned from ruling Rome, Constantine's Father took over. Constantine and his father then went to fight in Britain, yet 1 year later Constantine's father passed away....
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...Interpreting Antiquity Archaeology 1- what is archaeology and ancient history? Archaeology- the study of past cultures through their material remains Archaeology and ancient history? Material remains vs written records Contrast ‘pre history’ Texts written by ancient writers about the Greek and Roman past - Herodotus, Polybius, Tacitus, Livy Mostly survived as manuscripts copied by medieval monks- NOT found on archaeological sites Exceptions- some that combine archaeology material evidence and historical written records Eg Inscriptions- written records (on stone, bronze etc) AND material remains (eg a statue base with inscription on to Lucius Licinius Primitivus, Misenum, Italy) Kinds of material evidence: Pottery, building foundations, human/faunal remains, weapons, tools, coins, floral remains, fruit seeds, fish bones, works of art (tell us about myth, culture, games etc) Culture - human behaviour in societies- religion, economy, military, entertainment, political, social stature, food preparation and eating, death and burial Archaeology vs collecting and antiquarianism Archaeology involves the study of material remains for a reason =in order to study culture Contrast with collecting and ‘antiquarianism’ – in which the objects collected are themselves the sole focus of interest Archaeology and History Archaeology and history are not the same History deals primarily with written evidence Archaeology deals primarily with material evidence We must...
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