Edict of Thessalonica

[Oska2]

What did the Edict of Thessalonica entail?

 

[DavidFilmer]

What did the Edict of Thessalonica entail?

Do you find anything in the Wikipedia article questionable? The article seems in-order to me.

Note that the Edict was an act of the Roman government, and not the Church (though I’m sure the Church celebrated it).

 

[Oska2]

Do you find anything in the Wikipedia article questionable? The article seems in-order to me.

Note that the Edict was an act of the Roman government, and not the Church (though I’m sure the Church celebrated it).

Thanks for the reference to the article.
The article says that the Edict made Christianity the state religion of the Roman Empire.
I wish to understand why the Roman government favored Christianity. What were the non-christian people of the Roman Empire believing-in, and how the Edict was enforced.

 

[DavidFilmer]

Thanks for the reference to the article.
The article says that the Edict made Christianity the state religion of the Roman Empire.
I wish to understand why the Roman government favored Christianity. What were the non-christian people of the Roman Empire believing-in, and how the Edict was enforced.

The Edict of Milan was issued in 312, by the Emperors Constantine and Maximilian. Maximilian became unimportant shortly thereafter. The Edict ended religious persecution within the Roman Empire, but did not establish any sort of “state religion.”

Constantine himself became a “Christian,” of a sort. He was amenable and sympathetic to Christianity, but he was confused as to what it actually taught (he was foremost a politician, not a theologian). He initially supported the ideas of Arius, a heretical priest (from whom the “Arian Heresy” is known - the denial of the divinity of Jesus).

The early Christian Church celebrated the Edict of Milan, because it meant that no Christian would ever be covered with tar, crucified, and then burned while still alive (Nero’s torches), or fed to hungry lions in the Roman Circus.

Some decades later, the Edict of Thessalonica established Christianity as the State Religion of Rome. But, since the Edict of Milan had ended religious persecution (or mandatory religion) in the Roman Empire, the Edict of Thessalonica had no judicial effect upon non-Christians (Jews, etc) living in Roman lands. It did, however, form the basis of the so-called Holy Roman Empire, which was not holy, and was not Roman, and was not an empire.

 

[Oska2]

Some decades later, the Edict of Thessalonica established Christianity as the State Religion of Rome. But, since the Edict of Milan had ended religious persecution (or mandatory religion) in the Roman Empire, the Edict of Thessalonica had no judicial effect upon non-Christians (Jews, etc) living in Roman lands. It did, however, form the basis of the so-called Holy Roman Empire, which was not holy, and was not Roman, and was not an empire.

Thanks for this insight.
The state religion had to be practiced by all government officials. Could this explain why all the pagan beliefs within the Roman Empire declined and eventually died-off?
You have mentioned, ‘The Holy Roman Empire’. I’d like to know more about it.

 

[DavidFilmer]

The state religion had to be practiced by all government officials.

Why do you say that?

Could this explain why all the pagan beliefs within the Roman Empire declined and eventually died-off?

Because the Church won.

You have mentioned, ‘The Holy Roman Empire’. I’d like to know more about it.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_roman_empire

 

[Oska2]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Oska2 View Post
The state religion had to be practiced by all government officials.

Why do you say that?

I’ve not read that anywhere, but I thought the Roman Empire was very strict on the Edicts.
I compare with what is mentioned in the Book of Esther, where the King’s edict was enacted very strictly.

 

[DavidFilmer]

I’ve not read that anywhere, but I thought the Roman Empire was very strict on the Edicts.

I have not read that anywhere either. But I know that various Roman Emperors persecuted Christians, while (most) others pretty much ignored Christians. The “laws” were the same, but they were selectively enforced according to the disposition of the Roman Emperor.

I compare with what is mentioned in the Book of Esther, where the King’s edict was enacted very strictly.

That Book describes (only) one Persian ruler. There is no reason to suppose that ALL Persian rulers were as strict. And there is certainly no historic basis to superimpose the policy of a single Persian ruler upon Roman emperors who ruled many centuries later.

That would be like superimposing the persecution of, say, the Roman Emperor Diocletian upon ALL Roman emperors. Most Roman Emperors did not give a fig about Christians, and did not persecute them.

 

[Oska2]

I have not read that anywhere either. But I know that various Roman Emperors persecuted Christians, while (most) others pretty much ignored Christians. The “laws” were the same, but they were selectively enforced according to the disposition of the Roman Emperor.

That Book describes (only) one Persian ruler. There is no reason to suppose that ALL Persian rulers were as strict. And there is certainly no historic basis to superimpose the policy of a single Persian ruler upon Roman emperors who ruled many centuries later.

That would be like superimposing the persecution of, say, the Roman Emperor Diocletian upon ALL Roman emperors. Most Roman Emperors did not give a fig about Christians, and did not persecute them.

Ok, I see the point, Thanks.

 

[Oska2]

Some decades later, the Edict of Thessalonica established Christianity as the State Religion of Rome.

I’d very much wish to understand why the Emperor who issued the Edict favoured Christianity in the place of other religions. There must have been a previous state religion of the Roman Empire (I’m not sure).

It did, however, form the basis of the so-called Holy Roman Empire, which was not holy, and was not Roman, and was not an empire.

What makes you conclude that it was not Holy, and was not Roman & was not an empire.
You had given me a link in a previous posting about “The Holy Roman Empire”