Church and State - the Byzantine Legacy - Religion - http://maxpages.com/democracy/The_Byzantine

"Thou couldest have no power at all against Me, except if it were given thee from above."(John 19:11).The attitude of the Christians towards the civil authority it is founded upon the teaching and the example of Jesus Christ, who even knowing of the coalition between Herod and Pilate against Him (Acts 4:27), recognize the objective role of this authority. Jesus did not identify the order of the Cesar with the will of God, nor the power of the world with the power of God, nor the State with the Kingdom of God: "Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my
servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence..(John 18:36) He did not attached any religious function to the political order, other than to be an instrument of God(John 19:11).

The service to those that have the authority does no mean domination, but responsibility toward the common good. The Church brings Eucharistic thanksgiving for those:"I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men. For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and honesty." (1 Tim. 2:1-2).

The Church does not impose a certain political or economic system. However, she demands that in every form of human society to be applied biblical principles and the evangelical values.

This is what the Byzantine world knew of the Orthodox Church. The Byzantine Empire was the most cultivated the strongest military force and the richest state of Europe. Its civilization was an amalgam of three elements: Christian religion, Greek culture and Roman tradition. During the three centuries, while the Western Europe was a land of partly tamed barbarians, the Byzantine Empire was a highly civilized state where the most felicitous merger of Christianity and Hellenism produced a fascinating culture. The last four centuries of the empire's existence, from 1057 to 1453, was a period of gradual decadence in power.

Few states played such an important part in history, as did the Byzantine Empire. In it was developed the eastern civilization that still exists in Balkans, Greece and Russia. Bit by bit, directly or indirectly, the knowledge build up by the people of the ancient world and preserved in the Byzantine empire found its way to the people of the West as they grew mature enough to receive it.

Many were the foes that the empire was assailed by. The Avars, a fierce Turkish people, from the northern European lands and the more dangerous. One of the tenets of the new Mohammedan faith was the worthiness of war against the unbeliever. The Moslem who died in fighting in the Holy War was guaranteed immediate entrance to a very concrete paradise, where he would live a life of luxury...In early days the Moslem was not tolerant of other faiths. The unbelievers should be conquered, and once subject, he was allowed to follow any religion he pleases.

The emperor was a sacred person, appointed by God to rule over man. He was crowned and anointed in solemn ceremonies and everything connected with him was holy. The emperor was to great extent the ruler of the Church. He controlled the appointment of the Patriarch of Constantinople who was the head of the ecclesiastical organization. He summoned the councils of the Church and issued their decrees. While he might not actually claim the right to determine questions of dogma, by choosing the Patriarch he could direct the course of Orthodoxy. The emperor's power over the Church was not absolute. The people had support of the patriarch. Thus, we find strong emperors submitted to the Patriarch, especially in questions involving the ruler's personal life. During the entire second part of the fifth century, while no one was prepared to deny in principle the established authority of the emperor in religious affairs, in fact all the really convinced minorities of each theological group were eventually ready to challenge imperial will.

Like the State, the Church expanded and like the state, it found expansion a source of weakness as well as strength. From the mid-fifth century the Church steadily converted the empire. In this period the emperors from Leo I, to Phocas were devout, often to the point of religious asceticism and always showing deference to the churchmen they considered Orthodox.

The Byzantine Empire was ruled by two dynasties. The first, founded by Leo III, the Isaurian, in power from 717 to 867. The second, called the Macedonian, and ruled from 867 to 1057. Although the Isaurian and Macedonian emperors were obliged to devote most of their attention to their enemies in Eastern Europe and Asia, they could not neglect entirely their relations with Western Europe. Leo the Isaurian thought of himself as a Roman Emperor, and he held Venice, parts of southern Italy.In the VIII-the century, the Byzantine Emperor Leo III, the Amenian(813-820), starts a persecution against the cult of the orthodox icons, under the influence of the Islam religion, persecution known as iconoclasm(icon breaker). Those that were opposed to this actions, that produced great loses to the orthodox iconography, were the monks. Even if the Second Ecumenical Council held in Nicea(A.D. 787), considers the iconoclasm a heresy, the persecution did not ceased. In order to commemorate the first reestablishment of the cult of the icons, by Constantine V Copronymous (741-75). Necertheless the persecutions continued and Empress Theodora established on the day of 11 of March 842 the Feast of the Orthodoxy, as the final victory over the iconoclasts. Today this Feast is celebrated on the first day of the Great Lent.

While in the end the opponents of the iconoclasts won, and images retained an important place in Christian art, the political independence of the Byzantine Church, was greatly reduced and it became subject to the imperial will. This strong emperors had some success in enforcing their order. On the other hand, the deep involvement of the pope in politics of Western Europe, it was bound to have some effect on the imperial policy.

A crucial point in the relations between East and West was the year 800 AD, when Charlemagne((768-814), King of the Franks, assumed the title of the Roman Emperor.

STEFAN CRISBASAN

webmaster@stefanc.findhere.com

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