Early Middle Ages

Part 1

The success of Christianity in the first five centuries of its existence was significantly influenced by the Roman experience. Christianity emerged as a fringe Jewish sect in the Roman Empire that faced persecution and discrimination in the early days. However, the religion eventually became the official religion of the empire under Emperor Constantine in the 4th century. The following are some of the factors that contributed to this transformation.

One significant factor was the extensive missionary work carried out by early Christian leaders. The apostles and other Christian leaders traveled widely, spreading their message throughout the Roman Empire. The writings of these leaders, such as the letters of Saint Paul, were also instrumental in spreading the Christian message (Cole, Symes).

Persecutions also played a role in the success of Christianity. The Roman authorities viewed the religion as a threat to their power and persecuted its adherents. However, these persecutions only served to strengthen the faith of Christians, who saw their suffering as a sign of their devotion to God (Cole, Symes). Christian martyrs became an inspiration to others, and their stories helped to spread the faith.

Heresy was also a significant issue in the early Christian Church. Different interpretations of Christian doctrine led to disagreements and divisions among the faithful. The Church Fathers, such as Augustine and Jerome, worked to codify Christian doctrine and suppress heretical teachings (Cole, Symes).

Emperor Constantine's conversion to Christianity was a turning point in the religion's history. In the 4th century, Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, which granted religious tolerance to Christians and other religions. He also convened the Council of Nicaea, which defined orthodox Christian doctrine and established the Petrine doctrine, which held that the Bishop of Rome was the successor to Saint Peter and had primacy over all other bishops (Cole, Symes).

Monasticism also emerged as an important aspect of Christian practice in the 4th century. Monks and nuns withdrew from the world to live lives of contemplation and devotion. Monasticism spread rapidly throughout the empire and played a critical role in the establishment of Christian communities (Cole, Symes).

Finally, the division of the Roman Empire into Western and Eastern halves in the 5th century had a significant impact on Christianity. The Eastern Roman Empire, which became known as the Byzantine Empire, developed a distinct form of Christianity that differed from that practiced in the Western Roman Empire. Eastern Christianity emphasized the importance of icons and had a more mystical approach to worship (Cole, Symes).

Thus, Christianity's success...

…Barbarian West refers to the Germanic tribes that migrated into the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD, eventually creating successor kingdoms. The Merovingians and Carolingians were two such kingdoms that emerged in what is now France and Germany, with the latter eventually becoming the Holy Roman Empire (Cole, Symes). The Vikings were a seafaring people from Scandinavia who raided and settled in much of Europe from the 8th to the 11th century. While these civilizations made significant contributions to the formation of Europe, they cannot claim to have carried forward the legacies of the classical past to the same extent as the Byzantine Empire.

In conclusion, while each of the civilizations that emerged in the aftermath of the Western Roman Empire could make a claim to carry forward the legacies of the classical past, the Byzantine Empire has the strongest claim to this mantle. The emergence of Islam in the 7th century saw significant developments in the Middle East and North Africa, while the Barbarian West played a role in the formation of Europe. However, it is the Byzantines who most directly inherited and built upon the institutions and culture of the Roman Empire, and they continued to make significant contributions to art, literature, philosophy, and science…