Christianity and the Fall of Rome
Gibbon's Argument Evaluated Relative to Other Consideration
In 1776 Edward Gibbon published The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. A product of Enlightenment rationalism and empirical thinking, Gibbon argues, in part, that Christianity helped weaken the Roman Empire, contributing to the eventual “fall.” Although that thesis is no longer fully accepted, the view that Christianity threatened the unity of Rome by virtue of its exclusionary beliefs is often still listed as one of many possible factors contributing to the dissolution of the Empire. The argument, however, is abstract.
Early Christianity and the Roman Empire
The argument that Christians, on a wide scale, refused to serve in the legions is often cited in support of the broader thesis that Christianity had a weakening affect on Imperial Rome, Yet, as Giuseppe Ricciotti documents in his book The Age of Martyrs: Christianity from Diocletian to Constantine (Barnes and Noble, 1992), at the start of Diocletian’s Great Purge, many of the martyrs had served in the legions and included a prominent Centurion.
Further, Christians comprised a relatively small minority, representing perhaps 30% of the total population at the time of Diocletian and mostly settled in the eastern empire. Comparatives figures for the western empire are below 25%. These figures represent a sect that had existed in the empire for almost three hundred years, indicating slow growth.
Christians, at the time of Diocletian, worked in high government positions and could be found in Diocletian’s own household and imperial court. The last significant persecution had been under Decius in the mid-century and prior to that under Marcus Aurelius who died in 180 C.E. It is difficult to correlate the influence of Christianity with the fall of Rome. Further, following the Diocletian/Galerian persecution, Constantine the Great ended persecution of Christianity, paving the way to growth of the religion.
Other Factors in the “Fall” of Rome
By the third century, the empire was already weakened by a number of factors. The imperial frontiers were fracturing as barbarians sought to cross the Rhine and the Danube into Roman territory. The growing self sufficiency of provinces disturbed trade patterns as did changes in climate that altered agricultural output. Fewer slaves were available and the empire had gone through several disease epidemics in the mid to latter second century.
Politically, the death of Marcus Aurelius ushered in an extended period of poor leadership, allowing a strong Praetorian Guard to dictate leadership by making and unmaking emperors. In order to payoff the men responsible for bringing emperors to power, the imperial coinage was debased, creating commercial problems and weakening the overall economic base.
An argument can be made that these difficult conditions in the third century actually enhanced Christianity by offering a belief system that was more promising, contained a strong element of hope (the belief that Christ’s kingdom was imminent), and equalized all members. If the gods of Rome had failed, the Christian god had not.
Christian Social Teachings
Christianity followed and facilitated certain practices that were un-Roman such as the opposition to abortion, care for widows and orphans, a social network that ensured compassion for the neediest members, and an aversion to the more blood thirsty entertainments enjoyed in Roman coliseums. Yet these practices in no way affected the political realm. During all of the imperial persecutions, it was difficult to prove directly that Christians were guilty of treason.
In some cases, the persecutions resulted from other reasons. Nero used Christians as scapegoats for the burning of Rome. Marcus Aurelius had a personal dislike of Christians based on philosophic ideology. Diocletian was practically forced into promoting the Great Purge by Galerius, who also had an intense personal hatred of Christianity. Very little evidence points to Christianity as a significant factor in the so-called fall of Rome.
Sources:
Frend, W.H.C., The Rise of Christianity (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1984)
Gibbon, Edward, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1960)
Ricciotti, Giuseppe, The Age of Martyrs: Christianity From Diocletian to Constantine (New York: Barnes and Noble, 1992)
Riddle, John M., Contraception and Abortion from the Ancient World to the Renaissance (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1992)
Walsh, Michael, The Triumph of the Meek: Why Early Christianity Succeeded (New York: Harper and Row, 1986)
[copyright owned by Michael Streich. Any republishing in any form requires written permission from the author]
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