Sidonius’s Letters are a series of letters written by Sidonius various times during the 5th century. He wrote to plenty of bishops and wrote about Christianity and political figures. Through his letters we can learn about how early Christianity was organized, the feeling of superiority in Christians, the qualities of Christians due to his discussion of Christian codes to follow, and we learn about Christian’s belief in miracles showing us how faithful Christians in 5th century Rome could be. Although there is a bias due to Sidonius being a bishop, we gain a different perspective of 5th century Rome.
Sidonius speaks about the structure of Christianity by discussing how he chose a candidate for a bishop in his letter to Lord Bishop Perpetuus.
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For example, Sidonius would not designate a bishop with radically different ideas than his own. This method of choosing a bishop can also be disadvantageous due to the person who is choosing the bishop may elect friends or family who may be ill suited to be a bishop. This would lead to a lack of competent bishops and a degradation of Christianity in that area. Next, Sidonius listed qualities that he searched for and found in Simplicius. He introduced Simplicius by complimenting him and then conveyed, "If birth is still to command respect...his family, distinguished in both walks of life, has been renowned for its bishops and prefects; his ancestors have always been accustomed to divine and human laws." . He shows us here what a bishop may look for when appointing a bishop in a region. Sidonius, although claiming that ancestry is not anything too significant anymore, puts an emphasis on his family producing great religious figures. He, therefore, continues listing qualities that Simplicius had, which should allow him to be bishop. He …show more content…
It is difficult to gauge how much of what Sidonius is stating is an exaggeration or the truth. After arguing that Simplicius deserves to be bishop, he wrote, "But someone will say: 'How did you learn so much about him in so short a time? ' My answer is that I made acquaintance with men of Bourges long before I knew their city...moreover, one can learn a lot of useful information in regard to a person from his reputation, since common report naturally does not limit itself to a man 's homeland." The fact that Sidonius never spoke to Simplicius and instead listened to others describe him leads one to believe that he may have been lied to or told stories. He even states that he spoke to men long ago, so perhaps he may not remember what they told him of Simplicius. This demonstrates that although bishops search for honorable qualities in man, an improved system needs to be put in place for the appointment of bishops. Other bishops can provide untrustworthy accounts of candidates, which can lead to an incorrect appointment of bishops. Christianity needs a more fitting structure and Sidonius demonstrates that
PBS, "The Roman empire in the first century." Last modified 2006. Accessed February 2, 2014. http://www.pbs.org/empires/romans/empire/christians.html.
On the fourteenth of January 1809, Sebastian Wimmer was born in the small town of Thalmassing, Germany. His parents, Peter and Elizabeth Lang Wimmer, were tavern keepers. Sebastian’s desire to help other individuals was apparent at an early age, for he believed he had been called by the Lord to devote his life exclusively to the priesthood. The simple monastic life was enticing! Sebastian Wimmer was an intelligent young man. He attended the University of Regensburg, also known as Ratisbon, where he studied many classical and philosophical courses, and later studied law at the University of Regensburg. A scholarship opened up in the Gregorianum, and Wimmer felt obligated to learn more about it in pursuit of his study for the priesthood. Wimmer took the competitive scholarship exam. He was offered a scholarship and remained there until he completed his theological studies. On the thirty-first of July 1831, at the age of twenty-two, Sebastian...
The rise of Christianity in Rome did not come easily. It came with much destruction and death. The spark of Christianity in Rome came from an appearance of Martyrs in Rome. Martyrs were people that were executed for going against the common beliefs of pagan (polytheistic) ways. (Tignor, 2011, p. 286) Because of these awful executions, Christianity is said to be based off of “the blood of martyrs.” One of their main ways of spreading Christianity was through the sharing of their writings and by 300 CE there was an exceptional amount of book production throughout Rome. (Tignor, 2011, p. 289) “Christianity operated as one among many minority religions in the Roman Empire, and on several occasions experienced widespread persecution, especially under the emperors Nero (r. 54–68), Decius (r. 249–251), and Diocletian (r. 284–305). However, the situation changed radically under the emperor Constantine (r. 306–337), who in 313 issued the Edict of Milan that made Christianity a legitimate religion in the empire.” (Melton, 2010, p. 634)
Francis of Assisi is one of the most influential personalities in the entire world. In the book ‘Francis of Assisi: Performing the Gospel Life,’ Cunningham recounts the life of this humble monk who lived in the medieval times, and shaped the Christian life, which spread in Western culture throughout the rest of history. I believe Cunningham accurately accounts for the life of Francis of Assisi, and in doing so; he provides a trajectory of the Christian faith from its early and historical proponents through its fusion with western culture, and its subsequent spread throughout the world.
In Titus Livius’, The Early History of Rome, Livy takes on the task of documenting Rome’s early history and some of the famous individuals who help contribute to the ‘greatness’ of Rome. Livy dedicates an entire portion of his writing to describe the reigns of the first seven kings of Rome; all who influence the formation and governance of Rome in some way. However, of the seven kings in early Roman history, King Romulus and King Numa Pompilius achieved godlike worship and high esteem from their fellow Romans. While both highly important and respected figures in Rome’s history, the personalities and achievements of King Romulus and King Numa Pompilius are complete opposites of one another. Despite the differences found in each king and of their rule over Rome, both Romulus and Numa Pompilius have a tremendous influence in the prosperity and expansion of Rome in its early days.
St. Boniface, originally named Winfrith, was an extremely studious man, a converted monk, priest, missionary and finally martyr. Born in 672, near Exeter, England, St. Boniface at an early age developed a desire to follow the path of God and live a monastic life. Through non-stop prayer and religious practices, he tuned his mind and body to reach beyond the obstacles and enticements of everyday life at his young adult age. He was a major influence on society during his life and affected the lives and history of Germany permanently. Often called the “Apostle of Germany”, St. Boniface was a strong believer in the principles of the Church and truly wanted to open any pagan believers minds to the knowledgeable and rewarding path of the Christian life.
Schaff, Philip, and Henry Wace. A Select Library of Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church. 5 vols. The Christian literature company, 1890.
McManners, John. "The Oxford History of Christianity." The Oxford History of Christianity. New York: New York Oxford Press, 2002. 28.
The Emperor personally invited bishops of the church to spend time with him. He treated them favorably by showering them with gifts. This was usual for a Roman to do this, because most Romans were not Christian. The Christians received ill treatment from the Romans for many years. It was then that Constantine began to send letters around the empire of Rome telling them to allow certain privileges to the Christians. Constantine also sent letters around the Roman Empire to tell them about the empire’s conversion to Christianity. By 400 A.D., Christianity became the official religion practiced by almost all Romans. Constantine’s profession to Christianity continued on throughout his descendants. Constantine’s loyalty to the bishops of the Christian churches, resulted in a vast majority of Christian
The Roman Empire is credited with many things due partially to their ability to share, spread, and adapt culture. Rome was successful because it both conquered and shared the fruits of conquest with the conquered. Religion was one part of the culture that demonstrated the tolerance of Romans. For example, at the time of Jesus’ birth, paganism could be divided into three spheres: the official state religion, the traditional cults of the hearth and countryside, and the new mystery religions from the East. Even though the official religion in the Roman Empire began as Pagan, it ended as Christianity when Emperor Theodosius declared it as the official religion in A.D. 380. The following examines two works of fiction that deal with religion during the Roman Empire.
The life of Jesus is one that is often discussed and debated among scholars and authors since the time Jesus walked this earth. Gerd Theissen’ s work, Shadow of the Galilean, takes the unique perspective of a grain merchant who has been enlisted by Pilate to find out information on various religious sects and report back to him. After Andreas, the grain merchant’s, first report he is given the task of finding out more about this Jesus who is gaining quite a following. Pilate and the Romans want to know if he is a threat to them. This book follows Andreas as he goes on a journey to find out more about Jesus from various sources for his report to the Romans.
Charles Spurgeon was a great preacher during the time of 1832-1892. Spurgeon was thought to be so great a man that he was given the title “Prince of Preachers.” He was given such a great title because he had a way with words; he knew how to capture the audience’s emotions and imagination. Spurgeon was also known as a true man of God “Gods Messenger.”
Church History in Plain Language is written by Bruce L. Shelley. This work focuses on the history of Christianity from 6 B.C. to the current period. It covers some of Christianity’s greatest events, theologians, and the various subsection of Christianity. Other than the events leading up to the death of Jesus, I had very little knowledge of Christianity’s history. After reading through the book, I have gained understanding on the Christian Councils, scholasticism, Christendom, and modern trends of Christianity.
Bryan Byerly Mrs. Wagner Western World 10 Seminar- 4 4 December, 2013 Christianity in Rome Essay Christianity became more prevalent in Roman society as time went on because it appealed to Rome and what Roman ideals were. In the beginning Romans were skeptical of changing religion, but as the years went by, the Romans adopted and changed. Christianity appealed to the Roman ideals, as it gave certain perks that their current polytheistic religion did not offer to them. The emperors of Rome had many different views on Christianity; some emperors encouraged change, and others were more traditional and wanted to stick to their current, polytheistic religion. Roman views on Christianity have changed drastically from the early years of the Roman
Lane, T. (2006). A concise history of christian thought (Completely ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.