What influence Christianity had in the development of the Eastren Roman Empire (Byzantium)?

Question

First of all NOONE contemporary writer used the name Byzantium to describe the (Eastern) Roman Empire or Romania as it was its oficial name, but that name started to be used by German and French Historian to desribe it from 16th century onwards.I use it only for reasons of conveniance...

Answer 1

The Emperor Constantine I was exposed to Christianity by his mother, Helena. There is scholarly controversy; however, as to whether Constantine adopted his mother's humble Christianity in his youth, or whether he adopted it gradually over the course of his life.

Under Constantine, Christianity did not become the exclusive religion of the state, but enjoyed imperial preference, since the Emperor supported it with generous privileges: clerics were exempted from personal services and taxation, Christians were preferred for administrative posts, and bishops were entrusted with judicial responsibilities. Constantine established the principle that emperors should not settle questions of doctrine, but should summon general ecclesiastical councils for that purpose. The Synod of Arles was convened by Constantine, and the First Council of Nicaea showcased his claim to be head of the Church.

Orthodox Christian culture reached its golden age during the high point of Byzantine Empire and continued to flourish in Russia, after the fall of Constantinople. Numerous autocephalous churches were established in Eastern Europe and Slavic areas.

In the 530s the Church of the Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) was built in Constantinople under emperor Justinian I.

According to Joseph Raya (a prominent Melkite Greek Catholic archbishop, theologian and author), "Byzantine culture and Orthodoxy are one and the same."The survival of the Empire in the East assured an active role of the Emperor in the affairs of the Church. The Byzantine state inherited from pagan times the administrative and financial routine of administering religious affairs, and this routine was applied to the Christian Church. Following the pattern set by Eusebeus of Caesarea, the Byzantines thought of the Emperor as a Christ's representative or messenger, responsible particularly for the propagation of Christianity among pagans, and for the "externals" of the religion, such as administration and finances. The imperial role, however, in the affairs of the Church never developed into a fixed, legally defined system.

With the decline of Rome, and internal dissension in the other Eastern patriarchates, the church of Constantinople became, between the 6th and 11th centuries, the richest and most influential center of Christendom. Even when the Empire was reduced to only a shadow of itself, the Church, as an institution, had never exercised so much influence both inside and outside of the imperial frontiers. As George Ostrogorsky points out:

The Patriarchate of Constantinople remained the center of the Orthodox world, with subordinate metropolitan sees and archbishoprics in the territory of Asia Minor and the Balkans, now lost to Byzantium, as well as in Caucasus, Russia and Lithuania. The Church remained the most stable element in the Byzantine Empire.

Answer 2

It grew to become right into a component. a large number of the nutrients supply to Rome got here from north Africa which grew to become into colonised by making use of former squaddies, lots of whom have been Christian after approximately 350. Disagreements over Christian doctrine had led to Constantine insisting that the Bible be compiled around 318 so as that each and every person Christians could be making use of an identical e book, yet that did no longer settle issues. In 313 Bishop Donatus Magnus of Carthage grew to become into consecrated and promoted doctrines that many different Christians disagreed with, alongside with Augustine of Hippo (additionally in North Africa). Over the subsequent couple of hundred years those disagreements led to battling and mutual persecution. at the same time as the nutrients producing inhabitants have been battling one yet another, they weren't producing nutrients and keeping the irrigation structures the quicker Roman settlers had outfitted. Consquently nutrients costs rose and nutrients grew to grow to be scarce. at last to procure nutrients riots in Rome and different cities and falls of government. the area grew to become into made worse by making use of the undeniable fact that the climate could have been getting drier and in line with probability salt accumulation from the irrigation grew to become into affecting productiveness. aside from all that, the Empire grew to become into over - prolonged. Tribes from northern Europe have been shifting south and others from western Asia have been shifting west. Then there is a few info that a greater virulent form of malaria reached Italy and southern Europe interior the 600s or before. there is no single component in touch.

Answer 3

Decisive.
The first Holy Inquisition was established there, with "heretics" (read: the ones disputing the Emperor's power) being burnt in the Hippodormos of Constantinople, as Anna Komnini evidences in her Alexias.....

Answer 4

According to the history very bad, because there was religious fanatism which forced many to find a refuge to Italy, where they created a big community see Venice...
Unfortunately, this religious fabatism whose words were better the turks than the pope brought the results of Constantinopolis...