Fusion of Roman Christian, and Germanic Cultures



Fusion of Roman Christian, and Germanic Cultures

The fusion between Christianity and Greco-Roman civilization reached its climax in the West during the later fourth and early fifth centuries with the work of men as St. Ambrose? St. Jerome? and St. Augustine? called the Doctors of the Latin Church.

Saint Ambrose was the bishop of Milan who was one of the first supporters of ecclesiastical independence from imperial authority. He asserted this power after Theodosius I massacred the inhabitants of Thessalonica by excommunicating the emperor from the Church of Milan. Quickly the emperor humbled himself and begged for forgiveness.

Saint Jerome (340-420) is a significant figure in the three because he produced the first Latin translation of the Bible from the Greek and Hebrew text. Called the Latin Vulgate Bible? Catholics have used it ever since.

Finally was Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430). Augustine's discussion of his own intellectual and moral journey from paganism and Manichaeism to orthodox Christianity was written to serve as inspiration to others who wandered down the wrong path as well. Augustine came to be concerned by pagan thought but concluded that it? though not enjoyed? could be used to benefit the Christians. He used Platonism and Neoplatonism to form a brand new Christian philosophical scheme. In his writings the theologian also entertained such problems as the Trinity? evil in the world? the power and authority of the priesthood? and the struggle between free will and fate.

Named after its capital Byzantine and also called Constantinople? the Byzantine or Eastern Empire had three pillars that made it stand out. They are Roman government? Christian religion? and Greco-Oriental culture. As well? the empire went through two periods of greatness followed by periods of decline. The first occurred in the sixth century and about 200 of years of decline followed. The second was in the eleventh century and was followed by 400 years of decline. This last period ended in the fall of the empire to the Turks in 1453.

The most influential institution in the lives of these people was the Church. The people sought the Church for comfort and consolation since his life at the time was wrought with fear of foreign invasion? crisis? and tax collectors. The Church was placed under the control of the state and so politics and religion were fused. In fact? the schism of 1054 that permanently separated east and west came about largely due to political considerations and not theological. Its effects were far reaching because the East did not experience the Renaissance? Reformation? or Enlightenment that helped to shape western culture and thought. In fact very little philosophical speculation occurred in the East because of the Church.

What of other fields? In art? they had a blending of classic Greek and Roman styles with Near Eastern. In architecture? much of the same was seen. They used the engineering skills of the Romans and big domes from Persia in their buildings as the church of St. ...