THIS IS a new era, where Emperors tried to dominate the religion for their own purposes and tried to use it to achieve unity but since the Pope have the faith authority, meant dissagreements from zero. The Popes begin to put structures and modernisation in the administration.
-
Melquiades [311-314] In the year 313, Constantine, the ruling emperor, declared freedom of conscience. He is remembered for his triumphal stance against the Donatists1, who dominated the African bishoprics. The Donatist and Catholic supporters met twice: at the Lateran Council and the Council of Arles, both times at the request of Donatus, and in both cases, the Church sided with the Pope.
-
Sylvester I [314-335] A Pope revered by all Churches: Catholic, Orthodox, Armenian, Lutheran, and Anglican. His actions as a bishop made him stand out, especially during the Council of Arles. By this time, Constantine had settled in Byzantium (future Constantinople) and ruled from there, not from Rome. The Emperor sought Roman unity in faith and was invited to the Council of Nicaea. This Pope is known for his defense of the faith and his opposition to Arianism2. He also played a key role in commissioning the construction of the Basilica of St. John Lateran.
-
Mark [336] I didn’t find anything interesting.
-
Julius I [337-352] He was tasked with executing what was agreed upon at the Council of Nicaea but faced a disadvantage: the emperor, who had declared freedom of conscience, wanted to interfere in matters of faith. Constantius II, the emperor’s son, supported Arianism, contrary to the Pope's guidance, who had the ear of the other son, Constans. After Constans was assassinated, the emperor used his power and persecuted the Church. He attempted to place a Pope of his choosing (Felix), but public pressure prevented it.
-
Liberius [352-366] The emperor intended to divide the papacy between Felix (his preferred candidate) and Liberius, but neither the bishops nor the Roman people accepted it, so he had to abandon the idea. Moreover, the emperor lacked popular support for his Arian preference. There's not much to say about this Pope, except that he reversed the decrees made by Constantius at the Council of Rimini (361). Although Julian restored paganism after Constantius’ death, the Church returned to normalcy.
-
Damasus [366-384] He is the patron saint of archaeologists. He was the secretary and deacon of Liberius [36], dedicating his papacy to composing numerous works and modernizing the papal archives. During his papacy, he ordered an exhaustive review of the Bible, which he entrusted to his secretary, Saint Jerome. During this time, while the Bible was being reviewed, measures against the Arians continued, and he also condemned Apollinarism3 and Macedonianism4. He promoted reforms to unify rites and worship, which laid the foundation for many ancient Catholic traditions we know today. He defended the primacy of Rome as the administrative seat for acts and decrees. Theodosius I urged all Romans to convert to the faith of Rome.
-
Siricius [384-399] Although Saint Jerome was the obvious candidate to succeed Peter’s throne, the bishops disliked his character and temperament, so they chose Siricius, who had good relations with Ambrose of Milan and Isidore of Seville. He consecrated the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls and appointed (Saint) Augustine as Bishop of Hippo. He laid the groundwork for monastic life and reaffirmed this lifestyle in honor of Cornelius [21], fearing that bishops might fall into opulence, which was becoming evident at the time.
-
Anastasius [399-401] He rejected Origen5 for considering his biblical commentaries too exaggerated.
-
Innocent I [401-417] He strongly opposed Donatism1 and Pelagianism6. He intervened in the conflict between Theophilus, Patriarch of Constantinople and favored by Eudoxia, and John Chrysostom, a friend of his. This intervention complicated tensions between Constantinople and Rome. When Alaric the Goth attacked and sacked Rome for three days, Constantinople did nothing to help Rome, which was looted for three consecutive days. This worsened considering Alaric was an Arian2. After this event, Rome began to gain independence, and the Pope expanded his influence over the Western Roman Empire.
And from now on...the Pope will start a fight that will last centuries with Constantinople. But that's another thing for the next chapter.
Footnotes
-
Ecclesiastical doctrine promoted by Donatus, asserting the absolute intransigence of those who had renounced their faith during times of persecution. They were extremists in matters of faith and honor purity, to the point of considering the Church immoral, and their greatest sin: going against the Roman Empire. The Church rejected this doctrine, affirming that the priestly authority of the sacraments was valid and did not depend on the morality of the one administering them. This was confirmed at Arles (314). ↩ ↩2
-
A doctrine led by Apollinaris the Younger, a bishop who taught that Christ was never human. Christ, the spirit, was always divine, never human. Christ was a soul in a body without rationality. It was condemned because it denied the nature of human redemption, and by denying Christ a human mind, humanity would be reduced to mere puppets of God. ↩
-
Promoted by Macedonius, Patriarch of Constantinople, it claimed that the Father and the Son were the divinity of Jesus Christ but not the Holy Spirit. This thesis was rejected, as the Spirit of God is immutable and lives within God the Father and God the Son, being indivisible. Without the Spirit of God, there is no figure of the Holy Trinity. ↩
-
Origen of Alexandria was an early Christian theologian who wrote over 2,000 theological works. Although his works are considered historical cornerstones, they were rejected because he viewed Christ as a fusion of the soul with the human being rather than a unity, and he claimed that Christ was not free from sin, a cornerstone of redemptive theory. ↩
-
Pelagianism, a doctrine promoted by the philosopher Pelagius, argued that original sin did not taint human nature and that through free will, humans could achieve perfection. Initially defended by Augustine of Hippo, he later became the doctrine’s main opponent, affirming that if original sin did not exist in man, God's divine grace had no preeminence, and we would all be sinners. In the humility of seeing ourselves as such, God forgives offenses against Him and ourselves. ↩