This volume closely examines patterns of rhetoric in surviving
correspondence by the Roman emperor Constantine on conflicts among
Christians that occurred during his reign, primarily the ‘Donatist
schism’ and ‘Arian controversy’. Commonly remembered as the
‘first Christian emperor’ of the Roman Empire, Constantine’s
rule sealed a momentous alliance between church and state for more
than a millennium. His well-known involvement with Christianity led
him to engage with two major disputes that divided his Christian
subjects: the ‘Donatist schism’ centred, from the emperor's
perspective, on determining the rightful bishop of Carthage, and the
so-called ‘Arian controversy’, a theological conflict about the
proper understanding of the Son's divine nature in relation to that of
the Father. This book examines a number of letters associated with
Constantine that directly address both of these disagreements,
exploring his point of view and motivations to better understand how
and why this emperor applied his power to internal church divisions.
Based on a close analysis of prominent themes and their functions in
the rhetoric of his correspondence, Pottenger argues that three
‘doctrines of power’ served to inform and direct Constantine’s
use of power as he engaged with these problems of schism and heresy.
Power and Rhetoric in the Ecclesiastical Correspondence of Constantine
the Great is of interest to students and scholars of early
Christianity and the history of the later Roman Empire.
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Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9781000799873
Publisert
2022
Utgave
1. utgave
Utgiver
Taylor & Francis
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter