The bishop and the church – two liturgical paradigms of the changes after Constantine the Great
The bishop and the church – two liturgical paradigms of the changes after Constantine the Great

Summary/Abstract: It is beyond doubt that Constantine the Great‟s ascension onto the stage of history radically changed the life of the Roman Empire. The adminstrative, political and military measures initiated by Diocletian and continued by the ambitious emperor transformed not just the immense empire, but also the life of the Church. The Church came triumphantly out of the catacombs, and the new legal framework, favourable to Christians, determined significant mutations not only in the public life of the Church, but also in its inner dynamics. From small, hidden communities, with services enacted in private homes, the Church becomes shortly one of the main religions in the Empire. Under Constantine and his successors, the Church launches extensive construction programmes, the cult acquires a strong ceremonial stamp with ever more sumptuous services, Christians are promoted to public positions, bishops are granted civil and political honours and distinctions. Starting from these historical realities, this study attempts to answer the question: How did the new political and historical context the bishop‟s public and liturgic perception within the litur community? Based on Patristic testimonies and the architectural design of churches in the first centuries, our research will determine the bishop‟s liturgic position and role before Constantine, and how this position evolved within the Byzantine collective mental pattern.

• Details
• Contents