The Roman Empire and Christianity in the 4th Century

The article examines the general situation of the Christian Church in the 4th century and briefly outlines the further development of Church history in the West and the East. First, attention is paid to the persecutions of Diocletian, which in early 4th century covered the entire empire. After 313, the Church received significant support from St. Emperor Constantine, which intensified after 324. The further history of Christianity is closely connected with the internal political features of state development and is accompanied by large-scale theological disputes, which led to the convening in the 4th century of two Ecumenical Councils. It is noteworthy that different paths of development of the East and the West were outlined already in the 4th and even in the 3rd century AD. In the East, the empire retained strong imperial power. The emperor had absolute power, and the ancient concept of a deified monarch was replaced by the Christian idea of “the God’s Anointed”. Political situation in the West also determined the characteristics of the Western Church. The Roman Church, already in early 4th century, was the undisputed leader of the Western Churches, which received its instructions and orders. The present article is devoted to these and other issues.