First Millennium Church History

The Transformation of Western Rome & Benedictine Prayer

The First Millennium after the Life, Death, and Resurrection of Our Most Precious Lord is widely held to be "Dark." The capital of Rome was in tatters after war after war and invasion after invasion. There was nowhere to do business when the bells rang, signaling time for business activity (in Rome certain times were scheduled for commerce and citizens were notified of these times through the ringing of bells:  At Dawn, Mid-Morning, Noon, Mid-Afternoon, and Evening). Outside of these times the Ancient Romans did chores around the house or recreated. The Benedictines decided that their bells at these times would indicate times for Public Prayer, rather the commerce. This occurred in the 500s and 600s.

The Rise of Constantinople: The New Capital of Christendom

No where to do business, nowhere to relax and enjoy the urbane of Central Italy, to a young Constantine meant that the capitol must move. So it did in 330. This new Capitol is modern day Istanbul; Constantinople for over a thousand years. Perchance the most beautiful city in the world, Constantinople sits on the boundary between Asia and Europe, and has many nicknames: The Second Rome", "The Queen of the Cities", and "The City of Cats."

Why study and think about Constantinople, other than it was at the apex of trade? Because, as we study the first thousand years after Christ, we must learn into which places God Made Man, God Incarnate, came. What were the people of each place like? What were the characteristics of their lives? The Christians at different places had different challenges. For instance, the Christians living in Alexandria and Constantinople were the Urban ones for the better part of 700 years during the First Millennium; Egypt was the breadbasket while Western Europe lavished. The places of peace 9 times out of times out ten were in the villas of Western Europe as opposed to the cities. These things greatly aid, I would put forth, our understanding that Christianity was extremely active in the Eastern Mediterranean regions, something that really has been provided to students of Western Civilization since the Early 20th Century (take, for example that the Seven Ecumenical Councils were all held in the Eastern portions of Christendom).  I have attached a linguistic map of the Roman Empire in 560 AD, illustrating the notion that there were many peoples living under rulers  from Constantinople. 

So, our first truth of First Millennium Europe and Asia is that for the majority of the period, Western Europe struggled for life, while the Eastern portions of The Mediterranean flourished ( with the exceptions of the centuries long war first with the Persians then against the Arabs, the Christological Wars and plaques). Prosperity and comfortable living was much more an element of Christian Life in Eastern Europe, Anatolia, the Balkans, the Caucuses, the Middle East, and Northern Africa. 

Preservation of Learning & Spiritual Revival in the West

There was comfort in the countrysides and monasteries of Italy, France, Briton, and Germany, but it wasn't until the Ninth Century, that a literary culture excelled in Western Europe, whereas at Constantinople gilded libraries were visited from the Fourth Century to the Eleventh, and vibrant and official academic discourse and teaching occurred at Alexandria and Antioch.  The East never lost their manuscripts of Aristotle like the West did, only rediscovered in the Thirteenth Century by Albert the Great and the Angelic Doctor, holy Tomas Aquinas.

Yet, the first thousand years after Christ in Western Europe were filled with beauty, as God's grace came indeed like the dew fall, turning stony hearts everywhere to hearts of flesh; Arianism shifted to orthodoxy, monastics led many to belief in the Triune God, and literature finally received its due place in the court of Charlemagne. There were great spiritual leaders in the West to galvanize this conversion to Christ. Saint Columbanos is an example. He was critical to the increase of the Christian faithful in the West. Photo Credit: thewildlifedaires.com

Map credit: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/16PWepNQYt/

Header image: Sartoni, Luca. Basilica di San Vitale. Photograph. January 12, 2009. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Basilica_di_San_Vitale.jpg.