Lecture 14: February 22, 2011

We began class with the topic of Byzantine Jerusalem during 312-637 CE. A map of Byzantine Jerusalem shows the increasing Western Expansion of the Jewish sect, and how it moved towards Rome. A new faith defining the Western World became centered in Rome even though it began in Jerusalem (This will create tension).  During the Rise of Christianity and the Metaphysical Jerusalem, the original Jesus followers were known as “The Way” or “The Path”. Jesus was a Jew. Through this period of increasing Hellenization, there is a spiritualization of the faith. There was a Rejection of the Temple. Also, Jesus made predictions of the destruction of the Temple in Mark 13 and Luke 21. The Events of the Early Church include Jesus’ Ascension from the Mount of Olives, the Holy Spirit Descends, the Early Church in Jerusalem, the Jerusalem Council, and Paul being arrested on the Temple Mount. All of this did not stop the Byzantine from converting Jerusalem into a Christian City. The central belief of the Christian faith was that Jerusalem is where Jesus was said to have been crucified, buried, and resurrected. In Matthew 27: 33-40, it is said “You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself.” The Christians interpret the temple as Jesus’ body. Away from the physical Temple in Jerusalem, everything is being spiritualized.  We looked at an image of Aelia Capitolia (Jerusalem), which was being converted into a Roman town. In 285, something changed in the way Rome ruled the world. Emperor Diocletian splits the administration of the Roman Empire between the West and the East. When Diocletian realized the Empire was growing so big, he split it into a tetrarchy. Maximian in the west took over Constantius as his Caesar, and Diocletian took over Galerius as his Caesar.  Dr. Cargill stated that when Constantius dies, Galerius promoted a guy named Severus to Augustus. However, Constantius had a son named Constantine who wanted to be the ruler. Constantius’ troops declared Constantine the ruler. A man named Constantine the Great came to power form 312-337 CE. In 313, Constantine the Great issues the Edict of Milan—this legalizes Christianity. It is a fascinating ethical dilemma; if your religious was always based on non-retaliation, the way Christianity is being practiced is changing.  In 324, the Council of Nicaea stated in the 7^th Canon “Aelia should have an honored position.”  The idea that Greco Roman philosophy affected Christianity was debated. Within Christianity, you see it go from a diverse faith to one orthodox (According to Constantine the Great, if you don’t believe this—you are not a Christian).  Constantine wasn’t necessarily being a “Pope”, but he was affecting the outcome of Christianity. Dr. Cargill introduced a question: Did Constantine use Christianity for a political gain? Are the changed irreparable? Constantine had a mother named Helena; she came to visit Jerusalem in 324 CE. Constantine appointed his mother as the Augusta. Jerusalem was still rebounding from the emperor Hadrian—she asked where people believe Jesus was buried. We read an important story by Mark Twain about the way Helena went about how determining holy sites was not scientific. Helena dedicated the Church of Nativity and the Church of the Ascension. The Rededication of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher becomes the new Axis Mundi. With that said, the Temple Mount is no longer the center of Jerusalem. After Constantine and Helena come and go, a new man called Julian the “Apostate” takes over and begins to rebuild the Temple in 361-363. Julian undid a lot of Christianity. In 391, Theodosius names Christianity the state religion.