Le pouvoir impérial et les religions dans l’Empire (284-410)

Abstract

To understand the complex relationship between imperial power and religions between 284 and 410, we first need to consider the religious definition of imperial authority. The process of sacralization initiated by Augustus was not called into question by the Christianization of imperial power. The emperors’ policies were aimed at maintaining order: the great persecution (303-304) can be explained by the political and religious risk that Christians, after the Manichaeans, would have posed to imperial architecture. Constantine’s return to imperial monarchy went hand in hand with his embrace of Christian monotheism. The advent of a Christian prince at the head of the empire did not, however, reverse the situation between pagans and Christians. The religious policy of the emperors from Constantine to Valentinian was essentially characterized by a desire to separate the two religious fields, Christian and pagan, without calling for religious segregation. Christian unity also remained a challenge for the emperors, who intervened in church affairs on both disciplinary and, more surprisingly, theological levels. It is above all the search for neutral ground and common values that characterizes the relationship between imperial power and religions in the 4th century.

Keywords

• Imperial Power
• Religious Policy
• Christianization
• Polytheism