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Theodosius had a plan. He wanted all the people of his empire to worship the one true God revealed in the Bible. A noble endeavor, for sure. But there was one fatal flaw in the emperor’s strategy:
Those he couldn’t lead to Jesus…he would send to Jesus!
The Roman Emperor, whose name meant “gift to God,” reigned over the sprawling empire from 379-395 AD. He successfully implemented several social reforms, defeated those who sought to divide his kingdom through civil war, and even issued decrees that made Christianity the official state religion of the Roman Empire.
But mixing “church” and “state” was just as bad of an idea 1600 years ago as it is today.
Early in his reign, Emperor Theodosius issued his now famous “Edict of Thessalonica” which states, in part:
It is our will that all the peoples we rule shall practice that religion which the divine Peter the Apostle transmitted to the Romans. We shall believe in the single Deity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, under the concept of equal majesty and of the Holy Trinity.
We command that those persons who follow this rule shall embrace the name of Catholic Christians. The rest, however, whom we adjudge demented and insane, shall sustain the infamy of heretical dogmas, their meeting places shall not receive the name of churches, and they shall be smitten first by divine vengeance and secondly by the retribution of our own initiative, which we shall assume in accordance with divine judgment.
In other words…believe or burn!
There was nothing wrong with Theodosius’ desire; he wanted his people to know God…but he tried to accomplish that feat in a way that wasn’t very godly. The Apostle Paul outlines a very different strategy for reaching those who have a different opinion about God and faith:
Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (Colossians 4:5-6)
Mercy has always worked better than murder.
Resource’s Origin:
Church History in Plain Language by Bruce L. Shelley. Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995, Pages 96-97.
Topics Illustrated Include:
Beliefs
Christianity
Christians
Church
Emperor
Free Will
God’s Will
Government
Grace
History
Judgment
Kill
Love
Mercy
Murder
Power
Religion
Romans
Threat
Violence
Worship
(Resource cataloged by David R Smith)
