How Imperial Christianity Rewired Authority in Europe
Purpose of this episode
Building directly on our Triumphal Entry analysis (messianic kingship expressed through humility, yet politically provocative), this episode traces a crucial historical arc: how Christianity moved from a marginalised movement to an imperial institution, and how that shift reshaped European governance, legitimacy, and political theology.
1. The imperial “turn”: from tolerated faith to state-backed orthodoxy
1.1 Constantine and legal recognition (AD 313)
The first major hinge is Constantine’s legalisation of Christianity (commonly linked with the Edict of Milan). This did not instantly create a “Christian state”, but it changed the operating conditions of the Church: property rights, public visibility, and imperial patronage became possible at scale. (britannica.com)
1.2 Theodosius and the logic of establishment (AD 380)
A second hinge is Theodosius I’s edict Cunctos populos (380), which explicitly orders subjects to follow the faith “delivered to the Romans” associated with Nicene Christianity, signalling a move from toleration to imperial definition of orthodoxy. In political terms, this is a redefinition of legitimacy: the state now claims competence to identify “true” Christianity. (sourcebooks.web.fordham.edu)
Core implication: once “truth” becomes an imperial policy question, theology and administration begin to fuse—often productively (stability, welfare), sometimes coercively (suppression, politicisation).
2. Bishops as civic leaders: when spiritual authority becomes social infrastructure
Late antiquity saw bishops increasingly functioning as public leaders, not merely religious teachers—particularly where municipal systems weakened or required mediation. Modern scholarship frequently frames this as a major institutional transition: the Church became a durable, trans-local governance actor (charity distribution, dispute resolution, patronage networks), capable of stabilising communities. (Google Books)
This matters for your original theme: authority can be asserted without a sword, but it still remains authority—shaping behaviour, allocating resources, and defining communal norms.
3. “Two powers”: the classical blueprint for Church–state relations (AD 494)
A pivotal text for medieval political theology is Pope Gelasius I’s letter Duo sunt (494), which distinguishes between sacred authority (priesthood) and royal power (kingship). Gelasius’ framing becomes a foundational grammar for later debates: Who is supreme when spiritual and political claims collide? (Macquarie University)
Key dynamic: the “two powers” distinction can support (a) mutual limitation and cooperation, or (b) competition and supremacy claims—depending on how later actors weaponise it.
4. After 476: the western collapse and the Church as continuity
The Western Empire’s “end” is conventionally marked by 476, when Romulus Augustulus is deposed and imperial structures in the West fragment. Historians emphasise that the transformation was prolonged and regionally uneven, but the political result is clear: stable, pan-imperial administration declined in the West, and local power arrangements multiplied. (britannica.com)
In that environment, the Church—already embedded in civic life—often functioned as a continuity institution (education, welfare, diplomacy, record-keeping). This is one reason Christianity became so central to post-Roman identity formation in Europe: it could outlast shifting kingdoms.
5. Rome’s bishop becomes a political actor: Gregory I and the “temporal” papacy
By the late sixth century, Gregory I (“the Great”) is regularly presented as a landmark figure in consolidating papal administration and political stature—operating amid insecurity, famine, and Lombard pressures. The papacy’s role becomes increasingly “state-like” in practical governance, even while remaining theologically framed as pastoral. (oxfordreference.com)
6. From influence to territory: Papal States and the reconfiguration of sovereignty
A crucial escalation is the emergence of the papacy as a territorial ruler (not merely a moral authority). The Donation of Pepin (756) is routinely associated with the formation/confirmation of the Papal States, entrenching papal sovereignty in central Italy and changing the papacy’s geopolitical incentives. (britannica.com)
Alongside this, medieval political culture included the (later exposed) Donation of Constantine, a forged text that purported to legitimise vast papal prerogatives. Even when recognised as fraudulent, its historical role illustrates how documents and narratives of legitimacy can shape politics for centuries. (britannica.com)
7. Charlemagne (800) and the birth of “Christendom” as a political imagination
When Charlemagne is crowned emperor in 800 by Pope Leo III, it symbolises a new model: imperial authority in the West articulated through Christian sacral legitimacy—a fusion of crown and altar that would deeply influence medieval governance. (Britannica Kids)
This is one of history’s clearest examples of what we discussed earlier: public symbolism creates political reality. Coronation is theatre, but it is also a claim about the universe: who is authorised, by whom, and for what end.
8. The inevitable conflict: Investiture and the contest for ultimate authority
Once church offices carry political power (land, courts, taxes, military obligations), the question of who appoints bishops becomes a constitutional crisis. The Investiture Controversy culminates in negotiated settlement (commonly linked to the Concordat of Worms, 1122), showing the long struggle to define boundaries between spiritual office and secular rule. (Britannica Kids)
9. Theological integration with your Triumphal Entry theme
Your core thesis about Jesus’ entry remains the measuring rod:
- Jesus asserts kingship without coercion (donkey, not war-horse).
- Christendom often sought to secure the faith through governance, which can protect communities but also risks confusing Kingdom with empire.
This creates a permanent discernment question for the Church:
Are we expressing authority as witness and service, or as control and compulsion?
Contemporary applications: what to preach from this episode
A. Sermon core (3 movements)
- The King who refuses the war-horse
Jesus’ authority is real, but its “technology” is humility and peace. - When the Church gains power, it gains temptation
History shows how quickly pastoral authority can become political machinery. - Recover Kingdom-shaped leadership
Christian influence is strongest when it remains cruciform: truthful, courageous, non-coercive, service-oriented.
B. Practical exhortations (highly transferable)
- Leadership: legitimacy must be anchored in character, not merely office.
- Institutions: when systems collapse, people look for durable moral infrastructure—be that stability without domination.
- Public faith: symbolic acts matter; choose “donkey-signs” that communicate peace with authority.
Meditation prompts (5–7 minutes)
- Where do I seek the “war-horse” solution (force, reputation, leverage) rather than the “donkey” way (truthful, humble, steady courage)?
- Where has faith become, for me, mainly a tool of control (self or others) rather than a path of transformation?
- What one action this week would publicly embody Kingdom leadership: calm strength, integrity, and peace?
References
- Brown, P. (n.d.) Power and Persuasion in Late Antiquity (book record). Google Books. (Google Books)
- Fordham University (Internet Medieval Sourcebook) (n.d.) Gelasius I: “Duo sunt” (494). (Macquarie University)
- Fordham University (Internet History Sourcebooks Project) (n.d.) Theodosius: “Cunctos populos” (380). (sourcebooks.web.fordham.edu)
- Encyclopaedia Britannica (n.d.) Holy Roman Empire. (britannica.com)
- Encyclopaedia Britannica (n.d.) Charlemagne (entry). (Britannica Kids)
- Encyclopaedia Britannica (n.d.) Papal States / Donation of Pepin (entry). (britannica.com)
- Encyclopaedia Britannica (n.d.) Investiture Controversy. (Britannica Kids)
- Oxford Reference (n.d.) Gregory (Gregory I / Gregory the Great). (oxfordreference.com)
- HistoryExtra (BBC History Magazine) (2021) When did Rome fall? (britannica.com)