Fourth Century
Christianity - Official Religion

Christianity Becomes the Official Religion
It is important to grasp that as the fourth century came to an end to be Roman implied "orthodox" Christianity. Equally important, if you did NOT want to be Roman but believed in Christ you sought out the Arian or Donatist churches. This can be seen most clearly in the following decisions:

1) The appointment of the staunchly Nicene general Theodosius as Gratian's co-emperor in the East cir. 379, despite the presence of several qualified men from Valens' Eastern (maybe Arian?) court.

2) The Edict of Thessalonika, cir. 379-380 in which Theodosius and Gratian publicly rejected the Imperial title of Pontifex Maximus (the official religious role of the Emperor). At the same time Theodosius and Gratian began to openly ridicule both Paganism and Arianism.

3) The same Edict went on to remove the Pagan Altar of Victory (dedicated to the Spirit of Rome) from the Roman Senate. These policies were later strengthened to name the Nicene Church as the only officially recognized form of Christianity, and required membership in that church for Roman public service (to hold a position in the empire). This came after roughly 40 years of official toleration.

These acts were followed up with persecution of non-conformists, the closing of Pagan temples, and the exile of Arian clergy. It is not surprising that the requirement of Christianity for public service led to a marked increase in conversion to "orthodoxy" - often from non-spiritual motivations. Arians who would not become orthodox, fled to the border regions. They carried their faith with them, and increasingly the non-Roman tribal groups (Goths, Alans, Huns, Sueves, and others) came to include substantial numbers of Arian Christian converts.

Yet in 400, Christians were still not the majority in the Empire and the Gratian/Theodosius anti-pagan edicts were very unpopular, particularly in the historically Roman areas in the West (Italy, Spain, and the south of France). Gratian faced several uprisings and was eventually murdered by an usurper in 383. In response, Theodosius invaded the West and succeeded in becoming sole emperor of what can only now be called the "Christian Roman Empire," cir. 394.

However, Theodosius died naturally in 395, leaving two young sons: Arcadius (17yrs) and Honorius (10yrs). As might be expected, the government was divided between them with Arcadius in Constantinople and Honorius in Milan. Both faced difficult circumstances and largely were controlled by nobles within their governments. This situation resulted in heavy competition for influence between the military leadership and the civil bureaucrats. As spiritual advisors and the religious arm of the state, the Nicene clergy were actively involved with both groups.

So, in the year 400 there is an officially "Christian Roman Empire" led by "Christian" emperors with "Christian" ideology. This seemingly perfect time must be seen with the backdrop that the political situation had been uncertain ever since the death of Constantine in 337. The fourth century ended with two young, weak rulers on two separate thrones with very different populations.