Politic and Religion in the late Roman Empire

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 23520889
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: History of Europe and America
• Research Institution: Chiba University
• Principal Investigator: HOSAKA Takaya 千葉大学, 大学院人文社会科学研究科, 教授 (30251193)
• Project Period (FY): 2011-04-28 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 国家と教会 / ローマ帝国 / キリスト教公認 / キリスト教国教化 / コンスタンティヌス / テオドシウス / 教会の富裕化

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Reasons of conflicts between the Catholic Church and the Late Roman Empire were scarcely religious but mostly financial, relating to the pubic burden (munus) or taxation imposed upon wealthy citizens. Enrichment of the church which had made a considerable progress in the course of time brought a change in the imperial policy towards the church. Since admission bans for wealthy persons imposed by Constantine the Great had lacked effectiveness his successors were forced in reverse to admit them into the church, and imposed various financial burdens including administrative offices; that in the latter half of the fourth century many Christians tried to converse back to paganism and the emperor Theodosius checked it corresponds exactly to this political change.

Free Research Field

西洋古代史