The Church and State
As soon as the Roman Emperors became Christians they began to blow up their importance to the Church. They began to claim things such as they were the representatives of God on earth. They also began to be more and mroe involved in the Church affairs. Because the Emperors were spending more and more time in the church, the bishops were able to play a more prominant role in the affairs of the state and began to do things like be advisors to Christian Emperors. Subsequently the imperial authority decined and the church leaders started taking on more independant political roles. One of the earliest examples of an independant bishop was Ambrose (c. 339-397). Ambrose was a Bishop of Milan, who knew Augustine and was included in Augustine's Confessions. Ambrose taught that the church should be defended by the Bishop against the pollution of church policy by the political officials. Later Theodosius I had many people in Thessalonika killed for not obeying him, this was the last straw for Ambrose, for Theodosius I had participated in the matters of the church. Ambrose banned Theodosius from church ceremonies, and Theodosius performed a public penance to clean himself of the sinful act he had committed.
On the Italian peninsula the political leaders were weak willed and the church was therefore able to obtain more freedom. They had so much freedom and influence in the political affairs of the state that it is said that Pope Leo I was indluential in persuading Attila the Hun to flee from Italy.
On the Italian peninsula the political leaders were weak willed and the church was therefore able to obtain more freedom. They had so much freedom and influence in the political affairs of the state that it is said that Pope Leo I was indluential in persuading Attila the Hun to flee from Italy.