Rise Of Constantinople And The Collapse Of The Western Empire

the majority in the Eastern Empire, with Constantine’s power and position in the east. The century following Constantine’s rule also saw the collapse of the Western Empire. These two factors, the rise of Constantinople and the descent of Western supremacy, were major aspects of the evolving relationship between Church and State. The West was the cradle of traditional Roman values, birthplace of the Greek and Roman Pantheon. For centuries Rome had ruled the empire from the Forum, and the power of Paganism had been seen in every conquest and edict. Now Christianity was growing, and the new Church was headed to greatness. Constantine’s dynasty strove to bring senators from Rome to Constantinople in the early 4th century, indicating an understanding of the importance of
Themestius treated the situation delicately, but the truth was that the West was starting to become a lost cause, with the “Barbarian” kingdoms on the rise and the Huns on the horizon. Even a Pagan such as Themestius could see the writing on the wall, and put the Empire before personal religion .
The relationship between Church and State during this time was one of transformation, as the eventual doctrinal schism and shift to the East began the Byzantine Empire. By the early 5th century the West had fallen, or at least the Goths had moved in and the Emperor could not push them out. The survival of the eastern lands occluded the ancient history of Rome and the time of Caesars under Jupiter. Although the years of Constantine’s sons saw major conflict in the Christian Church between Arians and Nicene, Pagan voices are the ones that began to decline in importance, even under the rule of Pagan Julian. With his