The conversions of the Germanic West from Arian to Catholic Christianity A.D. 350-700.
Item
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Title
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The conversions of the Germanic West from Arian to Catholic Christianity A.D. 350-700.
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Identifier
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AAI9630506
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identifier
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9630506
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Creator
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Sefcik, Rosalie Marie.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Howard L. Adelson
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Date
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1996
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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History, Medieval | History, Ancient | Theology
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Abstract
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From 350-700 A.D. Catholic Christianity struggled with its Arian counterpart for souls and thrones. During this protracted conflict, Arian Christianity would claim emperors, kings, martyrs, bishops, and its own unique, Gothic Bible. Some of the greatest nation-builders and law-givers of the early Middle Ages--Euric, Geiseric, Theodoric, Leovigild, Rothari--were Arian Christians. Why then isn't Europe today Arian? How could a religion with such political clout lose out as the dominant Christianity of Europe? Arianism first lost an empire, then one by one, the Germanic kingdoms of the West converted to its Catholic rival. Medieval Christianity became Romanized, not Germanized. The Catholic transcendental unity of the Trinity triumphed over the rational, hierarchical Godhead of the Arians.;Documenting the Arian conversions, first in the late Roman empire, and then the Catholic conversions in the four Germanic kingdoms of the Visigoths, Vandals, Ostrogoths, and Lombards has been the mission of this panoramic work. In order to revive the obliterated faith of the Arians, art, archaeology, and numismatics (with illustrations) were used in conjunction with the written sources. Revisionist interpretations on the theology and politics behind the dual conversions have been offered: How and why did the Germanic tribes convert to Arian Christianity? Was the Arian theology in the Roman Empire during the fourth century (a subordinate Son of God and Holy Spirit) the same as in the Arian kingdoms of the sixth century? Was there an Arian Ecclesia? What was the rapport between the Arian lords temporal and the lords spiritual? Was there an Arian art? What was Catholic life really like under the Arian rulers? Can archaeology corroborate our written sources or tell different stories? When the government was theirs, why didn't the Arian kings convert their Catholic subjects?;Through a multi-disciplinary study of pan-Arian themes in the Roman empire and in four Germanic kingdoms, it is hoped that an original contribution has been made to the study on why Europe became Catholic and not Arian.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
