Reviews for Church and State in Early Christianity

The average rating for Church and State in Early Christianity based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2015-06-20 00:00:00 Thomas Tololi I was surprised. I did not realize that Hugo Rahner, Karl's brother, was a scholar in his own right. The interplay of the assumption that the state was a dominant part of culture which had to play a role in religion led to the back and forth of church and state issues in the first 8 centuries. Rahner gives an example of a Pope who forbade an emperor to give justice to Jews whose synagogue was burned down. This has to be early anti-semitism. He gives countless examples of the state infringing on the church, both in east and west. The death of Byzantine power in the West gave the Western church the capacity to develop its freedom far more than the eastern church. The 3rd canon of Constantinople and the 28th of Chalcedon surprised me. The canons enshrined Constantinople as the second Rome, over the papal legate's protests.

Review # 2 was written on 2020-04-13 00:00:00 Lina Lam An excellent summary of the first 8 century's of the Catholic Churches struggles with the Roman Empire. While primarily from the perspective of the Church, it gives an in depth view into the debates between the Popes, Bishops, and Priests of the time with the Roman authorities. Though I wish it went into more detail, it's still good start for those interested in Early Church history.