A virada constantiniana e a consolidação da identidade cristã no século IV: uma análise sócio-histórica

Abstract

The 4th century presents itself as a decisive moment for the Christianity, to the Church and to the Roman Empire. In this context, the institutionalization of Christianity and the consolidation of a Christian identity involves tensions, but also elective affinities; are several political and administrative processes, cultural and religious gifts at this juncture. The proposal of this study is to interface these processes, highlighting imperial policy of developed from Constantine favoring Christianity, the emergence of an institutionalized Christianity: the Church and the development of Christendom: the rapprochement between Imperial and ecclesiastical authorities. Will indicate that the consolidation of a Christian identity is closely related to the consolidation of an orthodoxy and to the discourses of Christian intellectuals on the “be Christian” and that both were more intensively developed in the rapprochement of imperial power and the Church; the existence of late ancient religiosity with characteristics common to Christianity, the strengthening of ecclesiastical structures and redefinitions of identity allowed the hegemony of a Christian identity among the various Christian currents formed over the previous three centuries.