04. The Christian Roman Empire

The Early Middle Ages, 284--1000 (HIST 210)

The emperor Constantine's conversion to Christianity brought change to the Roman Empire as its population gradually abandoned the old religions in favor of Christianity. The reign of Julian the Apostate, a nephew of Constantine, saw the last serious attempt to restore civic polytheism as the official religion. The Christian church of the fourth century was divided, however, by two serious heresies: Arianism and Donatism. Religious dissent led to the intervention of the emperors at church councils and elsewhere. Professor Freedman then introduces St. Augustine's Confessions, including an overview of Platonism.

00:00 - Chapter 1. Introduction
08:09 - Chapter 2. Julian the Apostate
12:17 - Chapter 3. Essential Heresies: Arianism and Donatism
26:04 - Chapter 4. Essential Heresies 2: Manicheanism
30:06 - Chapter 5. Roman Emperors and Christian Heresies
40:33 - Chapter 6. Introduction to St. Augustine's Confessions
43:51 - Chapter 7. Platonism

Complete course materials are available at the Yale Online website: online.yale.edu


This course was recorded in Fall 2011.