Church and State
BACKGROUND
Life for Christians changed dramatically when Constantine became emperor.
While marching to a battle for his seat as emperor supreme, Constantine saw a
cross in the sky. He decided that this was a sign that he should become a Christian.
So he took up the banner of the cross and marched into battle victoriously. This
battle secured his political position. Constantine believed that God had given him
the victory. He painted the sign of the cross on all battle shields. Constantine’s
armies went into battle under the sign of the cross, on their banners.
Constantine ended persecution of Christians by A.D. 312. It is interesting to
note that he did not accept Christ as his Lord and Savior until he was on his
deathbed. Constantine promoted Christianity, but there is not much evidence that
he led a Christ-centered life. Under this emperor, being a Christian moved from
being opposed to being legal.
One of Constantine’s successors, Theodosian, made it the law to be a
Christian in A.D. 380. The tables were turned. People who were not considered
Christians were persecuted during this time.
The church and state had become a team under Constantine’s leadership. From
A.D. 213 until A.D. 110, the Roman Catholic (universal) Church gained in status
and power. It became the church. Church and state ruled together—or so it seemed.
As time passed, questions emerged about who actually ruled the Roman
Empire. The emperors were strong. They lived lavishly and spread power among
the government ranks at local levels. The emperors demanded respect and obedience, and desired complete loyalty at all costs. Yet the marriage between church
and state had muddied the waters. The popes were becoming more and more
powerful. As the state (government) began using the church for taxation, lawmaking, and dissemination of information, the status of the pope became elevated. After all, the pope was in charge of the church—or wasn’t he?
It was important to protray a united front, as the empire was constantly being
challenged by other empires. The Roman Empire was involved in battle after battle to remain dominant in that part of the world. The struggle to maintain a
healthy marriage between church and state continued with the help of
Charlemagne, ruler of the Roman Empire from 800-814.
On Christmas Day, Charlemagne was crowned by Pope Leo II as emperor of
the Romans. He was eventually recognized by emperors in the east. The Roman
Empire was revived.
Charlemagne had been heavily influenced by Augustine’s writings. He wanted
to help build the City of God as described by Augustine. From his perspective,
expanding his “Christian” empire would contribute to Augustine’s dream.
This emperor was also interested in reformation with the church. As he conquered new territories, he created bishoprics, established monasteries, appointed
abbots, and presided over church synods. It is important to note that most ordinary people could not read. In other words, they did not have direct access to the
Bible. Priests and other church officials taught in Latin, a language foreign to
many people in the congregation.
Charlemagne tried to make improvements in the parish system. As
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Christianity spread through the Frankish states, Charlemagne developed parish
districts and appointed clergy. He required the clergy to teach the creeds, Ten
Commandments, and special prayers. Charlemagne was instrumental in bringing
scholars from England, Ireland, and elsewhere. While Charlemagne treated the
popes with respect, he encouraged them to support him in prayer and leave
administrative decisions in his hands.
Emperor Charlemagne spent most of his life fighting. He defeated the
Lombards and took the iron crown as his own. He captured part of Spain from
Muslim Arabs. The empire’s most persistent enemies were the Saxons, from
northern Germany. These warriors loved their independence and detested
Christianity. Charlemagne finally subdued the Saxons and exiled them.
Charlemagne championed law and order in an age of barbarism and state-church
Christianity. He died in 814. By that time, the Roman Empire was one of the
strongest empires in western Europe. Tradition states that Charlemagne was buried
in splendor. A century later, his tomb was opened. All that was left of the great
monarch was his skeleton. A scroll of Scripture had been buried with him, and on
closer inspection, it was discovered that Charlemagne’s bony forefinger rested on
a particular verse. The verse read: “What does it profit a man if he gain the whole
world and lose his soul, for what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”
After Charlemagne’s death, the Slavs and Hungarians attacked the empire
from the east. For 300 years, Christians in Europe prayed, “Lord, deliver us from
the horsemen.” Chaos and confusion mounted. Europe once more fell into instability. Feudalism arose from the ruins.
Pope Gregory VII, also known as Hildebrand, is the most important person
in the Middle Ages after Charlemagne. In 1049, Pope Leo IX transferred
Hildebrand to a monastery in Rome, where he eventually became a powerful cardinal. The monastic movement at Cluny had begun a reform against the luxurious
life of many monks. This reform called for freedom of the church from secular
control. The movement also wanted to elevate the papacy as the supreme authority in the church. During the period of 1073 to 1085, the pope rose to power as
supreme pontiff.
Hildebrand became pope under unusual circumstances in 1073. He was conducting a funeral service in the Basilica of St. John Lateron when the people
began to shout, “Hildebrand for pope!” They carried him to the Church of St.
Peter, where he was seated on the papal throne. Later, the cardinals proclaimed
him pope.
Hildebrand was quoted as saying, “The Roman Church was founded by God
alone. The Roman pope alone can with right be called universal. He alone may
use the imperial insignia. His feet alone shall be kissed by all princes. He may
despise emperors. He himself may be judged by no one. The Roman Church has
never erred, nor will it err in all eternity.” Hildebrand worked with great determination to create a Christian empire governed by the pope.
Hildebrand continued to gain power until his death. He fought with the emperor
and helped oust other government officials who disagreed with him. Hildebrand
laid the groundwork for the Crusades, which historians view as one of Christianity’s
most tragic and wicked exterminations under the guise of spreading the faith.
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During the Middle Ages, Christians became interested in making journeys to
the Holy Land. They wanted to see the place where Jesus had lived, taught, and
performed many miracles.
In 1073, the Seljuk Turks seized control of Palestine and began to desecrate
the holy places and terrorize pilgrims from the Roman Empire. People appealed to
Pope Hildebrand, who then planned a war. He wanted to drive the Turks (who
were Muslims) out of Palestine and replace them with Christians from Rome. He
died before he could accomplish this goal.
In the early 1090’s, Pope Urban II decided to rally the empires of Europe to
begin a military expedition against a common foe—the Turks. Pope Urban called a
great assembly of churchmen and nobles. He called on the knights of Europe to
end their feuds and concentrate on ridding the Holy Land of the Turks. The pope
promised exemption from the most horrible of sins to those who helped fight in
the Crusades. The Crusades were comprised of four separate campaigns, which
spanned the period from 1096 to 1204.
The First Crusade was the largest. Common people, as well as trained knights,
rallied for this cause. The crusaders marched to Jerusalem, fighting many bloody
battles along the way. After six weeks of fighting in Jerusalem, they finally captured the city. Most of the crusaders returned to their homes, leaving a small
number of people to care for the city.
Less than 50 years later, the Turks again inhabited this part of the world. A
Second Crusade followed. The Europeans were not united on this march, and due
to internal struggles within their ranks, the Turks were able to prevail.
The Third Crusade followed the Turkish recapture of most major religious cities
of the Holy Land. A group of high-powered European leaders launched this crusade,
only to find that they had opposing goals. They were not able to retake Jerusalem,
but did secure permission for European pilgrims to visit important places of
Christian history.
The Fourth Crusade was an expedition for economic and political gain. The
crusaders never reached the Holy Land because of complications arising from
their alliance with the Venetians from Italy. Much of the Holy Land remained in
the hands of the Muslims.
The sad story of the Crusades reveals the depths to which much of western
Christianity had fallen. The apostolic faith that preached love and tolerance to
enemies was replaced by a gospel of hate. The Crusades set the stage for the
Renaissance in the 14th century, which in turn prepared the way for the
Reformation in the 15th.
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Church and State
LESSON 2: BIBLE & SWORD
Objective
To explore how historical actors and decisions led to church leaders supporting
national violence with their Christian faith. Matthew 5:39—But I say to you, Do not
resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also.
Key Concepts
• Students will learn of Constantine’s decision to make Christianity legal in the
Roman empire in 312 CE.
• Students will explore the idea of cause and effect in history and imagine alternate
paths of history.
• Students will consider the future implications of Constantine’s decision.
• Students will contrast Constantine’s approach with the peacemaking emphasized
by Christ in Matthew 5:39.
Estimated Lesson Time: 50 minutes
Materials
• Two pieces of paper with print on one side
• Swinging Wonder®-type toy, softball and bat, or box of dominoes
• “My Name is Constantine” and “Connect the History” handouts
(pp. 72 and 73).
• Student Bibles
• (Optional) Sword or picture of sword, if using Extend the Lesson
Swinging Wonder
Teacher Preparation
1. Insert two pieces of paper with print on one side into separate places in your
Journeys with God lesson book.
2. Bring to class a Swinging Wonder®-type toy, a softball and bat, or a box of
dominoes, to illustrate the principle of cause and effect.
3. Make enough copies of “Connect the History” and “My Name is Constantine”
handouts for each student to have one.
4. If using the sword object lesson (p. 71), find an actual sword or a photo of a
real sword to bring to class. Costume shops or drama departments may have one
to borrow.
INTRODUCING THE LESSON
Cause and effect. Without saying a word, place a Swinging Wonder®-type toy,
softball and bat, or box of dominoes on a table or desk in view of the entire class.
If using Swinging Wonder, set the balls in motion, swinging back and forth. If
using a softball and bat, carefully use the bat to bunt the ball to one student after
another. If using dominoes, set up several dozen in a spiral pattern and, when you
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have the class’ attention, knock them down. Ask, “What idea does this represent?”
Elicit responses. Identify the central idea you are interested in—cause and effect.
Explain, “One action creates another action. One event leads to another event.
Because of one decision, other decisions are made.” Invite students to identify
examples of other concrete situations of cause and effect: When you drive a car too
fast, the car may go out of control; when you strike a match, a fire starts to burn;
when you flip a switch, electric current connects and the light bulb goes on, etc.
LESSON STEPS
1. Timester time. Open this Journeys with God teacher’s manual in front of the
class, as if preparing to read, but “discover” one of the pieces of paper you inserted
ahead of time. Say, “That’s strange. Here’s a note I don’t remember being here
before. What does it say?” Pretend to read the statement. Continue with your charade by saying, “Well, I think you’ll find this interesting. It’s a note from Timester.
He asks me to read it to you. I guess it can’t hurt. This is what he says:
’Sup, friends? Timester comin’ atcha again. Weren’t ’spectin’ to hear
from me, were ya? Well, here I am. I was going to say “in the flesh,” but
that wouldn’t be quite true, would it, seein’ as how I’m writin’ to you and
not standin’ before you in the classroom. Any rate, I got somethin’ to tell ya
today. It’s about the very beginning of this amazing timeline that’s surrounding us. See at the very beginning? There by 1 AD? Well, to make a
long story short (but not sweet), for more than the first three centuries of
Christianity, things did not go well for the Christians. Emperor after
Roman Emperor made life miserable for the Christians. Claudius kicked
them out of Rome, Nero burned them alive, Trajan punished them,
Marcus Aurelius killed some more, as did Septimius Severus. Valerian
burned more Christians alive, and Diocletian tried to wipe out Christianity
by destroying all the Christian churches and books that he could. So, you
get the idea. The reason I’m tellin’ you this is that it’s like a sequel. It’s
hard to figure out what happened in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of
the King [or insert another popular trilogy or book series here if desired] if
you didn’t read The Fellowship of the Ring first. You have to know what
happened first, in order to figure out what happened later. You have to
know that Christians were persecuted for a long time before you can figure out why Constantine was such a big deal. But I’m not gonna tell you
who Constantine was. That’s somebody else’s job. Peace out.
Add, “Well, I guess it’s somebody else’s job to tell you about Constantine. Folks
left this handout for everyone.”
2. Meeting Constantine. Assign students to read the “My Name is Constantine”
handout silently. When they are finished, read Matthew 5:39. “But I say to you,
Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other
also.”
Ask, “How did Constantine miss this verse?” Break the class up into groups of
three or four. Two groups are to get ready to answer questions as if they were press
secretaries for Constantine. The remaining groups need to come up with questions
to ask Constantine about his life. Tell the students they have five minutes to prepare.
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Visit the groups and suggest that the questioners be sure to ask about the connection Constantine made between the Bible and the sword.
Serve as moderator of a question-and-answer session between Constantine
and his questioners. Let the students know that as moderator, you can rule that
a question is inappropriate. Add your own questions to highlight how much of a
change Constantine was from previous emperors.
3. Alternate histories. Following the interview session, brainstorm with the students what might have been some alternate histories. For example, Constantine
might have decided the image meant he had to be prepared to die defenseless on
the cross, and dropped his sword. Or, he might have commissioned frescoes of a
fighting Jesus carrying a sword into battle. What about generals serving as
priests? Or armies that went to war in the name of Jesus and killed people to
save them? Invite students to think of other possibilities. Write their answers on
chalkboard or newsprint. Comment that there have been times, such as during
the Crusades, when Christians said they needed to kill people in order to save
them. Ask students if this matches their understanding of Jesus’ teachings.
4. Connecting history. Distribute the “Connect the History” handout and give
students time to figure out the correct order. Go over the actual order: 4, 11, 2,
1, 3, 8.
5. Writing decisions. Ask the students to spend five to ten minutes writing
about the results of decisions they have made in the past. Students may choose
from the following prompts (write on the chalkboard):
Because
Because
Because
Because
Because
Because
Because
I ate a sandwich, I . . .
I got up this morning, I . . .
my parents moved, I . . .
this president was elected, I . . .
our church got a new pastor, I . . .
my parent (friend, neighbor, relative) decided to change jobs, I . . .
Constantine brought the Bible and sword together, I . . .
6. Discussion. Invite students to respond to the following questions by bringing
in examples from their writing prompt responses:
• Why do you think Constantine married the sword and the Bible?
• What information from the Bible would you use to try to convince
Constantine that he was making a mistake?
• What analogy would you use to describe a cause and effect?
• What has changed since the time of Constantine in how people view the
relationship of the Bible and the sword?
• If you were on an elevator and had only three floors to explain the most
important thing about Constantine’s decision, what would you say?
7. Word from Big Idea. Start to close your book, but make a show of finding
another piece of paper. Say, “Oh, here’s another note. This one is from Big Idea.
She writes:
Sometimes we inherit the effects of decisions that we did not make ourselves.
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The Anabaptists inherited the effects of the decision Constantine and many
others like him made. Not only did people think the Bible and the sword
went together, but they also thought the Church and the Government went
together. That’s not only a big idea, as we’ll soon discover. It was a bad
idea.
Finish by saying, “Hmm, I wonder why Big Idea thinks it’s a bad idea for the
church and state to go together. I guess we’ll find out more in the next lesson.”
EXTEND THE LESSON
(These activities will extend the lesson to longer than 50 minutes.)
• Memorizing Matthew 5:39. Pair up students and have them repeat the verse to
each other until they can say it out loud while patting their heads and rubbing
their bellies. Ask, “Why are we memorizing this verse in a lesson on the Bible and
the sword?”
• Sword object lesson. Bring an actual sword into class or a large photo of one.
Ask, “What do swords represent in today’s world? Are they considered cool? Why
or why not?”
• Fictional consideration. Assign students to write a story about an alternate
world in which a Roman emperor or some other world leader decided to make
peacemaking his or her first priority. What might that world have looked like?
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✙✙✙
My Name is Constantine
I found this
in
my files. T
hought
you might
be
interested
in it.
—Folks
I grew up watching my father try to rule just one part of the
Roman Empire. Under Diocletian, the empire had been split up into
four sections, in hopes of creating more stability. It didn't work. I
watched the four assistant emperors battle with each other even more
than they battled the enemies of the empire. I knew that I would
never do that when it came my turn to govern. I was going to rule
them all.
Eventually I got my chance. It was the day before I marched to
meet Maxentius. I knew that if I could defeat him, I could rule all of
Rome. As I was marching forward with my army, I saw the most
amazing thing. A cross of light appeared in the sky above the setting
sun. In the middle of the cross were the words, “Hoc Signo Vinces,”
which means “By this sign thou shalt conquer.” I knew God had sent
a message to me. All I had to do was support the Christian religion
and I would win the battle and rule over the entire empire. I decided
that was what I would do.
The next day, we were in the midst of heavy fighting when Maxentius
and his soldiers started to retreat across the Tiber River bridge. While
they were crossing it, the bridge collapsed. Maxentius met his death
by drowning. This was as sure a sign to me that God had given me
the victory as was the sign I had seen the night before.
I kept my word. From that year forward, 312 CE, I made Christianity
the favored religion throughout the Roman empire. To be honest, I did not
practice Christianity myself and only professed my faith as I lay dying.
But I have heard that after my death, in 380 CE to be exact, Theodosian—
one of the emperors who came after me—made this declaration:
“We desire that all peoples who fall beneath the sway of our imperial
clemency should profess the faith which we believe to have been
communicated by the Apostle Peter to the Romans and maintained in
its traditional form to the present day . . . And we require that those
that follow this rule of faith should embrace the name of Catholic
(universal) Christians, adjudging all others madmen and ordering them
to be designated as heretics.”
And to think that it came about because of my cross in the sky! I
protected the Bible with my sword, because the Bible protected me
when I used my sword.
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Connect the History
10
1
2
4
7
5
9
11
6
12
8
3
Connect the actual path of history by drawing a line from ball to ball in the correct order. Six of the balls
will not be connected, because those events never happened (although they could have).
1. Roman emperors persecute Christians for 3 centuries—
burning them, executing them, banishing them, destroying
their churches, and burning their sacred books.
7. Christians figure it will cost too much and go ahead and burn
incense to the Roman emperor. They are accepted, and allowed
to practice what they want, as long as they don't rock the boat.
2. Many Roman citizens come to believe, and choose not to
burn incense to Roman emperors, who are worshipped as
Gods.
8. Theodosian declares that all religions other than
Christianity are heretical.
3. Roman emperors continue persecuting Christians until
312 CE, when Constantine lifts Christianity to the highest
position in the Roman empire.
4. Christ dies on a cross, an execution method used for
thieves and other common criminals.
9. Christianity dies out when its churches are destroyed and
its books burnt. Those who are left have seen too many people
die, so they give up and convert to more popular religions.
10. Constantine decides to go back on his word and uses his
new power to kill all the Christians that he can.
5. Disciples give up, two days after Christ’s death, and decide
that Jesus was nothing but a hoax.
11. A group of disciples remains faithful to their belief in
Christ’s teachings and spread the word of his message of
love, saving grace, and redemption.
6. Apostles keep their beliefs to themselves and the community
of believers never gets any bigger than about 300 people.
12. Theodosian begins killing everyone who won’t immediately
convert to Christianity.
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