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In-Depth Notes on Byzantine Christendom

Byzantine Christendom: Overview

  • Rise of Byzantine Empire following division of the Roman Empire.
  • Byzantine Empire viewed as a continuation of Roman civilization.
  • Significant influences from ancient civilizations like Egypt, Greece, Syria, and Anatolia.

Key Characteristics of Byzantium

  • Wealthy, urbanized, and cosmopolitan compared to the western Roman Empire.
  • Strategic advantages: defensible capital (Constantinople), access to major seas (Black Sea, Eastern Mediterranean), strong military, and diplomacy helped withstand invasions.
  • Central features that persisted from Roman times:
    • Roads, taxation, military structures, centralized administration, imperial court, and laws.

The Byzantine State

  • Byzantine Empire's territorial extent was significantly less than that of the Roman Empire.
  • Major territorial losses occurred due to Arab expansion, despite temporary reconquest under Justinian (r. 527-565).
  • Political authority centralized in Constantinople with the emperor holding supreme power, resembling Persian imperial structures.

The Byzantine Church

  • Close relationship between the Byzantine state and the Eastern Orthodox Church (caesaropapism).
  • Emperor had control over church matters, including appointments and doctrinal decisions.
  • Orthodox Christianity was a major cultural force, legitimizing the emperor’s authority and shaping cultural identity.
    • Numerous churches filled Constantinople, veneration of icons played a crucial role in religious life.

Comparison of Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholicism

  • Divergence began in early Christianity, leading to a formal split.
  • Key differences:
    • Language: Greek in the East vs. Latin in the West.
    • Authority: Eastern Orthodox rejected papal supremacy; popes held varying degrees of authority in the West.
    • Rituals: Differences in practices (e.g., married priests in the East vs. celibate in the West).
  • 1054 mutual excommunication marked a significant schism.
  • The Crusades exacerbated tensions, particularly during the Fourth Crusade (1204).

Byzantium’s Geography and Trade

  • Central role in Eurasian long-distance trade networks.
  • Gold coinage (bezant) used across the Mediterranean.
  • Byzantine luxury goods (textiles, metals) were highly sought after in Europe.

Cultural Impact of Byzantium

  • Preserved ancient Greek knowledge, influencing both Islamic and West European intellectual thought.
  • Diffusion of Byzantine religious culture to Slavic-speaking peoples, particularly through missionaries Cyril and Methodius.

The Conversion of the Kievan Rus

  • Kievan Rus, developing along trade routes, adopted Eastern Orthodoxy in 988 under Prince Vladimir.
  • Shift to Orthodoxy acted as a unifying element for diverse peoples.
  • Legacy of Byzantine influence visible in church architecture, language (Cyrillic), and religious practices.
  • Establishment of a “third Rome” ideology in Moscow, portraying Russia as the true protector of Orthodox Christianity after Byzantium's fall.