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.