The First Millenium

[Vince]

SAINT AUGUSTINE

The false prophet Mani had taught that Christianity was an inferior religion, but when combined with other inferior religions, could make a new and better religion. Part of Mani’s new religion was “unconditional election,†the doctrine that God arbitrarily chose who would be saved and who would not.

Spreading from Rome to China, Manichaeism became one of the world’s great religions, and its greatest philosopher was St. Augustine. Forced to convert to Catholicism when the Romans passed the death sentence on Manicheans, Augustine strove to blend the pagan doctrines of unconditional election, statue worship, original sin, infant baptism, torture and murder of your opponents, and other false doctrines into Christianity.

He strove to make the Catholic priesthood even stronger, teaching that babies who weren’t baptized by a priest would go to Hell. He blended polytheism into Christianity by teaching the worship of saints, teaching that, like the minor deities, saints had power over specific areas.

Using the Bible when he could, and rejecting it when he couldn’t, he condemned those who used Scripture as an authority against him.

Although he preferred torture to murder, he organized riots against the Donatists and the Jews, during which people were killed. The Inquisition would later use his writings to justify both torture and murder of non-Catholics.

1 Timothy 2:3-6 is sometimes referred to as “The Saint Augustine Passage, as it combines some of Augustine’s worst errors into one place:

3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,
6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,

 

[Vince]

Welcome to 373.

Valens, Emperor of the East, had struggled with one revolt after another. When he didn't have a revolt, he invaded peaceful neighbors. Now, converting to Arianism, he begins persecuting Trinitarians.

The Huns win a major victory over the Alans between Europe and Asia. The defeated Alans make peace terms with the Huns and unite with them in fighting other Germans German migration from Asia into Europe speeds up, while Germans already in Europe are forced to migrate further west into Roman areas.

 

[Vince]

And now it is 374 AD.

Ambrose, was governor of part of northern Italy. A Catholic sympathizer who had never been baptized, he intervened to prevent a riot when the Arian bishop of Milan died. The crows enthusiastically seized Ambrose and declared him bishop of Milan. Forced by the Emperor to accept (thus preventing rioting and possible civil war), he eventually became recognized as one of the Four Doctors of the Catholic Church.

There are many carved stone references to Spearthrower Owl, who became Emperor of Teotihuacan. One of the largest cities in the world, Teotihuacan influenced the rest of Mexico and Central America, building complex buildings in a well-designed city. Strangely, despite an abundance of references (He became Emperor on May 4, 374) almost nothing else is known about him. He seem to have been a conqueror, but Teotihuacan prospered under his sixty year long reign.

The absence of any fortifications near Teotihuacan suggest that the city was the capital of a secure empire that extended all the way into Central America. It appears that its borders were often lined with client states that were part of the empire. Located on the Gulf of Mexico, at its height the city was 11.5 square miles.

 

[Vince]

I hope you're ready for 375.

Valentian the Great had spent the last year in south-eastern Europe to deal with the Quadi. After pillaging their lands, he agrees to spare them in return for their supplying troops to the Roman army. The Quadi agree, but they explain to the Emperor that many bands of Quadi are independent and will not obey their rulers. Hollering in a rage at the emissaries, the Emperor has a stroke and dies.

Gratian, the oldest son of Valentian the Great, is declared Emperor. Uneasy about Gratian's lack of military ability, the army declares four-year-old Valentinian II to be Emperor. Valens, Emperor of the East, cannot do anything about it, so he continues to reign, getting along with the generals. Gratian rules as Emperor of the West, because there is nothing he can do about it, either.

Influenced by Ambrose, bishop of Milan, Emperor Gratian begins a ruthless persecution of Arians and Donatists, seizes pagan temples, and removes pagan objects of worship.

The Golden Age of India continues, as Chandragupta II the Great becomes emperor with his father's death. He expands the already large Gupta Empire into Pakistan. He constructs "The Great Iron Pillar of Delhi," a scientific marvel that has stood for 1600 years without rusting, inscribed with lengthy religious teachings.

The Talmud of Babylon is written by Rav Ashi. This commentary on the Mishnah contains approximately 2.5 million words on 5,894 pages.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to 376.

The victorious Huns enter southeastern Europe, and Rome can't stop them. Forced westward, large numbers of Germans enter the Empire, often peacefully, and settle in sparcely-populated areas. The Romans allow large numbers of Goths to enter the Empire for re-settlement, but a famine strikes, and the Romans allow the Goths to starve. As a result, the Gothic Wars begins.

Rome's mishandling of the Goths remains one of the greatest blunders in history. The former Emperor, Valentinian the Great, wanted the Goths to settle peacefully within the Empire, because Rome badly needed their troops and their taxes. Now, they've been turned into a rebel army within the Empire.

 

[Vince]

377 is a rough year for the Germans.

Fritigern was leader of the Goths in Bulgaria, who were ravaging the entire Balkans area. A Western Roman army arrived from the West, just as an Eastern Roman army arrived from the South. Attacking simultaneously in The Battle of the Willows, they fight to a bloody draw, but are unable to dislodge the Goths.

Shapur II, King of Persia, manages to drive the Huns out of his empire.

Ambrose, bishop of Milan, had been tolerant towards the Arians when he was governor. Now he influences the Empleror Gratian to declare all heretics (the majority of whom were peaceful) to be enemies of the Catholic Church.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to 378.

The Lentienses are an insignificant German tribe who are only mentioned twice in history. They walk across the frozen Rhine River and invade France. Emperor Gratians personaly leads an army that defeats them and kills their king. They are never heard from again. Unfortunately, this conflict delays the arrival of western Roman troops to aid Valens, Emperor of the East.

The Gothic king Fritigern assembles a coalition of 10,000 German troops in western Turkey. Valens, Emperor of the East assembles an army about twice that size. Refusing pleas from Gratians, Emperor of the West, to wait for him to arrive with more troops, Valens personally leads an attack. Shortly before the battle, about 2,500 more Germans arrive.

The Battle of Adrianople is the second costliest battle in Roman history. About two-thirds of the Roman army is killed, along with Emperor Valens. So many Roman officers and administrators are killed that the Romans have a recruiting crisis. The new Eastern Emperor, Theodosius I is forced to make favorable peace treaties with the Germans, as he desperately recruits different tribes as Roman allies.

The Germans are now a major and unremovable part of the Empire. Different tribes at different times are allies or enemies, but as a group, they never become loyal to Rome.

In Central America, the Mayan warlord "Fire is Born" begins putting descendants of Spearthrower Owl in charge of minor kingdoms. Possibly the chief general of Spearthrower Owl, he successfully brings much of Central America into Teotihuacano's Mayan Empire, usually without warfare.

However, Rivalry between leading Maya cities Tikal and Uaxactôn ends in invasion and capture of Uaxactôn by Tikal, which goes on to great prosperity.

 

[Vince]

And now it is 379.

Niall of the Nine Hostages becomes High King of Ireland. He gets his name from the hostages sent to him by various minor kingdoms. He rules well, expanding his kingdom within Irish borders, but he also orders raids on the Roman Empire. St. Patrick is captured as a boy on one of these raids. His dynasty lasts for four centuries.

Adashir the Virtuous becomes ruler of Persia. A persecutor of Christians, he immediately changes to a kind and just ruler when he takes the throne. He tries to keep peace with the Romans, and he maintains a 10,000 man garrison in nearby Armenia.

Tikal, a major kingdom in Central America, is conquered by the Mayans. They burn many of the mansions owned by the wealthy but do not destroy the temples and other large buildings. Tikal will be important for another five centuries, but its population begins a slow decline, and no more great structures are built.

Gregory the Theologian, patriarch of Constantinople, barely escapes an Arian mob that storms his church in order to murder him. A powerful and successful preacher, his teachings on the nature of the Trinity are still studied today. Using rhetoric rather than persecution, he brings large numbers of dissident Christians into the Catholic Church.

Macrina the Younger, the most famous of the eastern nine, dies of natural causes.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to 380 AD.

Catholicism becomes the official religion of the Roman Empire under the reign of Eastern Emperor Theodosius I. Beginning the process of removing Arians from power, the Emperor had made Gregory the Theologian (379-381) Patriarch of Constantinople. But Gregory’s friend Maximus briefly seizes the office and is expelled by the people. Gregory, an outstanding speaker, successfully blended pagan Greek philosophy into the Church.

Gratian, Emperor of the West, also calls for all Romans to convert to Catholicism.

To the surprise of the Romans, Mavia, an Arab warrior queen, rebels. Leading a confederation of Arab tribes in Syria, she constantly defeats the Romans. Having been Roman allies for centuries, the Arabs were familiar with Roman military tactics. But the Romans weren't familiar with Mavia's tactics: light cavalry that staged hit-and-run attacks so effectively that the Romans couldn't withstand them. Operating as nomads, with no permanent bases, the Arabs gave the Romans no targets to attack. When they reached the borders of Egypt, the Arabs secured peace terms that included appointing an Arab as their bishop.

Meanwhile, the Vandals invade the province of Pannonia, which includes western Hungary and the surrounding areas, and which is close to northern Italy. Western Emperor Gratian is forced to give it up, and those lands are lost to Rome forever.

The Irish build the Rock of Cashel as a castle for the king of Munster. Few of the original structures still stand, but it was added onto and improved for the next several centuries, providing an historical and artistic record of the Irish.

About this time, humans reach Easter Island, an extremely isolated island in the Pacific. They find a tropical paradise, with no enemies and no contagious diseases.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to the year 381, which is a good year for Trinitarians.

First Council of Constantinople. Convened by Theodosius I, then emperor of the East and a recent convert. To confirm the victory over Arianism, the council drew up a dogmatic statement on the Trinity and defined the Holy Spirit as having the same divinity expressed for the Son by the Council of Nicaea 56 years earlier.

Nectarius (381-397) becomes Patriarch of Constantinople. He had not even been baptized when the Emperor made him Patriarch, because the Emperor didn’t like anyone else on the list of candidates given to him. During his tenure, Nectarius signed a statement that the Pope was the head bishop of the Church, and the Patriarch of Constantinople was the second most important.

Ambrose, bishop of Milan, deposes two Arian bishops.

Western Emperor Gratian insults the pagan leaders of Rome when he refuses the office of Pontifex Maximus. At various times, this was the highest political and/or religious office, although for centuries it had simply been given to the person who already held the highest office. Every Emperor since Augustus had received this title from the Senate. Eventually, the title was given to the Pope, who still holds it.

After being defeated by the Huns, the Scirii ally themselves with them. Originating in Poland, they had migrated southward into Asia. They seem to be a blend of German, Indian, and Iranian peoples.

 

[Vince]

382 has arrived.

Theodosius I, Emperor of the East, concludes a peace treaty with the Visigoths. They are allowed to settle in south-eastern Europe, north of Greece. In return, they must supply troops for the Roman army.

Emperor of the West Gratian moves the capital from Rome to Milan, in northern Italy. Already filled with governmental palaces and offices, this is the height of Milan's glory.

Meanwhile, the bishops in the West are unhappy about the Emperor Theodosius I appointing Nectarius (who had not even been baptized at the time) as Archbishop of Constantinople. Pope Damasus I calls a small council, whose proceedings have been lost. Theodosius I responds by calling a major council in Constantinople, inviting the western bishops. Pope Damasus responds by calling another council, in Rome, while the council in Constantinople is still going on. Most of the bishops, who are older men, decide to stay at the council in Constantinople, although they send a few bishops to Rome. There, at Rome, the Catholic Church declares the Apocryphal, ancient Jewish writings that had been rejected as Scripture by the Jews, as being Biblical. The Council of Rome also authorizes Jerome to translate the Bible into Latin.

 

[Vince]

The year 383 has arrived.

Emperor of the East Theodosius I declares his son Arcadius co-Emperor. A weakling from the start, Arcadius will spend his reign under the control or influence of others, including his wife.

After winning a series of battles, Magnus Maximus, commander of Roman forces in Britain, is declared Emperor by his troops. Taking most of the Roman forces with him, he invades and seizes France. Spain declares itself loyal to Manus MAximus. Emperor of the West Gratian marches to meet him, and Gratian is defeated and killed in France. Magnus Maximus then leads his troops to Italy, where twelve-year-old Valentinian II is the new Emperor of the West.

Niall of the Nine Hostages becomes the High King of Ireland.

Shapur III becomes king of Persia. Recognizing the dangers of fighting each other with so many Germans around, he and Rome make a peace treaty that lasts for 36 years. A small portion of western Armenia is made a Roman client kingdom, while the rest of the nation is made a Persian client kingdom with a Christian king.

 

[Vince]

Let's look at the year 384.

Possibly abandoning his wife and children, Siricius (384-399) is elected Pope. He orders all priests to leave their wives, and he becomes the first bishop of Rome to assume the title Pontifex Maximus. Contradictory records indicate that the began to insist that only the bishop of Rome could have the title "Pope." He begins issuing "decretals," Papal decisions that are made on the Pope's authority without a council.

Korea’s central and southern kingdoms make Buddhism the state religion. Baekje voluntarily becomes a Chinese client state, and the new king orders Buddhism to become the state religion.

Eastern Emperor Theodosius I closes all pagan temples in the Nile Valley.

Ambrosious, the powerful bishop of Milan, refuses the Empress's request for an Arian church to be built in Milan.

 

[Vince]

385, we are here!

Jinsa becomes ruler of the Korean kingdom of Baekje. He tries unsuccessfully to curtail land seizures by the much larger Korean kingdom of Goguryeo.

The people of southern Africa learn how to process and manufacture copper.

Conflicting accounts describe the destruction of a magnificent, 500 year old pagan temple in Alexandria. There was a riot between the Christians and the pagans when the Catholic Church seized the temple, intending to turn it into a church, and found basement chambers used for torture and human sacrifice. With both sides blaming the other, rioting started, prisoners and hostages were taken, Christians who refused to sacrifice to the gods were tortured and sometimes killed, and after six years of fighting, the temple was leveled. Archaeologists have explored the subterranean areas, finding a variety of statues and other items.

Priscillian, bishop of Ãvila in Spain, becomes the first Catholic to be executed by the Catholic Church for heresy. An extreme aesthetic, he taught that man needed to spend his entire life in communion with God.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to 386.

Magnus Maximus, the general who had been proclaimed Emperor by his troops, had seized Britain, France, and Spain. Now he invades Italy. Emperor of the West Valentinian II flees to Theodosius I, Emperor of the East, for protection.

In China, the Northern Wei Dynasty comes into power. They will rule China for 150 years, bringing northern China back into the empire and establishing Buddhism more firmly.

Saint Augustine converts to Catholicism, perhaps motivated by the death penalty on Manichaeans. He continues, however, to blend various "inferior" religions, including Christianity, into a new and better religion: Catholicism.

 

[Vince]

It's time for the year 387.

It's a very quiet year. Theodosius I prepares to invade the western Empire. He takes time to marry Galla, the daughter of the former Western Emperor Valentinian I.

Oribase, a Greek doctor, publishes a treatise on paralysis and bleedings. He also describes an early form of "Bowling," in which players threw a ball at stationary targets.

 

[Vince]

388 welcomes you.

Magnus Maximus, the British general who had ben proclaimed Emperor by his troops, occupies Rome itself.

He issues an edict which censured Christians at Rome for burning down a Jewish synagogue, and was condemned by Bishop Ambrose who said people exclaimed: ‘the emperor has become a Jew’. There are conflicting versions of this story. Other sources say that a bishop in Mesopotamia personally led a mob in tearing down a synagogue, and that the Eastern Emperor ordered the rioters, including the bishop, to pay for a new one. Persuaded by Ambrose that a bishop cannot be required to build a synagogue, the Emperor relented, and then more attacks on synagogues occurred.

Theodosius, the Eastern Emperor, heads west and defeats Magnus Maximus in battle and beheads him in July, 388, with many of the remnant of Maximus' troops settling in Armorica. The net result to Britain was the loss of many valuable troops needed for the island's defense (the "first migration"). Valentinian II is restored as Western Emperor.

The Persian king, Shapur III, who had killed Julian the Apostate in battle, ends the persecutions of Christians, believing they are of more value to him working and paying taxes. Zoroastrian priests are upset. However, he dies and is replaced by Bahram IV, a harsh man who nevertheless leaves the Christians alone.

Jerome moves to Palestine and remains there for the rest of his life.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to 389

Emperor of the East Theodosius I orders all pagan buildings in Alexandria destroyed, including the library.

Desperately short of troops, Theodosius recruits barbarians and then transfers them to Egypt, sending Roman soldiers to serve in German areas. But even in Egypt, the Germans constantly switch sides, having no loyalty to Rome.

 

[Vince]

And now it is the year 390.

Objecting to a Goth garrison in their midst, the people of Thessalonica riot, killing the commander. Eastern Emperor Theodosius, considered a saint by the Eastern Orthodox Church, orders a massacre in retaliation in which an estimated 7,000 citizens are killed. Ambrose, the powerful bishop of Milan, excommunicates him.

The same year, Theodosius brings an obelisk from Egypt to the Hippodrome of Constantinople. It's still there.

In India, the Vakataka Dynasty begins. It will last two centuries, and India's power will grow under their reign.

 

[Vince]

391 just got here.

Emperor Theodosius the First sanctions the destruction of the great pagan temple of Serapeum at Alexandria, Egypt, dedicated to Alexandria's protector deity, Serapis.

All non-Christian temples in the Empire are closed, as Theodosius establishes Cathoilcism as the official state religion. The eternal fire in the Temple of Vesta in the Roman Forum is extinguished, and the Vestal Virgins are disbanded.

Established about 1,000 years before, the Vestal Virgins participated in most major events, and their maintaining of the eternal fire was regarded as proof that the goddess Vesta was continuing her protection of Rome. There was a a common belief that the fall of Rome was the result of the extinguishing of the eternal flame.

Gwanggaeto the Great becomes king of Goguryeo, the largest of the three Korean kingdoms. During his forty-year reign, he loosely unites Korea, bringing the two smaller kingdoms under his control, and expands into China, Russia, and Mongolia.

The Rouran Empire, north of China, suffers a major defeat from the Chinese to the south. So they expand westward instead.