Civilization #26: Constantine's Monotheistic Revolution

Ancient mythmakers, later church authorities, and modern psychologists interpret forces like hatred, vengeance, and evil through different symbolic frameworks.

Jesus, the twelve apostles, Paul, and their successors in local churches form the lineage that Christian tradition credits with spreading the faith.

Constantine, Roman emperors, and episcopal leaders fuse imperial authority with church structure to create a universal orthodox institution.

Ebionites, gnostics, mystery cult participants, and Pauline converts represent competing interpretations of Jesus in the first generations after his death.

Church authorities define a doctrine that ordinary believers must accept, transforming faith from personal dialogue with God into assent to a fixed formula.

Roman armies, the Jerusalem community led by James, and fearful diaspora Jews reshape the balance of early Christianity after the wars of 66 to 73 CE and later revolts.

Modern institutions of science, education, and state identity shape how individuals understand life, death, and meaning after monotheism narrows reality to the material world.

Modern societies, governments, and market participants collectively treat currency as a real substance rather than a shared symbol.

Medieval church authorities and later secular institutions inherit a monotheistic worldview that reshapes how people interpret reality.

Constantine and bishops from major churches in Rome, Alexandria, Antioch, and elsewhere gather to settle disputes about the nature of Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit.

Roman aristocrats, bishops, clients, and church members reproduce the paterfamilias structure inside the emerging Christian hierarchy.