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Late Antique Christianity as a Syncretistic Socio-Political Institution in the West
Gangi, Rossella
Gangi, Rossella
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Abstract
Deconstructing Christian theology and doctrine to its core elements, it is possible to understand Church success in the Roman Empire as the result of Christianity adaptable socio-cultural and institutional structures. Christianity has differentiated itself from paganism and condemned ‘pagan’ religions as false. However, Christianity not only derive from ‘pagan’ beliefs, but it also applied a syncretistic political theology to configure itself into the Western Roman Empire's political and socio-cultural frame. The characteristic Christian doctrine of salvation has pre-Christian antecedents. Salvation is derived from archetypical purificative life-giving fluids like blood and water. Jesus theological function of savior stems from his association with Oriental Mysteries divinities whose birth and death have a regenerative function. The variety of characters in Christianity, such as saint, demons, and angels that work under the control of predominant sun god, display not only Christian nature as a henotheistic religion but also Christianity adaptation of ‘pagan’ divinities and cult to its necessity. Late Antique Christianity and Church establishment in the West resulted from Christianity flexibility and syncretism.
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Thesis (B.A. in Art History, Minor in Humanistic Studies and Creative Writing)--John Cabot University, Spring 2020.
Date
2020
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Keywords
Church history, Christianity
Citation
Gangi, Rossella. "Late Antique Christianity as a Syncretistic Socio-Political Institution in the West". BA Thesis, John Cabot University, Rome, Italy. 2020.