"No one heals himself by wounding another" --attributed to St. Ambrose of Milan [possibly a summary of his teaching?]
This blog has previously discussed Theodosius, the Roman Emperor who made Christianity the official religion of the Roman empire. Here is the link for this blog's discussion of Theodosius. Constantine had made the religion legal, not the official religion of the empire. As I noted in that post, I believe that my education and experience qualify me to add to the discussion. I hope readers will find this informative but not as stuffy as what is found elsewhere.
Not long after Christians got the upper hand, a good number of them started persecuting pagans. This is contrary to various words of Christ and St. Paul on how to treat unbelievers: shake the dust off your feet; put up your sword; as far as it lies within you, be at peace with all others; I judge the church and leave it to God to judge the world.
Theodosius himself became overly harsh towards the pagan population of Thessalonica. A mob lynched a garrison commander over the detention of a popular charioteer. Theodosius either allowed or was involved in the killing of over 7000 men, women and children.
The area bishop, though he clearly benefitted from Theodosius' choices regarding the church, knew where his duty lay: he withdrew from court in horror and sent a letter publicly criticizing and challenging Theodosius. The emperor was denied the Eucharist (communion; Lord's Supper). The matter ended when Theodosius accepted Ambrose's terms for spiritual repentance and spiritual restoration.
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| St. Ambrose Barring Theodosius from Milan Cathedral; Anthony van Dyck (1619) |
Modern Christianity does not seem to have these brave leaders who will speak firmly to secular political leaders who "benefit" them when those politicians need public chastisement.
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