4世纪中后期基督教会的发展与晚期罗马帝国政教关系

The Development of Christian Church in the Middle and Late 4th Century and the Church-State Relations in Late Roman Empire

4世纪中后期,基督教会与罗马帝国皇帝的关系形成新的平衡,教会与皇帝之间形成了依赖彼此、相互支持,又各自相对独立的新关系。皇帝支持教会扩大影响力、维护教会的既得利益,在与多神教的争斗中与基督徒站在同一阵营,而教会则在风云变幻的局势中支持皇帝,当皇位不稳固或战争爆发时教会利用宗教影响为皇帝助力。这种相互依存又彼此独立的关系,是罗马历史发展趋势与政治局势相互影响的产物,具有较强的生命力,对后世欧洲政教关系的发展产生了深远影响。

In the middle and late 4th century,the relationship between the Christian Church and the Emperors of the Roman Empire reached a point of mutual dependence.The emperors supported the church to expand its influence and interests as well as the struggle against the pagans. The church, on the other hand, supported the emperors in volatile situations. This relationship was a result of the mutual influences between the historical trend and the political situation of Rome that brought about a far-reaching influence on the state-church relationship in the later centuries.