Church and Gavman Long Byzantium

MAN wea startim Christian Wei hem barava talem klia hao olketa follower bilong hem mas difren evribit from disfala world wea stap farawe from God. Jesus talem olketa follower bilong hem: “Sapos iufala part bilong world, world savve laekem samting bilong hemseleva. From iufala no part bilong world, bat mi chusim iufala aot from world, from diswan nao world hem heitim iufala.” (John 15:19) Jesus sei long Pilate, wanfala bigman bilong politik long datfala taem: “Kingdom bilong mi hem no part bilong disfala world.”—John 18:36.

For duim evribit responsibility bilong olketa for preach “go kasem evri farawe ples long earth,” olketa Christian mas stap klia long wei for letem samting bilong world

pullim olketa. (Acts 1:8) Olsem Jesus, olketa first Christian no join insaed long politik. (John 6:15) Pipol luksavve hao olketa faithful Christian no acceptim position bilong paoa insaed gavman. Gogo diswan hem change.

“Part Bilong World”

Bihaen lastfala aposol hem dae, long willing wei olketa bigman bilong religion changem tingting bilong olketa abaotem wei wea olketa fren witim world. Olketa start for tingim wanfala “kingdom” wea insaed disfala world, and wea barava part bilong world tu. Iumi savve lane abaotem diswan taem iumi lukim wei wea religion and politik join tugeta long Byzantine Rul, datfala East Roman Rul wea kapitol bilong hem long Byzantium (wea distaem hem Istanbul).

Insaed wanfala community wea religion hem barava important, datfala Byzantine Church, wea main ples bilong hem long Byzantium, hem garem bigfala paoa. Wantaem, man for raet abaotem history bilong Church, Panayotis Christou, hem sei: “Olketa Byzantine tingse rul bilong olketa long earth hem piksarem Kingdom bilong God.” Bat, gavman no evritaem agree witim disfala tingting. From diswan, samfala taem trabol kamap midolwan Church and Gavman. The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium hem sei: “Olketa bishop bilong Constantinople [or Byzantium] showimaot enikaen difren fasin, insaed diswan hem wei for stap anda long emperor wea garem paoa from olketa fraet. . . , wei for waka gud tugeta witim emperor . . . , and bighed wei for againstim will bilong emperor.”

Bishop bilong Constantinople, hed bilong datfala Church long East, gogo garem bigfala paoa. Hem nao givim paoa long emperor, and from diswan hem expectim datfala emperor for loyal for defendim Church. Datfala bishop hem barava rich tu from hem nao kontrolem evri riches bilong church. Paoa bilong hem kamap big olsem from hem garem paoa ovarem staka monk and member bilong church.

Planti taem hem isi for datfala bishop for againstim emperor. Hem savve tok strong and sei bae hem aotem datfala emperor from church—minim hem iusim religion for forcem will bilong hem—or iusim samfala nara wei for aotem datfala emperor.

From gogo, gavman no strong for rul aotsaed long kapitol, planti taem olketa bishop garem sem paoa olsem olketa governor bilong province wea olketa bishop hia help for chusim. Olketa bishop lukaftarem olketa kot case and bisnis taem diswan affectim church—and samfala taem nomata hem no affectim church tu. Samting wea mekem diswan happen hem wei wea evri bishop garem paoa ovarem staka thousand priest and monk.

Politik and Simony

Olsem information antap showimaot klia, waka insaed church hem mix tugeta evribit witim politik. And tu, from olketa bigman bilong church and evri waka bilong olketa staka tumas, diswan needim bigfala selen. Klosap evri bigman bilong religion wea garem hae position garem richfala living. Taem church kasem moa paoa and riches, simpol and holy living hem finis nao. Samfala priest and bishop baem position insaed church, wea diswan olketa kolem Simony. Simony kamap evritaem nomata midolwan olketa wea garem hae position. Olketa bigman bilong church, witim saport bilong samfala grup wea garem big selen, trae for winim narawan for kasem position insaed church wea emperor givim.

Nara samting wea affectim disison bilong olketa bigman bilong religion wea garem hae position hem wei for switim olketa witim selen. Taem Queen Zoe (c. 978-1050 C.E.) arrange for samwan killim dae hasband bilong hem Romanus III, and laek maritim man wea hem lovem and wea bae kamap Emperor Michael IV, hem kwiktaem kolem kam Bishop Alexius long haos bilong hem. Taem hem kasem haos hem just savve Romanus dae nao and hao disfala Queen laekem hem for duim wedding ceremony. From church bae celebratem Good Friday long datfala naet, diswan no isi for Alexius. Nomata olsem, hem acceptim olketa present wea Queen givim and duim samting wea hem askem.

Wei for Stap Anda Long Emperor

Samfala taem insaed history bilong Byzantine Rul, emperor iusim paoa bilong hem for disaed hu bae kasem position olsem bishop bilong Constantinople. Long olketa taem olsem, no eniwan savve kasem position olsem bishop or keepim position for longfala taem, sapos datwan no will bilong datfala emperor.

Emperor Andronicus II (1260-1332) disaed for changem man wea garem position olsem bishop naenfala taem. Planti taem, goal hem for givim disfala position long man wea barava willing for duim samting wea emperor laekem. Olsem datfala buk The Byzantines hem talem, wanfala bishop hem raetem promis bilong hem long emperor for “duim eni samting hem askem, nomata hem againstim law, and for no duim eni samting wea emperor no laekem.” Tufala taem olketa emperor trae for forcem will bilong olketa seleva long church long wei for givim position olsem bishop long wanfala prince bilong royal famili. Emperor Romanus I givim position olsem bishop long son bilong hem Theophylact, wea hem 16 year nomoa.

Sapos emperor no hapi long wanfala bishop, hem savve forcem hem for finis from datfala waka or givim instruction for wanfala synod for aotem hem. Datfala buk Byzantium hem sei: “Long bigfala wei insaed Byzantine history olketa hae paoa and tu paoa bilong Emperor seleva [gogo] garem bigfala kontrol insaed waka for chusim olketa bishop.”

Witim bishop saed long hem, emperor hem lead tu long olketa church council. Hem leadim olketa story, disaedem biliv bilong church, and hem argue witim olketa bishop and olketa wea againstim teaching bilong church tu, and hem savve win—long wei for killim olketa dae long post. Datfala emperor appruvim and mek sure olketa followim tu olketa biliv wea church council acceptim. Hem accusim olketa wea againstim hem and sei olketa enemy bilong church and God tu. Wanfala bishop long mek-six century hem sei: “Church mas no duim eni samting wea againstim will and komand bilong Emperor.” Planti taem olketa bishop wea isi for kontrolem thru long wei for favorim or switim for mekem eni agreement, hapi nomoa long olketa samting hia, olsem bigman bilong olketa.

Olsem example, taem Bishop Ignatius (c. 799-878 C.E.) nating willing for givim communion long Chief Minister Bardas, datfala minister faet bak. Bardas accusim Ignatius for insaed wanfala plan for againstim gavman. Olketa arrestim hem and aotem hem from kantri. For changem hem, datfala minister arrange for olketa votem Photius, wanfala man nating wea insaed sixfala day nomoa kasem barava hae position long church, hem kamap bishop. Waswe, Photius fit for kasem datfala position? Samfala storyim hem olsem man “wea barava aftarem bignem, bighed fogud, and no eniwan winim bigfala savve bilong hem saed long politik.”

Teaching wea Fitim Politik

Olketa raoa saed long teaching bilong church and teaching wea againstim church planti taem excuse nomoa bilong really raoa saed long politik, and politik nao affectim staka emperor winim eni feeling for laek startim olketa niu teaching. Planti taem, emperor keepim for hemseleva raet for disaedem teaching and hem forcem church for obeyim will bilong hem.

Olsem example, Emperor Heraclius (575-641 C.E.) barava trae hard for stretem raoa abaotem Christ wea luk olsem bae divaedem rul bilong hem wea wik finis. For trae stretem disfala problem hem startim wanfala niu teaching wea olketa kolem Monothelitism.a Then, for mek sure olketa province long south bilong rul bilong hem bae saportim hem, Heraclius chusim wanfala niu bishop bilong Alexandria, Cyrus bilong Phasis, wea appruvim disfala teaching wea emperor apim. Datfala emperor no mekem Cyrus bishop nomoa, bat prefect bilong Egypt, witim paoa ovarem olketa ruler long there. Long wei for iusim lelebet persecution, Cyrus mekem klosap full church bilong Egypt for appruvim diswan.

Wanfala Nogud Harvest

Waswe, olketa samting hia followim toktok and spirit bilong prea bilong Jesus taem hem sei olketa follower bilong hem bae “no part bilong world”?—John 17:14-16.

Olketa bigman bilong religion wea sei olketa Christian long taem bilong Byzantine rul and bihaen, harvestim nogud samting from wei wea olketa join insaed politik and army bilong disfala world. Wanem nao iu lanem from disfala history? Waswe, God and Jesus Christ appruvim olketa bigman bilong Byzantine Church?—James 4:4.

Olketa bigman olsem wea sei olketa Christian wea aftarem hae position and olketa fren bilong olketa long politik, no helpem trufala Christian Wei. Disfala wei for mixim religion and politik hem no holy and hem no stand for trufala religion wea Jesus teachim. Iumi mas lane from history and go ahed olsem “no part bilong world.”

[Footnote]

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“OLSEM WANFALA GOD WEA WAKABAOT AKROSIM HEVEN”

Samting wea happen long taem bilong Bishop Michael Cerularius (c. 1000-1059) hem showimaot samting wea paoa wea bigman bilong church savve garem insaed Gavman and hao wei for aftarem hae position nao bihaenem samting olsem. Bihaen hem kasem position olsem bishop, Cerularius laekem position wea moa hae. Pipol bin storyim hem olsem praod, bighed, and no willing for mekwe—“from fasin bilong hem, hem luk olsem wanfala god wea wakabaot akrosim heven.”

From hem laek for apim hemseleva, Cerularius bihaenem wei for divaed from pope long Rome long 1054, and hem forcem emperor for acceptim datfala wei for divaed. Cerularius hem hapi witim disfala win and hem arrange for Michael VI for kamap emperor and helpem hem for strongim paoa bilong hem. Wanfala year bihaen, Cerularius forcem datfala emperor for finis and hem mekem Isaac Comnenus (c. 1005-1061) emperor.

Datfala raoa midolwan long paoa bilong bishop and gavman hem kamap moa big. Cerularius—wea pablik saportim—givim raf warning, tok strong, and iusim raf fasin. Wanfala man for raetem history wea stap long datfala taem hem sei: “Hem iusim nogud toktok for talem hao datfala Emperor bae lusim position bilong hem, hem sei, ‘Mi nao givim position bilong iu, iu dark hed; bat bae mi finisim iu.’” Nomata olsem, Isaac Comnenus arrestim hem, putim hem long prison, and then raosem hem go long Imbros.

Olketa example olsem showim wei wea bishop bilong Constantinople savve kosim staka problem and barava no fraet for againstim emperor. Planti taem emperor mas deal witim olketa man olsem, wea savve tumas saed long politik, and fit for challengem emperor and army tu.

[Map/Piksa long page 9]

(For formatted text, lukim pablikeson)

Full Area Bilong Byzantine Rul

Ravenna

Rome

MACEDONIA

Constantinople

Black Sea

Nicaea

Ephesus

Antioch

Jerusalem

Alexandria

Mediterranean Sea

[Credit Line]

Map: Mountain High Maps® Copyright © 1997 Digital Wisdom, Inc.

[Olketa Piksa long page 10, 11]

Comnenus

Romanus III (on left)

Michael IV

Empress Zoe

Romanus I (on left)

[Olketa Credit Line]

Comnenus, Romanus III, and Michael IV: Courtesy Classical Numismatic Group, Inc.; Empress Zoe: Hagia Sophia; Romanus I: Photo courtesy Harlan J. Berk, Ltd.

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Photius

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Heraclius and son

[Olketa Credit Line]

Heraclius and son: Photo courtesy Harlan J. Berk, Ltd.; all design elements, pages 8-12: From the book L’Art Byzantin III Ravenne Et Pompose