February 27
0360 - Emperor Theodosius issues
edict commanded everyone to be a Christian. But not just any kind of
Christian.... a Catholic Christian, or one who held the Father, Son and Holy
Spirit to be one Godhead and equal in majesty. This, of course, was the
essential position of the Nicene Creed. The following year, Theodosius issued
another edict specifically requiring worship of the one God according to the
Nicene Creed. Theodosius deposed Demophilus of Constantinople an Arian bishop
and replaced him with a trinitarian. These laws (Theodosian Codes 16.1.2 and
16.5.6) are significant for many reasons. They mark the first time the state
coerced people to become "Christians". They established a pattern which would
become more pronounced as Theodosius' reign progressed of using the apparatus of
the state to suppress diversity of religious opinion. The church can only regret
that before all was done, pagans, Arians, Manichees, and Jews were persecuted by
people calling themselves Christians, many of whom did not hold the name
Christian out of zeal for Christ, but because it was politically
correct.
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