"THE BELOVED OF GOD": THE CHRISTOLOGICAL BACKDROP FOR THE POLITICAL THEORY OF EUSEBIUS OF CAESAREA IN LAUS CONSTANTINI
In recent years, there has been a resurgence of Christian rhetoric tied to the political power and actions of the United States. Unfortunately, theological reflections accompanying such rhetoric have not always been equally apparent. Popular theologies and political realities have beenlinked through...
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| 格式: | 电子 文件 |
| 语言: | English |
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| 出版: |
Institution
2019
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| In: |
Cultural encounters
Year: 2019, 卷: 15, 发布: 1, Pages: 31-38 |
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Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| 总结: | In recent years, there has been a resurgence of Christian rhetoric tied to the political power and actions of the United States. Unfortunately, theological reflections accompanying such rhetoric have not always been equally apparent. Popular theologies and political realities have beenlinked throughout history, both for ill and for good. This essay attempts to show how, in the fourth century, a skewed theology enabled Eusebius of Caesarea to give undue religious justification to the absolute monarchy of the Emperor Constantine. Through analysis of key portions of Eusebius'sLaus Constantini, the author discusses that the bishop's view of the Divine Logos as ontologically subordinate to, and separate from, the Father allowed him to speak of Constantine in strongly "Christological" terms. Eusebius's view of the specific mediationbrought about by the Logos forms a backdrop for his presentation of Constantine as the Christian Emperor par excellence and gives him theological permission to speak of him with Christological language that would have been unimaginable, or at least less amenable, to many others of his day.Athanasius infamously asserted that the Arians were quick to bestow an eternal reign to the Emperor (in that case Constantius) even as they robbed eternality from the Son. While one should not downplay the rhetorical nature of Athanasius's words, research suggests that there may havebeen some justice to the observation that theologians like Eusebius were more theologically prone to high, even messianic, views of the emperor than they were more adamantly pro-Nicene. The essay will conclude with a few brief suggestions on how an orthodox Christian understanding of God mightshape our conception of power politics. |
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| ISSN: | 1550-4891 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Cultural encounters
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