I shall concentrate in this chapter on the development of three distinctive features of doctrinal discourse in the fourth and fifth centuries: the increasing importance attached to councils, the strong emphasis placed on the coining of carefully worded creeds, and a growing interest in the Fathers and in the Christian literature of the past. The first two have their roots in earlier times, although they gained added significance and came into their own in the new era heralded by Constantine. The third idea, of Patristic authority, is, however, a relatively late and contested notion, even though it is inextricably linked to the other two. Attributing to the Fathers a role in theological discourse, therefore, marks a gradual change in theological style in the late fourth and fifth centuries, and symbolically encapsulates much of the distinct spirit of ecclesiastical self-awareness at the time.
There were already, at the turn ofthe fourth century, mechanisms in place to discuss and to rule on disciplinary or doctrinal differences. In polemical writing and exegetical commentary, the meaning of Scripture was expounded and questionable ideas put to the test. Eminent theologians tried to win over dissenters in public debate, and both local and regional gatherings of bishops and clergy (and lay people) ruled on custom and doctrine. Correspondence kept other churches informed ofsuch decisions, and at times divergent practice and thinking sparked conflict between them. All those forms of engagement remained central in post-Constantinian times. The debates characteristic of the age could not remain unaffected, however, by the recently acquired status of the Church in the empire. Imperial favor toward, and involvement with, the Church gave differences of doctrine and discipline a new weight, and allowed for efforts toward their resolution on a new scale and with new means.
As a result, two - closely interrelated - elements initially gave a new focal point to doctrinal discussions. First, synods or councils, gatherings of large assemblies of bishops on a trans-regional or (ideally) empire-wide basis, became a distinct feature of the period. Second, the drafting and promulgation of creeds, precisely worded propositions of orthodoxy, evolved as a preferred form for the expression of doctrinal decision-making, and eventually also as a standard for future deliberations. The idea of Fathers as authoritative guides in those theological deliberations constituted a third element. While a strong sense of tradition had long prevailed, appealing to individual Fathers found acceptance only gradually and not without resistance.
The appeal to the Fathers often had only limited immediate doctrinal import. Claiming the inheritance of the great figures of the past expressed one’s ecclesiastical self-awareness, achieved by rooting oneself in the history of the Church and associating with its well-known, symbolic figures.
World History
