BEMA Episode Link: 195: AD 500–700
Episode Length: 14:26
Published Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2020 01:00:00 -0800
Session 5
About this episode:

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings journey through the sixth and seventh centuries, examining the early monastic movements.

AD 500–700 Presentation

Discussion Video for BEMA 195

The Source by James A. Michener

Transcript for BEMA 195

Notes

*Note: The following notes are handwritten by me, Adam, and I reserve the right to be wrong.

BEMA Episode 195: AD 500-700 - Study Notes

Title & Source Summary

Episode: BEMA 195: AD 500-700 Hosts: Marty Solomon and Brent Billings Focus: The 6th and 7th centuries, examining early monastic movements and the transition from the Roman Empire to the Byzantine Empire/Holy Roman Empire

This episode explores a pivotal period in Christian history when the Roman Empire fell and transformed into what became known as the Byzantine Empire or Holy Roman Empire. The hosts examine both the dark aspects of this era, including forced conversions and anti-Semitism, and the bright contributions of monastic movements that preserved Christian spirituality and practice. The episode highlights how Christianity shifted from being persecuted to wielding imperial power, and how monastics helped develop orthopraxy (right practice) to complement the orthodoxy (right belief) established in previous centuries.

Key Takeaways

  • The fall of Rome marked a shift from an imperial political state to an “imperial religious state” (Christendom), where bishops became civic leaders and religious authority merged with political power.

  • Christianity’s relationship with power reversed dramatically - from being at the “pointy end of the sword” (persecuted) to holding “the handle end of the sword” (persecutors), leading to forced conversions and continued anti-Semitism.

  • The monastic movements provided essential contributions to Christianity by developing spiritual practices (orthopraxy), preserving texts, serving communities through hospitals and clinics, and creating liturgical worship structures.

  • Augustine wrote anti-Semitic edicts forbidding Jewish relationships and commanding practices like eating ham on Easter specifically to make anti-Jewish statements.

  • Gregory the Great became the “father of medieval spirituality,” introducing large-scale liturgy including Gregorian chant and establishing church order that influenced Catholic mass to this day.

  • Despite theological misunderstandings and institutional corruption, God continued to work through those who created space for Him - demonstrating that divine partnership doesn’t require perfect theology or practice.

  • The principle “if we create space, God will fill it” operated even when the church’s understanding was imperfect, showing God’s faithfulness to work through a remnant of sincere seekers.

Main Concepts & Theories

The Transition from Rome to Christendom

The Roman Empire’s transformation represents a fundamental shift in Christianity’s relationship with power. The episode distinguishes between the “Roman empire of the Caesars” (an imperial political state that was also religious/pagan) and the “Holy Roman Empire” (an imperial religious state). This transition meant:

  • Emperors were replaced by popes as primary authorities
  • Bishops functioned as civic leaders, not just spiritual ones
  • Church and state became inseparable (though the ancient world never truly separated them anyway)
  • Christian doctrine became enforceable by imperial sword

The Byzantine Empire, under leaders like Justinian, expanded to its largest extent while using force to compel religious conformity. People who refused to affirm holy creeds and Christian doctrines faced persecution, sanctions, or execution. This marks a tragic reversal from Christianity’s origins as a persecuted minority.

The Problem of Anti-Semitism

Augustine’s seven-point document exemplifies how Gentile Christianity’s separation from its Jewish roots produced active hostility:

  1. Forbade doing business with Jews
  2. Prohibited lighting candles for Sabbath
  3. Commanded consuming ham on Easter as an anti-Jewish statement
  4. Prohibited Jewish relationships entirely

In some regions, Jews who did not affirm the Trinity were beaten or killed. This represents the darkest consequence of cutting “Christian faith away from our Jewish heritage” - losing not just practice but basic human compassion and the Abrahamic call to hospitality.

Orthodoxy vs. Orthopraxy

The episode introduces a crucial distinction:

  • Orthodoxy = Right belief (what you think/believe)
  • Orthopraxy = Right practice (what you do/how you live)

Gentile Christianity spent centuries perfecting orthodoxy through councils and creeds. However, by rejecting Torah observance (miqsat ma’ase haTorah - the works of Torah like kosher eating, wearing tassels, the 613 commandments), Gentile Christians “were missing the playbook on what it meant to walk the path of faith.”

This created a vacuum: they had refined doctrine but lacked a practical framework for spiritual life. The monastic movements filled this gap by developing Christian spiritual practices and disciplines.

The Monastic Contribution

While often criticized as “secluded and isolated” (similar to critiques of the Essenes), the monastic movements made invaluable contributions:

Preservation Work:

  • Committed to preserving physical texts (like the Essenes preserved the Dead Sea Scrolls)
  • Maintained knowledge and learning through dark periods of history

Service and Community:

  • Continued hospital and clinic work (now under Christian rather than pagan auspices)
  • Developed models of communal living and service
  • Thinkers like Gregory of Nyssa and Basil the Great taught about community to counteract isolationism

Spiritual Practice Development:

  • Became experts in “creating space for God”
  • Developed spiritual disciplines that Christians still practice today
  • Mastered prayer, discipline, and corporate spiritual practices
  • Created the foundation for understanding spiritual formation

Liturgical Innovation:

  • Gregory the Great introduced large-scale liturgy (church order)
  • Created Gregorian chant and structured worship
  • Established patterns visible in Catholic mass today
  • Gave practical shape to worship that previously lacked structure
The Paradox of Liturgy

Gregory the Great’s liturgical innovations represent both progress and peril:

Positive aspects:

  • Provided structure and order for worship
  • Created beauty through music and ritual
  • Gave shape to corporate spiritual practice
  • Made worship accessible and participatory

Negative aspects:

  • Systematized corruption and power struggles
  • Created infrastructure that enabled chronic abuses
  • Made institutional problems more efficient and entrenched

This paradox shows how the same developments that blessed Christianity also burdened it - structure enables both good and bad.

The Remnant Principle

Drawing from Hebrew Bible themes, the episode emphasizes that “there is always a remnant of God’s people” - those trying to follow the Creator “with all their heart, and all their soul, and all their mind.”

This remnant exists across religious boundaries - “be they Jews, be they Christians, or pagans.” God continually seeks partners who create space for divine work, regardless of theological perfection. This principle explains how God worked through this era despite:

  • Theological misunderstandings
  • Institutional corruption
  • Imperial abuses
  • Anti-Semitic violence

The monastics represented this remnant - imperfect but sincere seekers who created space that God filled.

Examples & Applications

Historical Examples from the Episode

The Ham on Easter Tradition: What many Christians practice as innocent tradition originated as an explicitly anti-Semitic gesture under Augustine. This demonstrates how practices divorced from their origins can perpetuate harm unknowingly. Modern application: examine the origins of our traditions to understand what we’re really affirming.

Monks as Preservers: Like the Essenes hiding scrolls in Qumran caves, medieval monks copying manuscripts by hand preserved knowledge through difficult periods. Modern application: faithful stewardship of truth and knowledge matters even when immediate impact isn’t visible.

Gregory’s Liturgy: Creating structure for worship out of necessity produced both beauty (Gregorian chant, meaningful rituals) and bureaucracy (systematized corruption). Modern application: institutional structures are tools - they amplify whatever spirit animates them, good or bad.

Real-World Applications

Power and Faith: The shift from persecution to persecution mirrors any movement that gains institutional power. Modern Christians should ask: Are we wielding influence like those holding the sword, or serving like those who suffered under it?

Creating Space: The monastic commitment to spiritual disciplines demonstrates that creating intentional space for God through prayer, silence, study, and service allows divine partnership regardless of theological sophistication. Anyone can practice this principle.

Remnant Mentality: Rather than despairing over institutional failures or theological disputes, focus on being part of the faithful remnant - those genuinely seeking God with wholehearted devotion. This is possible in any religious or institutional context.

Balancing Belief and Practice: The orthodoxy/orthopraxy distinction reminds us that correct theology without lived practice is incomplete. Churches and individuals should ask: Do we spend as much energy on how we live as on what we believe?

Potential Areas for Further Exploration

  1. Comparative Monasticism: Study parallels between Christian monastics, Jewish Essenes, and monastic traditions in other religions (Buddhist, Hindu). What universal principles emerge about contemplative spiritual life?

  2. Augustine’s Theology vs. Practice: Investigate the tension between Augustine’s profound theological contributions (grace, Trinity, etc.) and his harmful anti-Semitic edicts. How do we receive wisdom from flawed sources?

  3. The Development of Liturgy: Trace how Jewish worship patterns (Sabbath, festival cycles, prayer times) influenced or failed to influence Christian liturgical development. What was preserved? What was lost?

  4. Byzantine Christianity: Explore the Orthodox tradition that emerged from this era, which developed differently from Western Catholicism. How did Eastern Orthodoxy handle the same challenges?

  5. Medieval Spirituality: Study specific spiritual practices developed by monastics (lectio divina, the hours, contemplative prayer, rule of life) and their modern applications.

  6. Christendom’s Legacy: Examine how the merger of church and state in this era shaped Western civilization, for better and worse, and how it continues to influence contemporary politics and religion.

  7. The Remnant Throughout History: Identify other historical periods where a faithful remnant preserved essential truths despite institutional corruption or theological confusion.

  8. Anti-Semitism in Church History: Conduct a more thorough study of Christian anti-Semitism from the patristic period through the Middle Ages, understanding both historical context and ongoing impacts.

  9. Music and Worship: Investigate how Gregorian chant and other musical developments shaped Christian worship and spirituality. What role does beauty play in spiritual formation?

  10. Justinian’s Legacy: Study Emperor Justinian’s role in Christian history beyond his military expansions - his legal code, theological controversies, and architectural contributions (Hagia Sophia).

Comprehension Questions

  1. Describe the shift in Christianity’s relationship with power between the early church and the Byzantine era. How did this transformation affect Christian practice and ethics?

    Answer should include: the movement from being persecuted to being persecutors, from “pointy end” to “handle end” of the sword, the merger of religious and political authority, and how this led to forced conversions and violence against non-conformists.

  2. Explain the difference between orthodoxy and orthopraxy. Why did Gentile Christianity develop one more than the other, and how did monastics address this imbalance?

    Answer should include: orthodoxy as right belief, orthopraxy as right practice, Gentile Christianity’s focus on doctrine through councils, the loss of Torah as a practical framework, and monastics developing spiritual disciplines to fill the gap.

  3. What were Augustine’s anti-Semitic edicts, and what do they reveal about the consequences of separating Christianity from its Jewish roots?

    Answer should include: the seven-point document forbidding Jewish business/relationships, prohibition on Sabbath candles, mandatory ham consumption on Easter, and how this represents a perversion of Abrahamic hospitality and Session 1 themes.

  4. How did monastic movements contribute positively to Christian history despite criticisms of isolation? Provide at least three specific contributions.

    Answer should include at least three of: preserving texts, developing spiritual disciplines, creating hospitals/clinics, teaching about community, mastering prayer and corporate practice, developing liturgy.

  5. Explain the principle that “if we create space, God will fill it” and how this operated during the 6th-7th centuries despite theological problems and institutional corruption.

    Answer should include: the concept from Session 1, the lack of prerequisites for God’s work, the remnant principle, how monastics created space through discipline and practice, and how God worked through sincere seekers even amid imperfect theology.

Summary

BEMA Episode 195 examines a pivotal but complex period in Christian history (AD 500-700) when the fall of Rome transformed Christianity from a persecuted minority into an imperial religious power. This era produced both profound darkness and surprising light.

The darkness included Christianity’s tragic reversal - from suffering persecution to inflicting it, forcing conversions through imperial sword, and systematizing anti-Semitism through edicts like Augustine’s seven-point document that forbade Jewish relationships and mandated practices designed to mock Judaism. The Byzantine Empire under leaders like Justinian expanded Christian territory while compelling doctrinal conformity through violence, revealing how quickly power can corrupt movements that began in weakness.

Yet this same period saw the flowering of monastic movements that preserved essential elements of Christian faith. Like the Essenes before them, monastics preserved texts, developed spiritual practices, and served their communities. Most importantly, they solved a critical problem: Gentile Christianity had spent centuries perfecting orthodoxy (right belief) through councils and creeds but lacked orthopraxy (right practice) after rejecting Torah observance. The monastics filled this gap by becoming experts in spiritual disciplines - prayer, silence, study, community, and service - creating the playbook for Christian spiritual formation that we still use today.

Gregory the Great epitomized both the promise and peril of this era as “father of medieval spirituality.” His liturgical innovations - including Gregorian chant and structured worship - created beauty and order while simultaneously systematizing corruption and power struggles. The same structures that enabled meaningful corporate worship also made institutional abuses more efficient.

The episode’s most hopeful theme is the remnant principle: despite theological misunderstanding and institutional failure, God always works through those who genuinely seek divine partnership with wholehearted devotion. The monastics proved that creating space for God doesn’t require perfect theology or flawless institutions - it requires sincere commitment to spiritual practice and openness to divine presence. This principle transcends religious boundaries, applying to “Jews, Christians, or pagans” who honestly seek the Creator.

For modern readers, this period offers sobering warnings about the corruption of religious power and the dangers of disconnecting from our roots, but also encouragement that faithful remnants can preserve truth and create space for God’s work even in the darkest times. The question isn’t whether our theology is perfect or our institutions are pure - it’s whether we’re among those creating space for the divine partnership that God continually seeks.

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