Theodosius I
347-395
347-395
285 - The Roman Empire was divided in two by Diocletian
Constantine legalised Christianity meaning that Christians were no longer persecuted.
The Roman Empire was in decline and was surrounded by enemies.
11 January 347 - Theodosius was born in Hispania, what is now Spain. His father was also Theodosius. He was a high-ranking noble with military experience.
368 - Theodosius and his father travelled to Britain and re-established Roman control which had been under attack from a massive force of invaders.
Valentinian made Theodosius the Elder "Master of the Horse" i.e. the right hand man of Valentinian.
Father and son travelled on various military campaigns.
373 - Theodosius was made governor of Moesia on the Danube.
January 19, 379 - Theodosius became emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire.
27 February 380 (or 381) - Theodosius issued an edict requiring all citizens of the empire to be Christians, specifically Christians believing the the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one Godhead and equal in majesty (i.e. Trinitarian). Arianism that had denied the deity of Jesus Christ had continued after the Council of Nicaea (325 A.D.) but Theodosius made it illegal. This made Christianity the official religion of the Eastern Empire. It spread rapidly throughout the empire.
381 (or 382) - Theodosius issued another decree requiring all citizens to worship one God as understood in the Nicaean Creed.
Various measures followed, limiting religious diversity and leading to persecution of Arians, pagans, Manichees and Jews.
381 - Theodosius called the First Council of Constantinople.
387 -
388 - Battle of Save
390 - The Massacre of Thessalonica. Tensions between Gothic and
392 - Theodosius gained control of the Western Empire reuniting the Empire and facilitating the spread of Christianity throughout the Empire.
394 - The Battle of the Frigidus River.
395 - Theodosius died.
476 - the Empire fell to the Visigoths
Theodosius the Game Changer - Dr James Emery White (Christianity.com)
This is the man who turned Christianity into a global religion. Do you even know his name? - Dominic Selwood
Theodosius Issued An Edict (27 February 380 (or 381))
Theodosius is sometimes said to have banned the Olympic games because they were too pagan. It is sometimes seen as a Puritanical act against enjoyment, fun and entertainment. But is it true?
Mythbusting Ancient Rome: Did The Christian Ban The Ancient Olympics - Caillan Davenport & Shushma Malik (The Conversation)
Davenport & Malik argue that, while Theodosius did institute reforms banning aspects of paganism, there is no evidence that he banned the Olympics and, in fact, there are records of games occurring later.
Revisiting The Pagan Olympic Games - Stephen Gertz, (Christianity Today - subscription required)
Emperor Theodosius Ends The Pagan Olympics - (Theonomy Resources)
Argues that Theodosius did not ban the Olympics directly but, given they had so many pagan elements, his decrees against pagan practices dealt a mortal blow to the Games.
Quotes some of the Gertz article.
Also argues that the modern Olympic Games have rekindled many of the pagan spirituality and a modern Theodosius is needed.
The Winter Olympics - Tim Challies. (Contains an article by Peter Hammond that is clearly based on the Gertz article but does not acknowledge that.)