History of Christianity

====Relations between East and West====
Eastern Christianity was becoming more and more distinct from Western Christianity by the fourth century. The western church spoke Latin, while the East spoke and wrote in at least five other languages. Theological differences became more pronounced. The Christian church related to the State in almost opposite ways in these different regions.{{sfn|Brown|1976|pp=1-8}}{{sfn|Eastern Christianity|2024|p=n/a}} 

In the Roman west, the church condemned Roman culture as "demonic" and sinful, keeping itself as separate as possible, remaining resistant to State control for the next 800 years.{{sfn|Brown|1976|pp=7-8}}{{sfn|Rahner|2013|pp=xiii, xiv}}{{sfn|Eichbauer|2022|p=1}}{{sfn|Thompson|2016|pp=176–177}} This is in pointed contrast with eastern Christianity which acclaimed harmony with Greek culture, and whose emperors and Patriarchs upheld unanimity between church and state.{{sfn|Brown|1976|pp=7-8}}{{refn|group=note| This difference was determined largely by how East and West defined what was "holy" in relation to society.{{sfn|Brown|1976|p=8}} In the west, holiness was only truly achieved after death and was, therefore, increasingly connected to the monastery and great basilica-shrines with relics of dead saints and martyrs. In the Byzantine empire, holiness remained a part of the vast ceremoniousness of Byzantine urban life.{{sfn|Brown|1976|p=20}}}} 

Increasing diversity formed competing orthodoxies.{{sfn|Löhr|2007|p=abstract}} Theological controversies led to the Armenian, Assyrian, and Egyptian churches combining into what is today known as [[Oriental Orthodoxy]], one of three major branches of Eastern Christianity, along with the [[Church of the East]] in Persia and [[Eastern Orthodoxy]] in Byzantium.{{sfn|Adams|2021|pp=366–367}}{{sfn|Micheau|2006|p=375}}{{sfn|Bussell|1910|p=346}}

Asian and African Christians did not have access to structures of power, and their institutions developed without state support.{{sfn|Bundy|2007|pp=118-119}}{{refn|group=note|There is no consensus on the origins of Christianity beyond Byzantium in Asia or East Africa. Though it is scattered throughout these areas by the fourth century, there is little documentation and no complete record of it from this period.{{sfn|Bundy|2007|pp=119-122; 125}} There are some good sources from Syria, Armenia and Georgia, a few "suggestive" ones from Soghdia, China and India, while Coptic and Ethiopic sources tend to be recent, and in other places only a few sources survive at all.{{sfn|Bundy|2007|pp=119-120}}}} Practicing the Christian faith sometimes brought opposition and persecution.{{sfn|Bundy|2007|p=118}} Asian Christianity never developed the social, intellectual and political power of Byzantium or the Latin West.{{sfn|Bundy|2007|p=118}} Yet, in 314 [[Urnayr|King Urnayr]] of [[Caucasian Albania]] adopted Christianity as the state religion. [[Christianization of Armenia|Armenia]] also adopted Christianity as their [[state religion]] in the fourth century,{{sfn|Cowe|2006|pp=404–405}} as did [[Christianization of Iberia|Georgia]], [[Ethiopia]] and [[Eritrea]].{{sfn|Cohan|2005|p=333}}{{sfn|Rapp|2007|p=138}}{{sfn|Brita|2020|p=252}} In an environment where the religious group was without cultural or political power, the merging of church and state is thought to instead represent survival of the ethnic group.{{sfn|Bundy|2007|p=144}} 
[[File:Justinien 527-565.svg|thumb|The extent of the Byzantine Empire under Justin I is shown in the darker color. The lighter color shows the conquests of Justinian I|alt=this is a map showing the area that Justinian I conquered]]
Events in the Western Roman Empire after 476 had little direct impact on the Eastern Roman Empire centered in Constantinople.{{sfn|Matthews|Platt|1992|pp=181; 198–199}} By the time of the Byzantine emperor [[Justinian I]] (527–565), Constantinople was the largest, most prosperous and powerful city on the Mediterranean.{{sfn|Brown|2008|p=3}} Justinian attempted to unite East and West by fighting the western tribes, taking territory and control of the Church. From 537 to 752, this meant [[Byzantine Papacy|Roman Popes had to be approved by the Eastern emperor]] before they could be installed. This required consistency with Eastern policies, such as forcing conversion of pagans, that had not previously been policies in the west.{{sfn|Ekonomou|2007|pp=245–247}}{{sfn|Salzman|1993|p=364}}