The following was first sent to the late antiquity list last night:
The first paragraph below was sent as part of another email post on a list
primarily made up of architects. Following this paragraph are further
comments addressed to lt-antiq listers.
For those interested in what may well be the turning point in Western
civilization when the Church began wielding more power than the ruling
Imperials, see www.quondam.com/03/0291.htm and the two pages that follow.
These pages describe the double theater of power between Ambrose (Bishop of
Milan) and the Emperor Theodosius during the later years of the fourth
century. Two events are here described, a Christian terrorist attack on a
Synagogue, and a brutal massacre of over 7000 innocent people within a
stadium/circus at Thessalonica. There is even a 'calendrical coincidence'
involving the 18th of August. Theodosius was the last emperor to solely rule
over the entire empire, and during his reign Christianity became the
empire's official and only religion. It is within Ambrose's obituary of
Theodosius that the [his]story of Helena's finding of the True Cross is for
the first time spoken of publicly after almost sixty years of imperially
enforced silence.
I have become 95% (if not virtually completely) convinced that the "silence"
surrounding Helena's finding of the True Cross was manifest by a
Constantinian "command". Although I have long held to this hypothesis, there
just wasn't enough circumstantial evidence to allow me to make a case. This
changed however when I became aware of the TYPE of Constantine III (who is
more commonly known as Constans II), a mid-7th century law that forbade
further discussion of the possible one or two wills and energies of Christ.
Constans II had an empire that was becoming interiorly divided over
theology, while the rise of Islam was now a definite threat to the empire
from without. The TYPE was essentially issued to strengthen the unity of the
empire from within, and thus presenting a stronger front to invading
Muslims. Interestingly, Byzantine chronicles never mention the TYPE, and it
is only from Lateran records that the TYPE and the jist of its contents is
known. Of course, it is impossible to see the TYPE as a precedent to the
"silence" ordered by Constantine I, but it does at least validate the notion
that 'laws of silence' have existed.
[There are actually a number of uncanny (and even inverted) coincidences
between the reign of Constantine I and Constantine III, not the least of
which is how Christianity under Constantine I became the oppressor of
Paganism, while Christianity under Constantine III became the victim of
Islam. There is also much similarity of 'hair-splitting' within the debates
of Arianism and those of Monotheletism. These aspects and more will be a
prominant part of "Theatrics Times Two", the second chapter of EPICENTRAL --
www.quondam.com/epicentral/tx2 .]
If there indeed was a "law of silence" issued by Constantine I regarding
Helena and her finding of the True Cross, then it was Ambrose that
'officially' (and perhaps most intentionly) broke this law when he spoke of
this subject publicly as he delivered the obituary of Theodosius. What makes
this supposition even more interesting is that Ambrose had already been
actively breaking down the core of imperial power, as the above mentioned
episodes between Ambrose and Theodosius clearly demonstrate. And upon
reflection of what Ambrose actually accomplished in terms of greatly
strengthening the power of the Church largely at the expence of imperial
power, it occurred to me just why Constantine I ordered the silence. Given
the fact that Cross was discovered within the same year that Constantine had
to kill his own son, and also seems somewhat responsible for the death of
his wife, to then allow public acknowledgement of the True Cross and the
'Higher' power it implied would only really mean Constantine's own demise,
and hence the demise of the entire imperial power structure (which up to
this point Constantine worked very hard to reestablish).
If you believe that there was an enforced silence regarding Helena's
discovery of the True Cross, then you should also believe that the silence
worked in terms of keeping imperial rule firmly established. That is, until
Ambrose and Theodosius.
Any comments or criticisms of the above 'thesis' are invited and welcome.
Stephen Lauf
ps (17 January 2002)
I found out about the TYPE quite by accident. Just over a month ago I was at Philadelphia's Free Library's main branch looking up information on Santa Croce in Gerusalemme (which was in one of the volumes published by the Vatican entitled Basilicum something something something.) The book I wanted had to be gotten from a non-public section of the library, and while I was waiting I noticed a book within the new art books display -- THE GEOMETRY OF LOVE. It turned out that this book is all about the church St. Agnes Outside the Walls, Rome, and I borrowed the book. Although St. Agnes Outside the Walls is one of the original Constantinian Basilicas from the early 4th century, the church was rebuilt under Pope Honorius in the middle of the 7th century. Honorius was pope when Constantine III issued the TYPE, and this historic episode is related briefly in THE GEOMETRY OF LOVE.
Just to make public note of it, it was actually during my doing research on St. Agnes (the person) on 1 April 1999 that first led me to St. Helena, a person who up until then I knew absolutely nothing about.
1 April 1999 was Holy Thursday, and a few times that day I though of a departed friend, R. David Schimitt, who died 1 April 1995 (which was Good Friday that year). Dave was an architect, and during our school years together he did an analysis of Santa Costanza, Rome, the mausoleum of Constantine's daughter Constantina which was attached to the original Basilica of St. Agnes (outside the walls). Dave was also a hemophiliac, received HIV tainted blood in 1981(!), and ultimately died of AIDS. I still occassionally see Dave's wife and daughter.
This morning while doing further reading on St. Ambrose I found out the following:
"On his last day, which was Good Friday, he remained continously in prayer from five o'clock in the afternoon. He lay with his outstretched out in the form of the cross; his lips moved but no words were audible. Hour after hour went by. ...
"Ambrose died very early in the morning of Easter Eve, the 4th of April, A.D. 397, being about fifty-eight years old, and having governed the Church of Milan for twenty-three years and four months.
The first paragraph below was sent as part of another email post on a list
primarily made up of architects. Following this paragraph are further
comments addressed to lt-antiq listers.
For those interested in what may well be the turning point in Western
civilization when the Church began wielding more power than the ruling
Imperials, see www.quondam.com/03/0291.htm and the two pages that follow.
These pages describe the double theater of power between Ambrose (Bishop of
Milan) and the Emperor Theodosius during the later years of the fourth
century. Two events are here described, a Christian terrorist attack on a
Synagogue, and a brutal massacre of over 7000 innocent people within a
stadium/circus at Thessalonica. There is even a 'calendrical coincidence'
involving the 18th of August. Theodosius was the last emperor to solely rule
over the entire empire, and during his reign Christianity became the
empire's official and only religion. It is within Ambrose's obituary of
Theodosius that the [his]story of Helena's finding of the True Cross is for
the first time spoken of publicly after almost sixty years of imperially
enforced silence.
I have become 95% (if not virtually completely) convinced that the "silence"
surrounding Helena's finding of the True Cross was manifest by a
Constantinian "command". Although I have long held to this hypothesis, there
just wasn't enough circumstantial evidence to allow me to make a case. This
changed however when I became aware of the TYPE of Constantine III (who is
more commonly known as Constans II), a mid-7th century law that forbade
further discussion of the possible one or two wills and energies of Christ.
Constans II had an empire that was becoming interiorly divided over
theology, while the rise of Islam was now a definite threat to the empire
from without. The TYPE was essentially issued to strengthen the unity of the
empire from within, and thus presenting a stronger front to invading
Muslims. Interestingly, Byzantine chronicles never mention the TYPE, and it
is only from Lateran records that the TYPE and the jist of its contents is
known. Of course, it is impossible to see the TYPE as a precedent to the
"silence" ordered by Constantine I, but it does at least validate the notion
that 'laws of silence' have existed.
[There are actually a number of uncanny (and even inverted) coincidences
between the reign of Constantine I and Constantine III, not the least of
which is how Christianity under Constantine I became the oppressor of
Paganism, while Christianity under Constantine III became the victim of
Islam. There is also much similarity of 'hair-splitting' within the debates
of Arianism and those of Monotheletism. These aspects and more will be a
prominant part of "Theatrics Times Two", the second chapter of EPICENTRAL --
www.quondam.com/epicentral/tx2 .]
If there indeed was a "law of silence" issued by Constantine I regarding
Helena and her finding of the True Cross, then it was Ambrose that
'officially' (and perhaps most intentionly) broke this law when he spoke of
this subject publicly as he delivered the obituary of Theodosius. What makes
this supposition even more interesting is that Ambrose had already been
actively breaking down the core of imperial power, as the above mentioned
episodes between Ambrose and Theodosius clearly demonstrate. And upon
reflection of what Ambrose actually accomplished in terms of greatly
strengthening the power of the Church largely at the expence of imperial
power, it occurred to me just why Constantine I ordered the silence. Given
the fact that Cross was discovered within the same year that Constantine had
to kill his own son, and also seems somewhat responsible for the death of
his wife, to then allow public acknowledgement of the True Cross and the
'Higher' power it implied would only really mean Constantine's own demise,
and hence the demise of the entire imperial power structure (which up to
this point Constantine worked very hard to reestablish).
If you believe that there was an enforced silence regarding Helena's
discovery of the True Cross, then you should also believe that the silence
worked in terms of keeping imperial rule firmly established. That is, until
Ambrose and Theodosius.
Any comments or criticisms of the above 'thesis' are invited and welcome.
Stephen Lauf
ps (17 January 2002)
I found out about the TYPE quite by accident. Just over a month ago I was at Philadelphia's Free Library's main branch looking up information on Santa Croce in Gerusalemme (which was in one of the volumes published by the Vatican entitled Basilicum something something something.) The book I wanted had to be gotten from a non-public section of the library, and while I was waiting I noticed a book within the new art books display -- THE GEOMETRY OF LOVE. It turned out that this book is all about the church St. Agnes Outside the Walls, Rome, and I borrowed the book. Although St. Agnes Outside the Walls is one of the original Constantinian Basilicas from the early 4th century, the church was rebuilt under Pope Honorius in the middle of the 7th century. Honorius was pope when Constantine III issued the TYPE, and this historic episode is related briefly in THE GEOMETRY OF LOVE.
Just to make public note of it, it was actually during my doing research on St. Agnes (the person) on 1 April 1999 that first led me to St. Helena, a person who up until then I knew absolutely nothing about.
1 April 1999 was Holy Thursday, and a few times that day I though of a departed friend, R. David Schimitt, who died 1 April 1995 (which was Good Friday that year). Dave was an architect, and during our school years together he did an analysis of Santa Costanza, Rome, the mausoleum of Constantine's daughter Constantina which was attached to the original Basilica of St. Agnes (outside the walls). Dave was also a hemophiliac, received HIV tainted blood in 1981(!), and ultimately died of AIDS. I still occassionally see Dave's wife and daughter.
This morning while doing further reading on St. Ambrose I found out the following:
"On his last day, which was Good Friday, he remained continously in prayer from five o'clock in the afternoon. He lay with his outstretched out in the form of the cross; his lips moved but no words were audible. Hour after hour went by. ...
"Ambrose died very early in the morning of Easter Eve, the 4th of April, A.D. 397, being about fifty-eight years old, and having governed the Church of Milan for twenty-three years and four months.