22 - Education and literary culture

Summary

INTRODUCTION

In the period covered by this volume, state support and protection for Christianity transformed what had previously been a minor element in Roman culture into a highly disturbing factor. Already in the third century, and under the influence of Origen in particular, Christian learning had developed alongside the institutional organization of the church itself. But the pious court of Theodosius II in fifth-century Constantinople was different in atmosphere from the courts of Constantine or Constantius II, enthusiasts though both these emperors had been. The change did not come about straightforwardly or without tension. Even without the intervention of a highly vocal and state-supported religion, the fourth century saw a consolidation of late Roman society sufficient to elicit a range of cultural responses. By the end of the period, moreover, the empire was split between east and west, and in many areas of the west the issue of the acculturation of Romans and barbarians had already become a burning question. The fourth and early fifth centuries are thus characterized by rapid and varied cultural change, a change that is clearly illustrated in the variety and the vigour of literary, artistic and other forms of creativity.

The nearest thing to a shared cultural system in the fourth century (though one available only to the wealthier classes) was that provided by the traditional educational system, with its overwhelming emphasis on rhetorical skill. Educated Christians in this period received the same training as pagans; their responses to classical culture ranged, not surprisingly, from appropriation to outright hostility.