I just completed a first draft of a book on the period of Constantine I. He was the Roman Emperor who made Christianity the formal religion of the Empire. He was frankly a brutal ruler who even executed his oldest son for some less than credible accusations, then took after his then wife and had her boiled in steam. Not a person you would want to cross.
So as he expends his domain to the East he inherits the Eastern Bishops. Unlike the Western ones, who he learned about Christianity, the Eastern ones were as ruthless as Constantine. This led to the Council of Nicaea, allegedly to agree on just what Jesus was. Was he God made man, man made God, or what. It was an issue that never arose in the West, not much any how.
But now Constantine, who had destroyed all of his competitors, slaughtered his son and wife, met his match. The Bishops were viciously divided on the question of just what Jesus was. It became a Greek definition battle, in words. It also led to street battles amongst the common folk in cities like Alexandria where fights were often to the death as to just what was Jesus.
Now we have US Bishops taking similar stands, politically divisive one. As the NY Times notes:
The statement, passed at the bishops’ annual conference in Baltimore, did not call out President Trump by name, but the context was clear. The bishops said they “oppose the indiscriminate mass deportation of people” and “pray for an end to dehumanizing rhetoric and violence, whether directed at immigrants or at law enforcement.” “We as Catholic bishops love our country and pray for its peace and prosperity,” the statement said. “For this very reason, we feel compelled now in this environment to raise our voices in defense of God-given human dignity.” The bishops, who were often divided by American politics in the Pope Francis era, showed a united front in standing behind Pope Leo XIV, the first pope from the United States, who has spoken out for immigrants and urged U.S. bishops to do the same. The statement, called a special message, is a rare pastoral document that the bishops can issue only at their annual meeting, in order to address pressing circumstances of the day.
Now we are not inferring that the President is Constantine, not even slightly, but we see the Bishops are asserting domain over things which is not their purview. Bishops have been doing this ever more so and perhaps they should take a look at the history of Bishops and politics.
Of all the battles Constantine fought, with hundreds of thousands of opponents, the most difficult one was that with the bishops! Beware the Bishops!
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