Church and State in Constantine's Rome

https://lookingglass.montroseschool.org/front-page-scroll/2021/10/05/the-separation-of-the-church-and-the-state/

The idea of separation of church and state is an essential principle of American government in modern times. The Constitution's First Amendment forbids the creation of an official state religion and highlights the value of religious freedom. Although this amendment is dynamic and constantly changes through court cases and debates over the years, it is clear that since the beginning, America as a country has wanted to keep religion and government separate. However, throughout history, this has only sometimes been the case in other regions of the world.

Chapter 9 of Jerusalem: One City Three Faiths by Karen Armstrong looks into Constantine's attempts to incorporate Christianity into the Roman Empire. After coming to power, "Constantine always attributed his astonishing rise from obscurity to the God of the Christians." Although he strongly believes in his religion, Armstrong explains how Constantine "would not promote Christianity at the expense of other faiths."

In Chapter 10, Emperor Julian takes a different approach to his reign, calling for restoring traditions that go against the in-place Christian laws. Emperor Julian understood and even "admired the Jews's fidelity to their ancient faith." However, due to Christian rulers and laws set, people of the Jewish faith were not allowed to sacrifice to their God as they used to. To combat this, Emperor Julian strove to  reconstruct the Jewish Temple, declaring, "I will rebuild the holy city in Jerusalem at my expense and populate it, as you have wished to see it for these many years."

What both of these texts and some of the quotes from these chapters reminds me of is the importance of separation between church and state. Whenever the pilgrims of the Mayflower fled Great Britain seeking religious freedom from the Church of England, gained independence from Great Britain, and created the Constitution, the idea of the separation was so important that they made it the First Amendment. Although Constantine's Rome may not be the best example of separation, when reading these chapters, these two sections reminded me of why upholding the separation of church and state is essential. It is a heavily debated topic, but ensuring that our country provides this amendment for its citizens is vital due to respect for both their well-being and religious beliefs.