Edict of Thessalonica
Theodosius I, with his co-emperors Gratian and Valentinian II, decreed that all peoples of the empire should hold the Nicene faith, making it the religion of the state and branding other Christians heretics.
- Date
- 27 February 380exact dateDate in the Julian calendar
- Place
- Thessalonicatoday: Thessaloniki, Greece · Balkans and Anatolia
- Participants
- Theodosius I, Gratian, Roman Empire
- Threads
- Europe in the Roman age (1st–5th c.)
- Also known as
- Cunctos populos; Эдикт Cunctos populos
The edict, which begins Cunctos populos (“All peoples”), required belief in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit “in equal majesty” as taught by Bishop Damasus of Rome and Bishop Peter of Alexandria; dissenters were declared heretics, and their meeting places were not to be called churches. It was aimed chiefly at the Arians, still strong in the East.
In 381 the First Council of Constantinople confirmed and expanded the Nicene Creed, and in 391–392 Theodosius banned pagan sacrifices and cults. The text of the edict is preserved in the Theodosian Code (XVI.1.2).
Connections
Related events
- First Council of Nicaeabetween May and June 325 – between July and August 325 · Balkans and Anatoliathe Nicene faith became the religion of the state
Same participants
- Gothic War (376–382)376 – 3 October 382 · Balkans and Anatoliavia Theodosius I
- Division of the Roman Empire17 January 395 · Western and Central Europevia Theodosius I
Meanwhile in the world
Other regions, within 25 years of this event
Western and Central Europe
- Division of the Roman Empire17 January 395
- End of Roman rule in Britain383–410
Eastern Europe
- Vinitharius’ war with the Antes of Bozbetween 375 and 380
- The Huns conquer the Alans and the Greuthungic. 370 – 376
- Chernyakhov culturebetween 200 and 250 – between 400 and 430
- Kyiv culturec. 200 – between 400 and 430
The same period
Sources
- Wikipedia (English): Edict of Thessalonica
- Wikipedia (Russian): Фессалоникийский эдикт
- Williams S., Friell G. Theodosius: The Empire at Bay. — London: Batsford, 1994.
- Wikidata: Q1257878