Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 14.djvu/638

 THEODOSIUS

578

THEODOSIUS

395. Theodosius is one of the sovereigns by uni- versal consent called Great. He stamped out the last vestiges of paganism, put an end to the Arian heresy in the empire, pacified the Goths, left a fa- mous example of penitence for a crime, and reigned as a just and mighty CathoUc emperor. His father, the Comes Theodosius, was a distinguished general; both he and the mother Thermantia were Cathohcs at a time when Arianism was at its strongest. Theodo- sius the son distinguished himself in the army, was made Dux of Ma'sia, defeated the Sarmatians (Am- mianus MarcolKnus, XXIX, 6); then, when an in- trigue brought about the disgrace and execution of his father (376) he retired to his own property in Spain. But his reputation was not forgotten. The Emperor Gratian (375-383) after the death of Valens (378) took Theodosius from private life and made him his fellow-emperor (Augustus) for the East (19 Jan., 379). He was already married to JE\ia, Flacilla, by whom he had two sons, Arcadius and Honorius (his future suc- cessors) and a daughter Pulcheria. As Augustus he carried on the Gothic war vigorously and success- fully. During the year 380 he was able to conclude a victorious peace with the Goths; on 24 November he held his triumph at Constantinople. Meanwhile he had also repressed the Vandals and Huns. Early in the same year a severe sickness at Thessalonica made him seek baptism, and he was baptized by the Catholic Bishop of Thessalonica, AschoUos. Socrates (H. E., V, 6) says that since Theodosius "was a Christian from his parents and professed the faith of the Ho- moousios" he first assured himself that the bishop was not an Arian (cf. Sozomen; "H. E.", VII, 4). A great part of the emperor's activity was now spent in estab- lishing the Cathohc faith and repressing Arianism. In February, 380, he and Gratian published the famous edict that all their subjects should profess the faith of the Bishops of Rome and Alexandria (Cod. Theod., XVI, 1, 2; Sozomen, VII, 4). The conventicles of the heretics were not to be called churches.

As soon as he came to Constantinople Theodosius began expelling the Arians, who had hitherto been in po.ssession. The Arian bishop, Demophilus, left the city (Socr., V, 7; Soz., VII, 5), St. Gregory of Nazian- zus undertook the administration of the diocese. In January, 381, the prefect had orders to close all Arian chapels in the city and to expel those who served them. The same severe measures were ordered throughout Theodosius's dominion, not only against Arians, but also in the case of Manichaeans and all other heretics. However Sozomen says that the em- peror "made severe punishments by his laws, but did not carry them out, for he did not wish to punish, but only to frighten his subjects, that they might think as he did about Divine things. And he praised those who were converted of their own accord" (H. E.,VII, 12). In 381 the Second General Council was held at Constantinople under his auspices (Socr., V, 8; Soz., VII, 7). In 383 he attempted a conference at his cap- ital between Catholics and Arians, with a view to a reconciliation; but no result was obtained (Socr., V, 10; Soz., VII, 12). In the same year Gratian was mur- dered at Lyons (25 Aug.) and Clemens Maximus usurped the imperial title in the West (383-388). Theodosius acknowledged the usurper on condition that he would allow Gratian's brotlier, Valetitinian II, to reign in Italy. In 3S7 Maximus broke tlic con- tract and expelled Valeiiliuian, who fled to Theodo- sius. Theodosius brought liini back with an army, and defeated and executed Maxinuis at Aquileia. Valentinian II now reigned in the West till 392. It was also in 387 that Tlieodosius showed such toler- ance in the affair of the statues at Antioch (see John Chuvsostom).

During all his reign Theodosius took severe mcas- lu-es against the surviving remnants of paganism. In

388 a prefect was sent around Egypt, Syria, and Asia Minor for the purpose of destroying temples and breaking up pagan associations; it was then that the Serapeum at Alexandria was destroj-ed (Socr.,V, 16). Libanius wrote a "Lamentation" about the destruc- tion of the fanes of the gods (■'repl rwv Upui/^ ed. R. Foerster, Bibl. Script. Gr. et Rom. Teubncr). In 391 Theodosius refused to allow the Altar of Victory to be restored in the Roman Senate (cf. Gibbon, "Decline and Fall", xxviii). Pagan sacrifices, omens, and witchcraft were to be punished as Ursa majestas (Cod. Theod., XVI, X, 10-12). In short his laws put an end finally to the old cult, at any rate as far as open and pubhc use is concerned. One of its last acts was a despairing appeal to the sword, which offers again the dramatic situation of a field of battle on which the re- hgion of Europe seemed to depend. Argobast, the Frankish tutor of Valentinian II, at least indirectly caused his ward's death (Hodgkin, "Italy and her Invaders", I, 590) and set up a rhetorician, Eugenius, in his stead (15 May, 392). Theodosius hastened to Italy to avenge this crime. Eugenius, although nom- inally a Christian, tried to unite the remains of pagan- ism in his defence. He set up pagan altars again (in- cluding that of Victory at Rome), his soldiers marched under the standard of Hercules in\dctus. But near Aquileia on 6 Sept., 394, once more the Christian Labarum triumphed over the b.anner of the ancient gods ; Theodosius entered Rome sole master of the now finally Christian empire. Further laws enforced the keeping of Sunday and the disabihties of pagans, Jews, and heretics. During the greater part of his reign Theodosius was in intimate relation with St. Ambrose. The story of the emperor's worst crime, the massacre of at least 7000 citizens of Thessalonica in revenge for a tumult (April, 390) ; of St. Ambrose's refusal to allow him to enter the Church; of his ac- ceptance of eight months of penance, is one of the memorable incidents of Church history.

Theodosius married Galla (daughter of Valentinian I) after the death of his first wife, and by her had a daughter, Galla Placidia, the mother of Valentinian III. St. Ambrose preached his funeral oration ("De obitu Theodosii", P. L., XVI, 1385). His two sons Arcadius and Honorius had already been proclaimed Augustus during his life. Arcadius became emperor of the eastern half of the empire, Honorius of the western. The Roman world was never again united. Theodosius stands out as the destroyer of heresy and paganism, as the last sovereign of the undivided em- pire. A coin representing him holding the Labarum with the inscription, Restitutor Rcipublicce, expresses perfectly his title to remembrance.

Socrates; Sozomen; Zosimus; Lib,*.nius; Ammianus Marcel- UNUS, and other Church historians; Coder Theodosianus, ed. MOMMSEN (Berlin. 1905): Rauschen, Jahrbuchcr der christt. Kirche unler dem Kaiser Theodosius dem Grossen (Freiburg, 1S97) ; GuLDENPENNlN'G AXD ISLAND, Der Kaiser Theodosius der Grosse (Halle, 1878); Tillemont, Hisloire des Empereurs, V.; Schiller, Gesch. der romischen Kaiserzeit, II (Gotha. 18S7): Schultze, Gesch. des Untergangs des griech.~r6m. Hcidetitums (Jena, 1S87- 92) ; Gibbon, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, cd. BrRY, III (London, 1897); Grisar, Gesch. Roms. u. der PSpsle.l (Frei- burg, 1901).

Adri.*.n Fortescue.

Theodosius Florentini, b. at Miinster, in the Grisons, Switzerland, 23 May, 1808; d. at Heiden, in Appenzell, 15 Feb.. 1S65. Ho entered the Capuchin Franciscan Order, 22 Oct., 1825, wasonlained i)riest in 1830, and appointed no vice m:»st er, and loot urer on phil- osophy and theology. In 1S3S he became guardian at Baden; in 1S45 superior and parish jiriest at Chur; in 1S.")7 definilor, and in 1S60 vicar-general of the Diocese of Chur. In the first half of the nineteenth century the Catholics in Switzerland founil theinsolves in a lamentable position. In addition to Protestant iis- cenilencv there wa.s the spirit of unbelief and o! false mysticism. Even the Governments of Catholic can- tons lent themselves to the persecution of the Church