When was the Edict of Thessalonica issued?
The Edict of Thessalonica was issued on the 27th of February, AD 380. It was issued during the fifth consulate of Gratian Augustus and the first consulate of Theodosius Augustus.
Questions about Edict of Thessalonica
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Who issued the Edict of Thessalonica?
The edict was jointly issued by three emperors: Theodosius I, emperor of the East; Gratian, emperor of the West; and Valentinian II, Gratian's junior co-ruler. It was addressed to the people of Constantinople.
What did the Edict of Thessalonica declare?
The edict made Nicene Christianity the state church of the Roman Empire. It required all peoples under imperial rule to profess belief in the Trinity as defined by Pontiff Damasus and Peter, Bishop of Alexandria, and condemned other Christian creeds, particularly Arianism, as the beliefs of "foolish madmen."
What is Arianism and why was it condemned in the Edict of Thessalonica?
Arianism was a school of thought holding that Christ did not share the divine essence of God the Father but was instead a primordial creation subordinate to God. The Edict of Thessalonica condemned Arianism as heresy because it rejected the Nicene Creed's declaration that Christ is "true God" and "of one essence with the Father," the formulation the emperors endorsed as orthodox.
What happened after the Edict of Thessalonica?
The edict was followed in 381 by the First Council of Constantinople, which affirmed the Nicene Symbolum and gave final form to the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed. The edict itself was incorporated into Book XVI of the Theodosian Code, making it part of the standing legal framework of the empire.
Why was the Edict of Thessalonica historically significant?
It is the first known secular law to include in its preamble a clear definition of Christian orthodoxy, turning religious dissent into a matter of imperial law rather than church discipline alone. By authorizing punishment for those classified as heretics and forbidding them from calling their gathering places churches, it established a legal foundation for the official Christianization of the Roman Empire.