Table Of ContentRoutledge Monographs in Classical Studies
POWER AND RHETORIC
IN THE ECCLESIASTICAL
CORRESPONDENCE OF
CONSTANTINE THE GREAT
Andrew J. Pottenger
Power and Rhetoric in the Ecclesiastical
Correspondence of Constantine the Great
This volume closely examines patterns of rhetoric in surviving correspondence
by the Roman emperor Constantine on conflicts among Christians that occurred
during his reign, primarily the ‘Donatist schism’ and ‘Arian controversy’.
Commonly remembered as the ‘first Christian emperor’ of the Roman Empire,
Constantine’s rule sealed a momentous alliance between church and state for
more than a millennium. His well-known involvement with Christianity led him to
engage with two major disputes that divided his Christian subjects: the ‘Donatist
schism’ centred, from the emperor’s perspective, on determining the rightful
bishop of Carthage, and the so-called ‘Arian controversy’, a theological conflict
about the proper understanding of the Son’s divine nature in relation to that of
the Father. This book examines a number of letters associated with Constantine
that directly address both of these disagreements, exploring his point of view and
motivations to better understand how and why this emperor applied his power
to internal church divisions. Based on a close analysis of prominent themes and
their functions in the rhetoric of his correspondence, Pottenger argues that three
‘doctrines of power’ served to inform and direct Constantine’s use of power as he
engaged with these problems of schism and heresy.
Power and Rhetoric in the Ecclesiastical Correspondence of Constantine the
Great is of interest to students and scholars of early Christianity and the history
of the later Roman Empire.
Andrew J. Pottenger graduated with a PhD in Church History from the
University of Manchester in 2019. Andrew has presented papers on subjects con-
cerning power and rhetoric in Constantine’s correspondence at various confer-
ences and research seminars in the United Kingdom and the United States. He
has taught in courses related to the history of Christianity in countries such as
the United Kingdom, Germany, Bulgaria, and the United States. He is currently
an adjunct instructor in church history at Nazarene Bible College in Colorado
Springs, Colorado (United States), where he lives with his wife, Gina.
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Power and Rhetoric in the
Ecclesiastical Correspondence
of Constantine the Great
Andrew J. Pottenger
First published 2023
by Routledge
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2023 Andrew J. Pottenger
The right of Andrew J. Pottenger to be identified as author of this work
has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation
without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record has been requested for this book
ISBN: 978-1-032-10515-4 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-10517-8 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-21567-7 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003215677
Typeset in Times New Roman
by Deanta Global Publishing Services, Chennai, India
To my wife, Gina
Home will always be where you are
In loving memory of
Mary ‘Nona’ Rotz
who passed away as research for this book was completed
Contents
Acknowledgements viii
Abbreviations x
Introduction 1
1 The Constantinian correspondence on ecclesiastical conflicts 23
2 The doctrine of divine favour and agency 62
3 The doctrine of ecclesiastical unity 97
4 The doctrine of resistance and compromise: The Donatist
schism 129
5 The doctrine of resistance and compromise: The ‘Arian
controversy’ 156
6 Projecting imperial power in ecclesiastical affairs (325–337) 187
Conclusion 225
Appendix: List of analysed imperial documents 233
Bibliography 236
Index 258
Acknowledgements
This book is a revised version of a doctoral thesis completed at the University of
Manchester. I would like to thank Dr Geordan Hammond and Dr Andrew T. Fear:
I could not have asked for a better team to supervise the thesis, and I am grate-
ful for their time and effort in helping me see it through to completion. Special
thanks are also due to Professor Mark Humphries and Dr Thomas A. Noble, who
served as my examiners: for their kind words and helpful suggestions during a
truly pleasurable experience discussing that work with both of them. The initial
research was completed in partnership with Nazarene Theological College (NTC)
in Manchester, and I am grateful to them for the years of personal investment and
scholarly support. I also thank the University, NTC, and the Ecclesiastical History
Society for providing opportunities to present some of these ideas in various
forms at research seminars and conferences. The encouragement and challenging
criticism received in the collegial environment of British academia contributed
significantly to the dedication and joy with which I pursued the thesis to success-
ful completion.
The present study benefited from the support offered by staff at the University
Library and the library at NTC. I would like to thank Gladstone’s Library in
Hawarden, United Kingdom, for providing a perfect environment for study and
reflection away from other pressing concerns and distractions. Thanks are also
due to NTC for the gift of a small scholarship that allowed me to enjoy an addi-
tional week of study at Gladstone’s Library. I am deeply grateful to Harold A.
Drake, professor emeritus at the University of California in Santa Barbara, and
Professor Clifford Ando from the University of Chicago, both of whom have pro-
vided valuable encouragement via e-mail at various points throughout the pro-
cess of seeing this work through to publication. Both of them provided articles or
chapters of their own research that I found helpful. I would like to thank James
Corke-Webster, Barbara Saylor Rodgers, and Simon Corcoran for also gener-
ously providing me with published materials from their work at my request. No
one named is in any way responsible for what errors or faults are in this book.
Portions of the book’s second chapter appeared in the following publication
under my authorship and are used by permission here: ‘The “Servant of God”:
Divine Favour and Instrumentality under Constantine the Great, 318-25’, Studies
in Church History, Vol. 54: Church and Empire (Stewart J. Brown, Charlotte
Acknowledgements ix
Methuen, and Andrew Spicer, eds.; Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
2018), 31–45.
No work of this kind is ever completed without the support and contributions
of many other colleagues, students, friends, and family members. Writing down
everyone’s name along with stories of how each contributed to this work might
have turned into its own book-length project, but each one of you are remembered
with heartfelt gratitude. I would like to thank the editorial team at Routledge,
particularly Marcia Adams, for guidance and support throughout the publication
process. Thanks are also due to the anonymous reviewers whose critique and sug-
gestions helped make this a better work. I am grateful beyond words to my par-
ents and parents-in-law for their unwavering love, example, and generosity from
which I have drawn so much of the necessary motivation and persistence in get-
ting this work done. Finally, I leave the place of greatest honour in offering loving
gratitude to my wife, Gina, who has without hesitation sacrificed far more than we
both expected so that this project could see the light of day.
