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on ·the favored location at the
mouth of the Black Sea by the
Greek navigator Byzas in the sev–
enth century B.C. T he city bore bis
name for the next thousand years.
In A.D. 327, the Roman Emperor
Constantine the Great transferred bis
Mile-long Bosporus Bridge links
Europe with Asia (top); view of
Bosporus, looking northeast toward
Bosporus Bridge in distance (middle);
seventeentb-century Yeni Mosque by
tbe Galata Bridge (bottom).
6
seat of empire to the shores of the
Bosporus. There he enlarged Greek
Byzantium and erected bis new
city, which was built, like Rome,
on seven hills. In fact, Constantine
called bis new capital
Nova
Roma-"New
Rome. " It would
later be called Constanti–
nople in his honor.
The Empire of New Rome
Few today realize the over–
whelming importance of
proud Constantinople in
the ancient and medieval
"' worlds. This "Rome of the
~
East" was one of the
~
greatest and most powerful
~
cities of al! history!
Notice what occurred:
Tbe end of tbe fourth century
saw an official division of the
ancient Roman Empire into two
halves. Constantinople became the
capital of the Eastern Roman
Empire, which eventually took the
city's ancient name to become
known as the Byzantine Empire.
The Roman Empire thus stood on
two "legs"- the Eastern Empire
centered in Constantinople and the
Empire of the West in Rome.
In A.D. 476, Germanic invaders
struck a fatal blow to Rome, leav–
ing tbe City of Constantine sole
ruler of the Roman Empire. Old
Rome had fallen, but New Rome
yet lived!
Protected by its virtually im–
pregnable walls, Constantinople
became the center of a rich culture,
carrying on the traditions and pre-
serving the heritage of Roman civi–
lization. The Empire of New Rome
reached its zenith under Emperor
Justinian (527-565). Gilded Con–
stantinople became tbe hub of the
medieval world!
Later, after medieval Rome
rega:ined sorne of its former promi–
nence, Rome and Constantinople
stood as the
two capitals of Chris–
tendom
during the Middle Ages.
Their ·influence was immense.
Dry history?
By no means!
Few cities have ever attained the
great power and prestige that Con–
stantinople once enjoyed. For 16
centuries this city was a major fac–
tor in world politics. As we
approach the last days of this age,
many ancient powers are prophe–
sied to be resurrected and restored
to former greatness.
Might not this once-great city be
among them?
Shattered Unity
As we move forward in bistory, we
come next to a great falling out
between the two sister cities of
medieval Christendom.
From Constantine's time, Chris–
tianity was established throughout
the Empire. But the
form
of Chris–
tianity was not the same every–
where. Quarrels over disputed
articles of faith tore at the unity of
the Christian-professing world.
These unhealed wounds of reli–
gious strife Ied, in l 054, to the final
schism between the Westero (Ro–
man) and Eastern (Orthodox)
churches. In that year the Eastern
Church broke completely with
Rome. Pope Leo IX responded by
excommunicating Michael Ceru–
larius, Patriarch of Constantinople,
and tbe entire Church in the East!
Constantine's dream of a univer–
sal church was shattered.
The Schism of 1054 divided the
Eastern Orthodox Cburch- in
Greece, Russia, the Balkans and
the Middle East- from Rome. The
split remains to this day. Eastern
Ortbodoxy today comprises 15
independent national churcbes, aH
of which acknowledge the Pa–
triarcb of Constantinople as their
spiritual leader. He is
primus ínter
pares-"first
among equals"-in
view of Constantinople's role as
(Continued on pa_ge 42)
ThB
PLAIN TRUTH