13 III Nicola Holm (UW): Constantius II and Ecclesiastical Politics: Creeds, Councils and Troublesome Bishops

The reigns of Constantine I’s three sons, Constantine II (r.337-340), Constantius II (r.337-361), and Constans (r.337-350) saw a period of intense development of not only the Christian church but also imperial policies towards the church and its hierarchies. This paper will consider the reigns of the sons of Constantine, with an emphasis on that of Constantius II and his relationship with ecclesiastical politics and (troublesome bishops). I will argue that we need to read these imperial policies more carefully within their wider political frameworks. The largely dominant ‘orthodox’ narratives of individuals such as Athanasius of Alexandria and Hilary of Poitiers are responsible for a perception of this period following Constantine I, and the reigns of his sons as being dictated by the whims and desires of bishops or by an overarching and consistent ‘imperial scheme’, rather than displaying the actual role of the emperors in such affairs. While it is easy to assume the prevalence of wily bishops and their agendas, closer examination of this period demonstrates the emergence of a more concrete perception of what this imperial policy was. The need to challenge the centrality of, or at least to consider more closely, the pro-Nicene and orthodox narratives that describe the events of these reigns becomes clear when we seek a more contextualised and nuanced reconstruction of the agency and policies of Constantius II.