The concept of the separation of church and state is nearly as old as the institution of the church itself. Refusing to pay homage to the pantheon of Roman gods or to recognize the divinity of the Roman emperor, the early Christians were subjected to a number of brutal persecutions at the hands of the Roman governments--especially in the mid-third and early fourth centuries. However, following the conversion of Constantine in 312, and his subsequent ascension to Emperor, the new relationship between the Christian church and a Christian emperor formed the foundation of church-state relations in the Roman Empire and into the Middle Ages (Todd, 1977, p. 130).
By the fourth century, two major sects of Christianity, the Arians and the Nicenes, were in fierce competition with one another. The principal distinction between the two was the controversy over the person of Christ and the triune nature of God. Depending upon the beliefs of the Emperor, followers of one sect or another found themselves in or out of favor with the government.
At the time, Milan was the site of the western Emperor's residence. Auxentius, the Arian bishop of Milan, died in 373, and the Roman governor, Ambrose, feared that violence between the Arians and Nicenes would erupt. The customary practice was for the bishop to be elected by popular vote, and as Ambrose began to deliver an appeal for calm to the crowd gathered in the basilica, he suddenly found himself elected bishop--despite the fact that he had no church training and was not even baptized (Todd, 1977, p. 139).
Despite this shortcoming, Ambrose served as the bishop of Milan for some twenty-three years, an adherent of the Nicene creed, and was highly influential in that capacity. He had dealings with a succession of Emperors, beginning with Valentinian I, and concluding with Theodosius I (who was the last Emperor over both the West and the East).
Two of Ambrose's most troubling...