Justinian Religion

Justinian was the emperor of the Byzantine empire after the fall of the Roman empire. The roman empire, however, was not dead in his eyes. He considered himself the last vestige of the roman empire. Under Justinian’s rule, Christianity became the only lawful religion in the Byzantine empire and it was the start of Eastern Orthodox Christianity. Justinian considered his rule both spiritual and temporal. Justinian’s artistic campaign was the most effective because he was the first leader to execute a combination of church and state and established himself as emperor and pope. In his mind, the church was an extension of the imperial court and an extension of heaven. Justinian committed one sin in particular in perpetuity. Justinian was his own …show more content…
This emphasizes the affect that Justinian’s artistic campaign had on his people. He convinced people of his god-like power. At one brief point during his reign he was able to push back the north and take back the whole empire, so he had to make his mark in Ravenna. He built the church of San Vitale. The church, in the Roman tradition, was built using a central plan and an axial route. There was a big apes to accommodate the grand scale of the liturgy. The central apsidal mosaic in the church was of Jesus’ second coming and on either side of it are portraits. Justinian’s portrait was on Jesus’ proper right suggesting the Justinian is Jesus’ right-hand man. On the other side is Justinian’s wife, Theodora. Her portrait, although rare to see a woman in the apes, is still rendered without abstraction. The point being that she is earthly, and Justinian is of a higher power. These three portraits all work together to create a message: Justinian and Jesus are …show more content…
He managed to convince everyone that he was as divine as Jesus himself, while still instilling the fear of, well, God into his subjects. He used Roman traditions to unite his subjects and cloaked himself in the word of Christ to keep them united under him. He was the last vestige of the Roman empire and he did it all because his ego was big enough to let him believe that he was God’s second son sent to earth to be the best ruler in