In 330 AD, Constantine transferred the seat of government to his eastern part of the Roman world called Byzantium. Here he built magnificent churches, and brought works of art from all parts of the known world. He wished to make this new capital "Constantinople" the center of Christian religion. He elevated the "Bishop of Constantinople" to a position equal to that of the "Bishop of Rome". This left our families' land pretty much out in the cold.
The pagan world would not sit quietly by, and there was a rebellion against the Christian world which tried to revive the Graeco-Roman religions. What a mess it was. In 392 AD, Theodosius declared all "Heathen" sacrifices to be high treason, thus establishing Christianity the sole religion of the state. The "Church" and "State" became one.
In our Western part of the Roman world, we had enough troubles of our own. The Roman Empire had withdrawn both the military and political organization that our Jones family had been part of for more than 400 years. The Western part of the Roman world was in a state of siege and near collapse. By 406 AD - 407 AD the Romans had "left the building" and we were on our own. The Gothic sack of the city of Rome took place in 410 AD. What were we to do?
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