Later theologians of the Greek East

The later theologians of the Greek East belong to another world from that of theirpredecessors. Their predecessors faced the threat, and often the reality, of persecution by a hostile Roman state, while the later Greek theologians lived in a world where Christianity was first tolerated and then gradually became the official religion of the Roman empire. This radical change of orientation posed enormous problems for the church; ultimately, problems of identity. During the first three centuries of its existence, the church had grown remarkably but still remained a group of relatively small and isolated communities. The long catechumenate that preceded baptism, together with the reality that martyrdom might well be a corollary of being a Christian, gave Christians a strong sense of identity over against the ‘world’ of the pagan society of the Roman empire. This sense of a tight-knit community was reinforced by celebration of the Eucharist reserved for the baptized, excommunication of those who failed in their Christian vocation, by serious moral failing, as well as by apostasy, and the power of the local bishop over the local church. The fourth century ce saw changes that forced Christians to reformulate their sense of identity, or rather drastically adapt the organs of identity they had developed. This was the context in which the later Greek theologians articulated their understanding of Christianity.