ABSTRACT
Julian’s reign had been no more than a short interruption of the growing alliance between Church and State. His successors were Christians again. This does not mean, however, that they shared identical opinions on the doctrinal issues, which were still under discussion. Some of them preferred a watereddown Arianism, shorn of the extremes, judging it to be the most, elastic and unifying basis for a state religion. Others turned to tolerance. And, finally, Christianity met emperors who wanted the Nicene Confession to be the base of ecclesiastical consensus. They all had one target in common: imperial unity, consolidated by a unanimous church. We therefore must expect a continuation of the controversies of the preceding period on the relation of Christ to God the Father, and of the wrestling between emperors and bishops for the discretionary power in doctrinal affairs. The extension of the debate to the status of the Holy Spirit introduced a new element.
