Thesis Project

The Development of Imperial Welfare (2nd-5th Century A.D.)

The dissertation deals with the question of how imperial welfare developed and was profiled from the 2nd to the 5th century AD. The focus is also on the question of whether Christianity was able to influence the actions of the Roman emperors. It must be examined whether the Roman emperors themselves adapted Christian virtues (e.g. caritas) with the promotion of Christianity or whether they continued to adhere to Roman virtues (e.g. liberalitas). At the same time, the role of this field of action and value concept for the development of Christian rulership in late antiquity needs to be clarified.