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Constantine had made Nicene Christianity the official doctrine of the Christian Church. However, since then many Christian sects had appeared that disputed the veracity of the Nicene Creed. The Christian Church was divided among a series of groups who disagreed on the nature of Christ and his relationship to God. Arrian Christianity had become influential in the period prior to Theodosius I. The Emperor was a firm adherent of Nicene Christianity and he effectively made it the state religion at the Council of Constantinople. Theodosius in an edict of 380 AD, proscribed all other forms of Christianity and deposed bishops who challenged the Nicene Creed. This did not immediately result in religious unity in the Church. However, it did lead to a decline in the influence of groups such as the Arians but the Empire was to continue to be destabilized by religious divisions in the Church. However, Theodosius by making the Nicene Creed the state religion ensured that the Christian Church adopted the doctrine. The Nicene Creed is the accepted creed of the vast majority of Christians sects to this day.
==Proscription of Paganism==
Between 389-392 AD the Emperor promulgated a series of decrees that abolished the last vestiges of paganism. This led to a series of anti-pagan measures that many regard as a Christian persecution of pagans. He banned pagan rituals, sacrifices and oracles. There was no longer to be any public expressions of paganism in any form. The Emperor also ordered every magistrate to rigorously enforce his measures or face prosecution and loss of office<ref> Stephens and Friell, p. 113</ref>. Theodosius because of his decrees came into conflict with the still mainly pagan Roman Senate. He faced down the senators in a dispute over the restoration of the Statute of Victory in Rome. Theodosius forbade this and this marked the end of any opposition to his anti-pagan measures. Theodosius after his victory at the Battle of Frigidus waged an open war against paganism. The defeat o Eugenius was the last attempt to resist the Christianization of the Empire. In the wake of the victory local bishops often led crowds to attacks pagan temples. Many of the ancient world’s greatest marvels such as the Temple of Delphi were destroyed. Around this time the Ancient Olympic Games which were part of a religious festival was also suppressed. Many temples were also sacked in Egypt and Syria<ref> Stephens and Friell, p. 118</ref>. The Emperor either connived at these actions or failed to defend the pagans. The campaign against the pagans was important and it dealt a serious blow to paganism. All forms of the old Roman and other religions disappeared from the urban centres. It should be noted that paganism survived in many rural areas for centuries and that pagan practices, often regarded as witchcraft persisted until the early modern periodall over Europe.
==Theodosius and the Goths==
The most problematic aspect of Theodosius legacy was his policy towards the Goths. He did manage to reach an agreement with the Goths and ended the war. However, the Goths remained very influential and indeed the terms of the peace agreement meant that they began to dominate many Roman legions. The Goths became so powerful that they became a state within a state. Theodosius after the catastrophe of Adrianople had little option. He was not militarily strong enough to defeat the Goths in battle. He was forced to compromise with the Goths and in doing so he weakened his own and his son’s power. Theodosius had only a small army of recruits and old soldiers called out of retirement. It is possible that if Theodosius had not ended the Gothic War, then the invaders could have destroyed the Empire. Furthermore, the Roman Emperor was only adopting a policy that was previously used successfully by other Emperors. Constantine had adopted a similar policy when some 300,000 Sarmatians entered the Empire earlier in the century <ref> Richard Brzezinski and Mariusz Mielczarek, The Sarmatians 600 BC-AD 450 (Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2002), p. 145</ref>. In the following century, the Goths became stronger and stronger and after 400 they invaded Italy. In 410 a Gothic and allied army sacked Rome. It could be argued that if Theodosius had not compromised with the Goths and had done more to contain them that this would not have occurred <ref>Heather, P. Goths and Romans 332-489 (Oxford University Press; Oxford, 1991), p. 113</ref>. This was something that could not have been foreseen by Theodosius and even if he had he could not have done anything else in the 380’s A.D. There are those who argue that Theodosius diplomatic approach to the Goths was a success and helped them buy some time for the Eastern Roman Empire. The peace treaty with the German invaders allowed a measure of peace to return to the Balkans and possibly even saved Constantinople. Theodosius it is argued helped to save, if not the Western Empire he did much to allow the Eastern Empire to survive. This was very important as the Eastern Empire was able to evolve into the Byzantine Empire, which has had a decisive influence on Eastern Europe to this day and kept the Arabs out of Europe.
