Attila the Hun at the Gates of Rome: Josiah Royce´s "Beloved Community" Philosophy for Integrity

Ex-president Barack H. Obama´s spiritual path to Christianity is interesting to read about, as are the varying paths those of FD Roosevelt, Eleanor, Fannie Lou Hamer, Malcolm X, Wangari Maathai, Gandhi and Kasturbai, and Mohammed Yunus. The UN human rights culture raises questions about the subtler aspects of Western history and its principal psychocultural driving force, the Christian religion. Consider the history starting with Attila the Hun´s invasion of Italy, devastation of Verona, and approach to striking distance of Rome. In a recent OP, I mentioned Josiah Royce´s "beloved community" ideas that Christian integrity involves an individual and shared process of historical construction. I combined that with Weber and Simmel´s antipositivism and interpretivism, which involves value awareness, and with Rickert, individualized historical detail. With James, Freud, Jung, and Tubman´s kind of spiritual experience, we can understand sequences represented by the legacy of the legacy of Christian monasticism following the Desert Fathers Anthony the Great and Evagrius, in spiritual developmental schemes like Purgatio, Illuminatio, and Unitio, including "divinization" or "theosis." That can be considered in terms of other spiritual traditions like Buddhism´s Four Noble Truths and Right Meditation. In addition, scientific studies like Davidson et al 2003 have found immune system benefits from meditation, as one scientific linkage and correlate. Medically impossible healings are recorded by a variety of medical sources like C. Crandall MD´s and L. Mehl-Medrona MD, PhD´s cross-cultural records, which confirm a broader range of phenomena as in C Keener PhD´s work. Let´s look at the basic account of Attila the Hun´s position at Rome here.

"The Huns came from East of the Volga in Asia, and by the 370s AD/CE, crossed the Volga River in what is now modern Russia. By 452, "Attila returned to Italy renew his marriage claim with Emperor Valentinian III´s sister Honoria, invading and ravaging (the area) along the way. Communities became established in what would later become Venice as a result of these attacks when the residents fled to small islands in the Venetian Lagoon. His army sacked numerous cities and razed Aquileia so completely that it was afterwards hard to recognize its original site. Aëtius had defeated Attila at the Battle of Troyes in Gaul, but lacked the strength to offer further battle. Aetius only managed to harass and slow Attila's advance with a shadow force. Attila finally halted at the River Po. By this point, disease and starvation may have taken hold in Attila's camp, thus hindering his war efforts and potentially contributing to the cessation of invasion.

Emperor Valentinian III sent three envoys, the high civilian officers Gennadius Avienus and Trigetius, as well as the Bishop of Rome Leo I, who met Attila at Mincio in the vicinity of Mantua and obtained from him the promise that he would withdraw from Italy and negotiate peace with the Emperor.[41] Prosper of Aquitaine gives a short description of the historic meeting, but gives all the credit to Leo for the successful negotiation. Priscus reports that superstitious fear of the fate of Alaric gave (Attila) pause—as Alaric died shortly after sacking Rome in 410.

Italy had suffered from a terrible famine in 451 and her crops were faring little better in 452. Attila's devastating invasion of the plains of northern Italy this year did not improve the harvest. To advance on Rome would have required supplies which were not available in Italy, and taking the city would not have improved Attila's supply situation. Therefore, it was more profitable for Attila to conclude peace and retreat to his homeland."

"As Hydatius writes in his Chronica Minora: The Huns, who had been plundering Italy and who had also stormed a number of cities, were victims of divine punishment, being visited with heaven-sent disasters: famine and some kind of disease. In addition, they were slaughtered by auxiliaries sent by the (Eastern) Emperor Marcian and led by (Western general) Aetius, and at the same time, they were crushed in their [home] settlements ... Thus crushed, they made peace with the Romans and all returned to their homes."

The modern view more secularly states that the ambassadorial group with Pope Leo I, "combined with a plague among Attila's troops, the threat of famine, and news that the Eastern Emperor Marcian had launched an attack on Hun homelands along the Danube, forced Attila to turn around and leave Italy."

Attila the Hun died in 453 at age 47, according to his contemporary Priscus, during the night with his newest wife, Ildicó. There was no wound, but blood, leading to speculations of a hemorragh. His three sons in their rash, egotistical lusts for power, were defeated and slain by 468. As for the Christian Emperor Valentinian III, after Attila´s death and the reduced Hun threat, he was goaded by a vindictive and ambitious Christian Senator Petronius Maximus to murder his top general Aetius personally with the aide of his eunuch chamberlain Heraclius, bashing the unarmed Aetius on the head. Priscus writes that in the next year, the ambitious Petronius Maximus, also resentful about Valentinian III committing adultery with Maximus´ wife, arranged for two assassins to murder Valentinian III while he went to practice archery, and Heraclius at the same time.

Attila´s turning back after meeting with Valentinian´s group with Pope Leo I in 452, and then dying prematurely in 453 at age 47 under unusually unsuspicious circumstances is remarkable. It gains greater significance in examining the psychosocial and cultural components of additional surrounding contexts in historical development. Goaded by an ambitious Senator, Emperor Valentinian III assassinated his main general, and was then assassinated in turn by that same Senator. As events unfolded, by 476 AD, the last Western Emperor Romulus Augustulus, a figurehead, was removed from power by Odoacer, who became the King of Italy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attila

I´ll save the exploratory analysis in spiritual modernization for a subsequent OP. For now, what do you think of the strange occurrence of and context around Attila the Hun´s desisting from attacking Rome and young premature death with a new wife? &&& By comparison and contrast, Pope Damasus in the 360s became pope as Gratian became the westernmost of three Emperors. In 374, Ambrose was the Roman governor when Auxentius the Arian bishop of Milan died. A conflict developed about the next appointment, and Ambrose appeared to try to maintain calm. A cry arose to appoint Ambrose himself bishop, although he protested his lack of formal qualifications. He was not baptized nor trained in theology. Nevertheless, in an exciting drama, he fled but was appointed anyway. Ambrose at once adopted an ascetic lifestyle, donated his money and distributed his lands to the poor. In 378, Emperor Gratian issued an edict of toleration. As alignments continued to develop with Bishop Ambrose´s influence and the Senate by 380, the three emperors issued the Edict of Thessalonica that outlawed any religion except Christianity. Gratian thus refused the pagan priest designation "pontifex maximus," removed the pagan Alter of Victory from the Senate, and stopped payments to pagan temples. Although reflexively at odds with modern religious freedoms, the historical context did not yet involve Christianity´s University-based system or scientific and Enlightenment accomplishments, as well as the events leading to globalization and the UN human rights and sustainability community. For example, devotion to early Christian martyrs was active, including Tombs in the Catacombs. In 383, Gratian was perceived as favoring pagan tribal Alans over Romans, and was in Gaul. Magnus Maximus gathered many in his British garrison and headed to Gaul. Near Lutetia (Paris), many of Gratian´s troops defected, and Gratian fled. He was captured in August at Lugdunum (Lyon) and killed, or assassinated rather. Some years later he was deified as Divus Gratianus, the "Divine Gratian." Magnus Maximus proceeded to Italy, where MM Flavius Bauto had a powerful force that stopped him and protected the 12 year old Valentinian II. Negotiations followed in 384 that included Ambrose, and led to an agreement with Eastern Theodosius I that made Magnus Augustus of the West. As Emperor, Magnus ordered the execution of the first six heretics including Priscillian for Priscillianism. He considered the accusation that of magic. When Magnus issued an edict after 387 criticizing the Roman Christians for burning down a Roman synagogue, Ambrose objected and asserted that there were cries that "the Emperor has become a Jew." In 387, Magnus invaded Italy, but was defeated as Eastern Emperor Theodosius I was led by Richomeres. Maximus was defeated at Poetovio, and finally surrendered at Aquileia. He asked for mercy, but was executed.