Ma`rifat Adyan

Although Christianity did not have the ability to play a theoretical and practical role in politics and social activities until the fourth century, it -for some purposes - entered the social arena and took part in government activity. This brought about undesirable effects to Christian societies, which ended in the exclusion of the church from social life. This paper studies the causes and factors behind this sudden rise and exclusion. It seems that this end is ascribed to the fact that Christianity lacks political and social foundations. All prophets (as) took measures to establish a government when they found that the conditions were favorable, but no such conditions were prevailing in the time of Christ (as). The system which rests on two aspects - worldly and spiritual – in Christian theology, the similar example which is contained in Augustine's book "The City of God" and Aquinas' belief that a distinction should be drawn between political affairs, salvation and happiness all support this claim. Thus, although Christians entered the social and political arenas in theory and action, they returned to the standing point. They got themselves into a corner in the church and played the role of teachers of ethics because their entrance was accidental.