When did the Roman Empire fall (your thoughts)?

[Theodosius the Great]

Clement of Alexandria, a contemporary of Tertullian, suggests that those who die in battle do not “yield up the soul pure” (Miscellanies, The Praises of Martyrdom) and may put their afterlife at risk by serving in the army.

Both of their views are understandable in the context of their time. Joining the army was fraught with spiritual dangers since it was saturated with pagan rituals. Yet, we know of eight military grave stones belonging to Christians who served at the time of Tertullian.

However, this situation must have been changing considerably during the fourth and fifth centuries as the empire was being christianized.

Here is a letter from Saint Basil of Caesarea, a contemporary Church Father (330-379 A.D.), to a soldier:

I have many reasons for thanking God for mercies vouchsafed to me in my journey, but I count no blessing greater than the knowledge of your excellency, which has been permitted me by our good Lord's mercy. I have learned to know one who proves that even in a soldier's life it is possible to preserve the perfection of love to God, and that we must mark a Christian not by the style of his dress, but by the disposition of his soul. It was a great delight to me to meet you; and now, whenever I remember you, I feel very glad. Play the man; be strong; strive to nourish and multiply love to God, that there may be given you by Him yet greater boons of blessing. I need no further proof that you remember me; I have evidence in what you have done.

Agora is a very good movie and it's in my collection. However, the Christian sect depicted in that movie was not representative of the "monks" I was referring to. More on the "other side," yet just as crazy, we find the Saint Anthony and Prophet John types

I see. You're referring to Stylites and I'm sure they were even less common than the militants I cited. AFAIK, they were exclusively found in the eastern provinces. I'm skeptical that monasticism had a deleterious effect on the eastern army which was very healthy by the turn of the sixth century.

As for the late Western establishment, Monasticism didn't really take off until after it had already "fallen". Saint Benedict of Nursia (480–543) is often thought of as the father of western monasticism.

And I'll stick to my original prognosis that the church, by funneling huge sums of moola into itself, could not have been an advantage to the secular coffers of the late Western establishment.

I think the coffers dried up with the loss of Africa. After that I doubt there was anything to allocate to non-military expenditures.

~Theo