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Constantine the Great and Christianity
By Vickie Chao
Since the beginning of time, the ancient
Romans worshipped hundreds of gods and
goddesses. Many of those deities came
from foreign lands that the Romans had
conquered. As different faiths sprang up
across the ever-expanding empire, they
were more or less tolerated. Such open
attitude, however, was not the case for
Judaism and Christianity. Both religions
pointedly refused to honor Roman gods and
to idolize Roman emperors. As a result, the
Jews and Christians endured centuries of
hardship. One good example would be
Emperor Nero. In 64 A.D., a big fire engulfed Rome and destroyed
much of the city. Emperor Nero pinned the blame on the Christians.
Through relentless persecution, he also allegedly killed two Christian
apostles -- Saint John and Saint Peter.
At the onset of the 4th century, Constantine the Great (or
Constantine I) ascended the throne. He held a different view toward
Christianity and gave the religion a big break. Seven years after he
seized power, in 313 A.D., he and Licinius (his brother-in-law and
co-emperor in the east) issued the famous Edict of Milan. They
declared that both the Eastern and Western Roman Empires would
keep a neutral position on all faiths. Constantine the Great even
commissioned the construction of several grand cathedrals. For the
first time in ancient Rome, Christians could openly practice their
religion without fear.
No doubt, Constantine the Great was the driving force behind the
spread of Christianity. But who was Constantine the Great, and what
were his other accomplishments?
Constantine the Great was born Flavius Valerius Constantius
around 274 A.D. His father, Constantius, was an ambitious army
officer. His mother, Helena, was probably the daughter of an
innkeeper. When Constantine the Great was just a teenager, his
father left him and Helena in order to marry Theodora. Theodora
came from a very prominent family. Her stepfather -- Emperor
Maximian -- was, in fact, the most powerful man in the entire
Western Roman Empire. Through this new marriage, Constantius
was able to make a huge leap in his career. His father-in-law gave
him the title of Caesar (junior emperor) in 293 A.D.
As Constantius worked hard on proving himself in the Western
Roman Empire, Constantine the Great did the same in the Eastern
Roman Empire. The young boy joined the military and served with
distinction.
On May 1, 305 A.D., Maximian and Diocletian (the ruler of the
Eastern Roman Empire) both decided to retire. They each had a
junior emperor to whom they would pass the power. Maximian's
successor was Constantius, and Diocletian's Galerius. After the
transition, Constantius requested his son's presence from Galerius.
Galerius agreed, so Constantine the Great moved to the Western
Roman Empire to join his father on a military campaign in Britain.
Sadly, the reunion between the father and the son turned out to be
short-lived. On July 25, 306 A.D., Constantius got sick and died at
Eboracum (modern day's York). Upon his death, his loyal soldiers
hailed Constantine the Great as their new emperor, but not
everybody in the Western Roman Empire accepted the decision. For
the next six years, Constantine the Great engaged himself and his
troops in a series of civil wars. At last, he managed to crush all his
opponents to become the sole ruler of the Western Roman Empire.
It was often said that the night before his deciding battle, the Battle
of the Milvian Bridge, he had a dream. In it, he received the
instruction of painting the first two Greek letters of the word "Christ"
-- Chi (X) and Rho (P) -- on all his soldiers' shields. When he woke
up, he did just that and went on to win the war. Since then, he had
become a committed Christian and continued to have his armies
bearing this unique symbol of Christ, known as labarum.
One year after Constantine the Great finally secured his power, he
and his co-ruler from the Eastern Roman Empire, Licinius, issued
the Edict of Milan together. Though both men pledged to tolerate all
faiths in their respective kingdom, Licinius later strayed from his
commitment and began the practice of persecuting the Christians
once again. Furious, Constantine the Great waged wars against
Licinius. After several years of fighting, Constantine the Great
finally defeated Licinius. In 324 A.D., he united both the Eastern
and Western Roman Empires. From that point on to his death, he
had the throne all to himself. He no longer needed to share his
power with somebody else as he had done so previously.
Constantine the Great and Christianity
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The following year, in 325 A.D., Constantine the Great organized
the first ever council of the Christian church at Nicaea (today's Iznik,
Turkey). The objective of the council was to resolve the
disagreement over whether Jesus was a divine or a created being.
With about 300 bishops attending the meeting, they eventually
reached the conclusion that Jesus was of the same or of similar
substance as God the Father. They also agreed on the date for
celebrating the Christian Passover or Easter.
As Constantine the Great dedicated tremendous resources to
promote Christianity, his personal life was a mess. He first killed
Licinius, then Crispus (his eldest son and heir apparent), and finally
Fausta (his second wife). All the slaughtering took place over a
short period of two years, from 325 A.D. to 326 A.D. Around the
same time as one family tragedy after another unfolded, Helena, the
mother of Constantine the Great, embarked on a pilgrimage to
Jerusalem or the Holy Land. Constantine the Great did not join her.
He stayed behind to plan for a new capital. He completely
demolished the city of Byzantium (modern day's Istanbul, Turkey)
and rebuilt a new one on site. The new capital was unveiled in 330
A.D. It was called Constantinople after himself.
Interestingly, though Constantine the Great did many things in
favor of Christianity, he himself was not baptized until his final days.
Shortly before he died on May 22, 337 A.D., he finally changed into
a white robe so he could get baptized.
To the Christians, Constantine the Great was one of their
staunchest supporters. Through his efforts, Christianity was able to
spread to all corners of the Roman Empire and eventually become
the kingdom's sole religion in 380 A.D.!
Questions
1. Which of the following about Constantine the Great and
Christianity is correct?
A. Constantine the Great commissioned the construction of
several grand cathedrals.
B. Constantine the Great drafted and issued the Edict of
Milan alone.
C. Constantine the Great was baptized shortly after the
Battle of the Milvian Bridge.
D. Constantine made Christianity the sole religion of the
Roman Empire.
2. Which of the following events took place last?
A. Constantine issued the Edict of Milan.
B. Constantine the Great joined his father on a military
campaign in Britain.
C. Constantine the Great crushed all opponents and became
the sole ruler of the Western Roman Empire.
D. Constantine the Great organized the Council of Nicaea.
3. What was the Edict of Milan about?
A. To tolerate all religions
B. To name Christianity the sole religion of the Roman
Empire
C. To pick a day for celebrating Easter
D. To determine whether Jesus was a divine or a created
being
4. For how many years did Constantine the Great rule the united
Roman Empire?
A. 49 years
B. 13 years
C. 31 years
D. 63 years
5. When Constantine the Great died, where was his capital?
A. Nicaea
B. Eboracum
C. Constantinople
D. Milan
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6. What symbol did the soldiers of Constantine the Great carry?
A. Alpha and Omega
B. Rose
C. Labarum
D. Trefoil
7. Which two Greek letters did Constantine the Great order to be
painted on all the shields of his soldiers?
A. Chi (X) and Rho (P)
B. Tau (T) and Beta (B)
C. Alpha (A) and Rho (P)
D. Zeta (Z) and Chi (X)
8. With whom and in what year did Constantine the Great issue
the Edict of Milan?
A. Constantius, 293 A.D.
B. Licinius, 313 A.D.
C. Crispus, 326 A.D.
D. Galerius, 306 A.D.
Suppose Constantine the Great never had the vision the night before
the Battle of the Milvian Bridge. What would history be like? Use
your imagination and write a story about it.
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Suppose you were Helena. Write about what your pilgrimage was
like.