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Constantine and the Roman Empire
Constantine and the Roman Empire
Effects of Christianity on the rule of Constantine
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Constantine the Christian
Constantine, throughout his rise to power and rule in the early 300s, completely transformed the Roman Empire. The emperor accomplished this change primarily by means of bringing the Christian faith to the citizens of the empire. Constantine gave off the impression of having accepted the Christian faith, but it has often been debated whether or not he only used the religion to gain power. However, with a close analysis of his life, one can determine that while Constantine did certainly convert to Christianity, he also undeniably used the religion for political gain.
The conversion of Constantine to Christianity occurred at the Battle of Milvian Bridge in 312. On October 27th, Constantine and his troops arrived in Rome to combat Maxentius, who was in possession of Rome (Gregory 52). Maxentius controlled much stronger forces than those of Constantine, and there
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appeared to be little chance for Constantine’s troops to emerge victorious. Constantine and his men begin to question whether they should continue in their battle or retreat. However, Constantine’s mindset is altered when, as revealed by Lactantius and Eusebius, he is sent a message through either a vision or a dream. As told by Eusebius, “the emperor witnessed a cross of light in the sky with the words ‘victory through this’ written underneath” (Gregory 52). Constantine, along with his troops, continues on to defeat Maxentius, driving him “headlong into the Tiber” (“On the Manner..”). These stories are either an exaggeration or a complete fabrication on the part of Constantine. According to Eusebius, 90,000 men also saw the cross in the sky, however his is the only existing retelling of the story (Proctor). While it is possible that all of the thousands of men kept quiet about the miraculous event, it is quite unlikely. The fact that there are only two retellings, which both tell a different version of events, evidences that Constantine could very easily have fabricated the incident. He would have known, coming into Milvian Bridge, that if he defeated Maxentius, his first concern would need to be uniting the Roman Empire. It has often been speculated that Constantine’s mother was a Christian, and at the age of 24 he meets Eusebius of Caesarea, a bishop who becomes one of his strongest supporters (Proctor). Therefore, it is clear that Constantine had at least a small exposure to Christianity before Milvian Bridge. He most likely saw in the religion a means of uniting the empire, however it would take more than just his faith alone to convert other member of the empire. Therefore, the visions were likely premeditated by Constantine, as a way to attribute the victory to God, and in turn, compel others to accept Christianity. The victory over Maxentius cements Constantine’s faith, meaning that the Battle at Milvian Bridge is the moment in which he truly converts to Christianity. The end of the reign of Licinius reveals both the political and spiritual aspects of Constantine’s belief in Christianity. In 323, Licinius begins to persecute Christians in the Eastern half of the empire, where he held power (Gregory 54). This gives Constantine the rationale to declare war on Licinius (Gregory 54). As Constantine was Christian, his reasoning was valid, but he also used his faith for political gain. He attributed the war to Licinius’ persecution of Christians, which was a factor, but he was also driven by the idea of ruling a unified empire. In 324, Constantine defeated Licinius, who was then killed half a year later (Gregory 54). Constantine’s battle against Licinius is a prominent example of the emperor using Christianity for political gain. This is not to say that he solely used the religion for his profit, only that it was one of his strongest tools. Constantine’s belief in Christianity was most decidedly solid, as he wholeheartedly placed his faith in it time and time again. The city of Constantinople was one of the most apparent displays of Constantine’s faith, while also lavishly displaying his wealth and power. The city is built as a tribute to Constantine’s military triumphs. He chooses the small fishing town of Byzantium as the location for his new city (Gregory 60). According to the legends, Constantine outlined the borders of the city while “guided personally by an angel” (Gregory 60). The city was quite obviously a Christian one, filled with “many and splendid houses of prayer”, as described by the historian Sozomen (“Sozomen”). While the city had no pagan altars, some aspects of the ancient religion still remained. Coins with pagan symbols, known as nomisma, were still widely used and Athena was also named as the goddess of Constantinople (Herrin 7). There are a variety of factors that contributed to these elements remaining in the newly formed city. First off, Constantine needed to create change in the empire gradually. By keeping the coinage unchanged, he prevented more divisions from occurring in the empire. It is also likely that he gave Constantinople a pagan goddess because he had a polytheistic outlook on religion. Christianity in the time of Constantine was drastically different from the religion today. To the citizens of the empire, gods were very real. They were believed to have a considerable amount of control over the daily lives of the people. For Constantine to completely disavow the existence of other gods would have been extremely difficult. It is entirely possible that the emperor viewed the Christian god as just another god, albeit more powerful and important than the others. As evidenced, the city Constantinople revealed the multi-layered aspects of Constantine’s relationship with Christianity. Constantine’s relationship with his mother is crucial to understanding his faith. Many have speculated that his mother, Helena, was a Christian even in Constantine’s youth. This is evidenced by Constantius Chlorus’ mild treatment of Christians, as well as Constantine’s openness and curiosity towards the religion (Proctor). Helena is, without a doubt, a Christian. This is made quite clear through her actions, such as her interactions with the people of the empire, commissioning the buildings of churches and journeying on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem (Sozomen). Helena, as a public face, made Constantine’s rule appear more favorable and acceptable. Therefore, Constantine was able to use his mother’s faith as a means of improving his public appearance, while she also spread Christianity throughout the empire. Helena was able to appease both aspects of Constantine’s relationship with Christianity. Constantine’s baptism and the burial that followed unveil a great deal about his connection to Christianity. The emperor fell gravely in in 337 while on his way to combat the Persians. He is only able to make it as far as the city of Nicomedia, where he calls upon the nearest bishop, Eusebios of Nicomedia, an Arian Christian (Gregory 70). Many have argued that Constantine’s delayed baptism proves that he was not a true Christian. However, this argument is quite flawed. It was not uncommon for people in Constantine’s time to wait until the end of their lives to be baptized. Many hoped to commit all their sins before baptism, as the sacrament was thought to give individuals a clean slate As emperor, Constantine committed numerous sins, such as executing his son and boiling his wife to death in 326 (Herrin 9). He waits to be baptized, as he wants to meet God “cleansed of his earthly sins” (Proctor). Also, if he was to baptized earlier in his life, he would have been faced with decision of choosing either an Arian or a Nicean bishop. Either way, his choice would have caused a conflict in the empire. By waiting until his deathbed, he avoided creating a division among the people. His burial is also representative of his relationship with Christianity. He is laid to rest with 6 sarcophagi on either side of him, representing the twelve apostles, in the Church of the Holy Apostle (Herrin 10). In his death, he represents himself as the thirteenth apostle, a symbol of his power, yet at the same time, a reaffirmation of his belief in Christianity. It is the ultimate and everlasting combination of his faith and authority. The empire was originally to be divided amongst Constantine’s three sons following his death.
However, within 16 years, his son Constantius II had become the ruler of a unified empire (Gregory 73). Constantius II’s rule assisted greatly in solidifying the presence of Christianity in the empire. During the emperor’s reign, the city of Constantinople, which was also the empire’s center of Christianity, was strengthened and developed. Constantius II lifted the Senate of Constantinople to equal standing as the Senate of Rome (Geanakoplos 88). He also commissions the building of the Hagia Sophia church, which in later years, “became almost synonymous with the empire itself” (Gregory 76). In addition, Constantius II created the system that was became standard in the empire, in which the emperor and the bishop of Constantinople held large sums of power (Gregory 76). These actions engrained Christianity into the culture and government, largely strengthening its presence in the empire. Constantius II’s actions led to Christianity’s lasting influence on the members of the Byzantine
Empire. The debate about Constantine’s faith continues on to this day. However, the overwhelming sums of evidence support the belief that Constantine, was in fact, a true follower of Christ. However, his faith was not solely based on his spiritual beliefs, and was often influence by his desire to advance politically. However, it is this combination that allowed for the Roman Empire to unify under Constantine. The emperor’s strong belief in his religion was witnessed by the citizens of the empire, influencing them to consider Christianity. Nevertheless, it was the success that Constantine’s faith brought him, whether in military battles or his prosperous rule, that truly convinced many to convert to Christianity. Therefore, it was Constantine’s mixed motives for trusting in Christianity that truly unified the Byzantine Empire.
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However, this was different compared to Constantine who converted to Christianity and evangelized people to convert to Christianity as well. Constantine ruled as emperor from 306-337 A.D. and was the first Christian emperor of the time and credited
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Eusebius’ account of Constantine’s conversion is comparable to Gregory of Tours’ accounts of Clovis’ and Gundobad’s conversions to Christianity, in the sense that they all initially called upon the “Christ-God” (albeit Gundobad perhaps indirectly) to come to their aid, which he did, during periods of military crisis. The si...
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The Roman Empire is known as one of the most powerful and influential empires the world has ever seen. At it’s height, this Empire had peace, economic prosperity and was expanding. Roman cities contributed to a fair amount of this success because they contributed to many advances during Pax Romana and united the empire. After the fall of the Empire, Christianity survived because although the empire separated into many kingdoms they were still being influenced by the religion.
Constantine converted Constantine’s conversion to Christianity was a result of his victory in battle. Though Constantine encountered Christianity in 303 and some of his family members may have been Christians, it took him around 9 years later to convert. I will believe in thee and be baptized in thy name.” Clovis’ conversion would soon cause many changes to the church, though his commitment would not be as great. In addition to Constantine’s conversion to Christianity in Rome, he also affected the Roman church and state.
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Emperor Constantine was the key to a major religious change in the Roman Empire. Paganism was the religious practice of the early empire, and while paganism was publically expressed those who followed Christianity were persecuted. These Christians had their property and pride ripped away from them if they did not recant their religious views. This was a harsh life for those who followed Christianity until Emperors Constantine and Licinius meeting in Nicomedia to create the Edict of Milan. The edict, created in the year 313, proved to be a major change in the religious culture of the Roman Empire by granting religious freedom to Christians and all other religions practiced in the empire; not only were Christians now able to freely practice their beliefs but all property, land, and belongings that were once stolen from them were to be returned. Given their new freedom Christians began to become more public and had different branches all with separate views on how the religion should be practiced. The Edict of Milan gave rise to the freedom of Christianity, however what was not intended by the edict was that as the popularity and diversity of Christianity rose this gave birth to the beginning of Christian wars; the first war was that of Christians versus the Pagans and the second, more violent was that of the Christians versus each other.
Constantine the Great, first Christian Emperor, originator of Constantinople, creator of the Byzantine Empire, military conqueror, and honored saint, has been labeled by many the most instrumental emperor of the Roman Empire. Constantine played a crucial role in the development of Europe during the Middle Ages, and founded Christianity as the formal religion of the Roman Empire. His dynamic yet effective predominance laid the infrastructure of European development. From his humble beginnings, to his command of the Roman Empire, to his final days, Constantine’s impact on world history and Christianity has left behind an unforgettable legacy. He was described by Eusebius as “such an emperor as all history records not.” Ware compared him to, “a watershed in the history of the Church.” Additionally, Meyendorff states, “No single human being in history has contributed to the conversion of so many to the Christian faith.” Norwich declared that “No ruler in all of history has ever more fully merited his title of ‘the Great’…Constantine has serious claim to be considered the most influential man in all of history.” Some of Constantine’s notable acts in the history of Christianity was his calling of the first Ecumenical Council at Nicaea, his institution of freedom for Christianity with the Edict of Milan, and the relocation of the capital of empire from Rome to Constantinople.
...aith and theology. Christianity was declared the official religion of the state and was used to bind a vastly diverse population together under a common faith. The people lost their say in public matters and their place in society and the justification for it was dictated to them by the unquestionable leaders of the church and the empire.
As the greatest empire in the western world began to crumble one city at a time, the leader of the Roman Empire, Constantine, under pressure from external and internal sources moved the capital of Rome to Constantinople around 330 AD. The movement of the capital was after his conversion to Christianity in 312 AD, a growing religion throughout the empire despite being officially illegal. Constantine was not the devote saint that the church may speak of today, “from 312-320 Constantine was tolerant of paganism, keeping pagan gods on coins and retaining his pagan high priest title "Pontifex Maximus" in order to maintain popularity with his subjects, possibly indicating that he never understood the theology of Christianity” (Ferguson & Grupp, 1998). The first Christian Emperor claimed to have converted after a victorious battle with his brother and there are many that corroborate this story it appears highly suspicious to only promote Christian ideals and worship. Constantine was not even the Emperor that made Christianity the religion of the Roman people, but simply permitted religiou...