Christianity was not a popular religion than it is today. In fact, historians and theology scholars debate regarding the true nature of the Christian religion. Originally, they concluded it as a sect of Judaism1 since Jesus Christ was born a Jew. As a religious leader, He was charismatic, performed many miracles, and defended the poor as well as the oppressed. Through cultural diffusion2, the new religion gained a small but loyal group of followers such as the twelve apostles who would eventually travel the Roman Empire to preach His teachings and spread the awareness of the public to the Christian religion. History proves that this new emerging religion was not accepted by many people including the Romans. To them, they thought that this new religion preached by a homeless and poor man was nothing but a taboo and a complete defiance to their authority because Christ’s preaching was against the Roman attitude. By the 3rd century AD, the Romans persecuted as much Christians3 to display their power against the heretics. This act was made to scare off the believers to abandon this new religion and to revert back to the old pagan religion worshipping Roman gods. Throughout the years, Christian believers lived under shadows and organized catacomb meetings to do their worship so that they will be hidden from the eyes of the Romans. However, Constantine’s conversion to this new religion made Christianity a religious superpower rather than a sect of Judaism and this can be seen on the structures he built throughout the different parts of the Roman empire. This essay will tackle first the incidents leading to Constantine’s conversion to Christianity citing some sources based from his biography made by Eusebius of Caesarea (339 A.D.).4 Second, the essay will answer whether Constantine’s conversion to Christianity was based from the heart and not from the political desires. Third, the paper will also discuss the aftermath of Constantine’s conversion based on the events that happened in the Roman Empire.
-Eusebius Caesarea to Constantine the Great, Chapter V, Vita Constantini5
Historians have long disputed the date of birth of Constantine the Great however, in some accounts it was said that he was born on February 27.6 According to the scholar Michael Grant, his year of birth was probably 273-280 A.D.7 Jack David, a scholar from Austin Graduate School of Theology argued in his paper that the Great Constantine descended from a noble blood line since he was the son of Constantius Chlorus with a barmaid named Helena.8 Although he had a commoner blood in his veins, Constantine remained as one of the rightful and perhaps the suitable candidate to the throne. David also suggested that it was unclear to discern whether Constantine’s parents were married; however, some historians concluded that the two were not married for he favored securing an alliance in 293 AD with a woman of a noble birth and she became known in history books as Flavia Maximiana Theodora.9
The Roman Empire consists of vast territories stretching miles from the British Isles, Northern Africa, Italy, and Asia Minor. To protect these territories against foreign invaders, Diocletian (245-316 AD) considered tetrarchy wherein each territory was governed by a co-emperor.10 Diocletian ruled the east whilst Constantius and the others ruled over the western part of the empire.11 This was a pretty subtle move by Diocletian because aside from keeping the empire organized; he also kept Constantine as an official in Galerius’s court, and almost a “hostage”12 because the emperor severed his communication to his family. Diocletian was a totalitarian ruler and any uprising against his government is equal to death. Therefore, keeping Constantius’s son in his court meant that Constantine, whether he liked the rule of Diocletian or not, cannot incite any rebellion to oust him from the throne. As a soldier, many noticed Constantine’s military prowess, including Diocletian. However, Diocletian’s attempt to keep Constantine away from his father failed due to health problems.13 Some sources stated that in 305 AD14, Constantine escaped the Diocletian court to help his father to battle against the barbarians who invaded the British territory. In York, Constantius died in 306 AD; Constantine was hailed an emperor after his father’s death.15
“And God Himself, whom Constantine worshipped, has confirmed this truth by the clearest manifestations of His will, being present to aid him [Constantine] at the commencement, during the course, and at the end of his reign, and holding him up to the human race as the exemplary pattern of godliness.”16
The succession of power from Constantius to Constantine went on smoothly. This was unlike the usual incident that happens when someone from higher position dies. There was no bloodshed in acquiring the throne. The people proclaimed him as their leader because Constantine as they have known was an able general; a soldier, who served under Diocletian. There was nothing to more to prove his success. Threatening the Rome was the son of another co-emperor Maxentius. According to the popular Christian story, this was the time when Constantine’s army was highly outnumbered by Maxentius’s army. In turn, Constantine asked for some sort of ‘divine protection’ for his army. Based from historical accounts, he saw a symbol which Eusebius claimed as a “cross-shaped trophy” along with the Greek, ‘τoύτωι νίκα’ which meant “by this, conquer.”17 On the other hand, Lactantius contradicted Eusebius’s version and reiterated that Constantine’s vision included the “words of light” wherein the words, “Hoc signo victor eris” which roughly translates into “by this sign you shall triumph!” and these were seen by the emperor himself on the sky.18
Desperate enough to have a divine protection, Constantine decided to use the sign he saw from the sky and told his soldiers to put the symbol on their shields.19 This act differentiated Constantine from his predecessors. He tolerated the Christian religion if it meant victory in battle. He was indeed an ambitious man; Constantine resorted to worship a foreign god in order to ensure a military victory. This story was known by the Christians at heart for they began to interpret this as a vision showing that God is always guiding His people. The result of his vision, along with the newly gained freedom of faith allowed Constantine’s army to defeat Maxentius in the Battle of Milvian Bridge which happened in 28th of October, year 312.20 After the battle, Maxentius was defeated and he tried to escape but failed; he died after drowning in the river. Moving forward, the Battle of Milvian Bridge ensured Constantine’s belief to the Christianity. In return, he proclaimed the Edict of Milan in 313 AD along with his co-ruler Emperor Licenius. The edict contains the message of the emperor granting the Roman citizens the restoration of their property as well as their freedom of worship without fearing for their lives.21 Although Constantine’s action proved to be joyful news for the Christians, scholars of the Roman antiquities doubt the sincerity of the emperor towards his new religion. Constantine made Christianity as a religious superpower because it has over a million of worshippers across the globe. Believers shared their faith with other people they meet at the streets; Constantine himself erected churches such as the prominent St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome to accommodate worshippers to express their faith along with the emperor. Through the lens of Christianity, Constantine was dubbed as the ‘new Moses;’ however, the scholar and professor of Judaic Studies Shaye Cohen argues that Constantine did not officially convert himself as a Christian; rather he became a patron who tolerated the religious activity and shared their worship so that he too may receive the divine blessings.22
Despite his tolerance, Constantine lived pretty much of his old life. He was baptized in his later years rather than his younger years. Even though he saw the vision that made him defeat Maxentius, Constantine remained as a pagan. Christianity was a successful religion because after its proclamation, it began attracting many followers and according to Classics professor Michael White from University of Texas, Constantine made the ‘humble Jesus’ into an ‘imperial Jesus.’ Evidence of this is found on the apse of the Roman church of Santa Podenziana. The mosaic shows Jesus as a man clad in a beaming golden robe sitting in His mighty throne full of jewels. The apostles on His side looked very similar to the attires of Constantine’s senators. Two women were also depicted on his side as well who looked neither poor but descended from a noble lineage. In their background was no other simple city but the city of the New Jerusalem which Constantine built.23 Jesus’s icons from the early Roman catacombs were nothing compared to this bombastic depiction Constantine as a version of his Christ. The reason for the changes must be based from rank. During the persecutions, only few wealthy people and many poor people worshipped Christianity as their religion. As soon as Constantine noticed that Christianity was way more powerful than the Roman gods, he depicted them in a lavish way fit for a king of heaven. There were no evidence that Constantine knew what the images in the catacombs looked like. Hence, he probably based his image of Christ in his own thinking; since he [Constantine] was wearing nice robes because he is an emperor; Jesus Christ also wears the same elaborate attire because he was a god. Professor White explained that:
“Constantine's imperial patronage of the church is reflected in a variety of ways in the rebuilding of Jerusalem, in the establishment of Christian monument, in the place of Christianity in Rome, and one more way: in the presentation of Jesus in his disciples. Now they look like the Roman aristocracy; they are a part of the mainstream of Roman society. This is an imperial Jesus.”24
Constantine praised and continued to support Christianity and made the once hated religion as a ‘protected religion of his empire.’ During his reign he built more churches to encourage people to continue their Christian worship. Despite being a pagan, Constantine was hailed as a rightful king by the Romans. His reign was considered to be the least bloody because he despised Christian persecutions. Nevertheless, he remained a pagan and continued to worship the pagan gods of Rome. As explained previously, Constantine’s goal was only to secure his empire stability and military victories. Unlike his predecessors who relied on pagan oracles and tortured their people to give up their religion, Constantine encouraged them and consulted the other gods for their guidance. This makes him a ruler with a broad mind; a ruler who will do anything in exchange for the success of his kingdom. Before his death, Constantine continued to build churches on a grander scale to probably to atone for his sin for killing his own son, Crispus in 326 AD. Constantine died in May 22, 337 AD in Ancyrona (in Nicomedia).25
As a conclusion, Constantine used Christianity to attain his own political goals. The Battle of Milvian Bridge proved that aside from rescuing the Romans from Maxentius’s tyranny; he also took the opportunity to advance his troops to gain control of the whole Rome. Hence the saying, “to control Rome, is to control the world.” He removed other Roman leaders such as Licenius and declared himself as the emperor of the whole Roman Empire; thereby unifying the whole lands under the sole control of one man and one religion. Constantine did not convert as a Christian, but rather he only tolerated it because he felt that he can gain more victory by forming an alliance with a powerful deity. Next, Constantine’s better treatment of his people as stated by Eusebius concluded that he was a “good emperor and a generous one.”26 The better treatment of his people ensured his victory because they finally found a leader worth fighting for; Constantine’s deeds to the majority were seen as saintly rather than politically. In addition, since the Christian theology elevated the poor, Christianity became even more popular with the worshippers and to have the emperor worship Jesus Christ meant that the emperor also cared for the safety of his people. Christianity became a religious superpower because today it has over a million followers all over the world and a popular religion. Perhaps, the early Romans were attracted to the notion that there is ‘a good life after death for those who are oppressed’ because compared to the Roman religion, the Roman deities did not promised an afterlife nor they did not praised the poor. Constantine the Great made Christianity the religion as it is today; his belief created the beautiful churches, traditions, and his influence towards other people increased the Christian followers during his time.
Endnotes
___________________________________________
1. John Macionis, Juanne Nancarrow-Clarke, and Linda Gerber, Sociology Canadian Edition, (Ontario: Prentice Hall Canada Inc, 1994), 472
2. Ibid., 470
3. Shaye Cohen, “Legitimazation under Constantine: The Path to Victory,” PBS Frontline: From Jesus to Christ, accessed July 12 2015, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/why/legitimization.html
4. Eusebius, Life of Constantine, trans. Averil Cameron and Stuart Hall, (Oxford: Clarendon Press, n.d.), 1, accessed July 12, 2015, http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic1025401.files/2.08.Eusebius.Life%20of%20Constantine.pdf
5. Eusebius Pamphilus, The Life of the Blessed Emperor Constantine (Vita Constantini) Book I, Chapter V, p. 931 PDF File, accessed July 12, 2015, http://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu/03d/0265-0339,_Eusebius_Caesariensis,_Vita_Constantini_[Schaff],_EN.pdf
6. Michael Grant, Constantine the Great: The Man and His Times, (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1993), 15, quoted in Jack David, “Constantine: The Man and the Myth,” Thesis, Austin Graduate School of Theology, 2004, p. 1, http://jackhdavid.thehouseofdavid.com/papers/Constantine_ppr.pdf
7. Michael Grant, Constantine the Great: The Man and His Times, Quoted in Jack David, “Constantine: The Man and the Myth,” Thesis, p. 1
8. A. H. M. Jones, The Decline of the Ancient World, (London: Longmans, Green and Co. Ltd., 1966), 39, quoted in Jack David, “Constantine: The Man and the Myth,” Thesis, p. 1
9. Michael Grant, Constantine the Great: The Man and His Times, 16-17, quoted in Jack David, “Constantine: The Man and the Myth,” Thesis, p. 1
10. Lesley Adkins and Roy Adkins, Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome, 1994, Reprinted Edition, (New York: Facts on File, 2004), 31, Google Book, https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=zGY1Sqjwf8kC&pg=PA31&dq=diocletian+tetrarchy&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CDcQ6AEwBmoVChMI09LOlbTVxgIVkymICh1qtANK#v=onepage&q=diocletian%20tetrarchy&f=false
11. John Foxe, Foxes Book of Martyrs, Ed. Harold Chadwick, (Florida: Bridge-Logos, 2001), 3, Google Book, https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=IUtGVgOEsPkC&pg=PT14&dq=why+diocletian+kept+constantine+at+his+court&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CCcQ6AEwAmoVChMIvoSs_7LVxgIVRSmICh27kgJr#v=onepage&q=why%20diocletian%20kept%20constantine%20at%20his%20court&f=false
12. Ibid., 3.
13. Lesley Adkins and Roy Adkins, Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome, 31.
14. John Foxe, Foxes Book of Martyrs, Ed. Harold Chadwick, 3.
15. Lesley Adkins and Roy Adkins, Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome, 33.
16. Eusebius Pamphilus, The Life of the Blessed Emperor Constantine (Vita Constantini) Book I, Chapter IV, p. 930, PDF File, accessed July 12, 2015, http://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu/03d/0265-0339,_Eusebius_Caesariensis,_Vita_Constantini_[Schaff],_EN.pdf
17. Eusebius. Life of Constantine. Introduction, translation and commentary by Averil Cameron and Stuart G. Hall. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999), pp. 79-80, quoted in Jack David, “Constantine: The Man and the Myth,” Thesis, p. 6-7
18. Andrew Alföldi. The Conversion of Constantine and Pagan Rome, Translated by Harold Mattingly, (London: Oxford University Press, 1969), p. 18, quoted in Jack David, “Constantine: The Man and the Myth,” Thesis, p. 7
19. A. H. M. Jones, The Decline of the Ancient World, p. 49, quoted in Jack David, “Constantine: The Man and the Myth,” Thesis, p. 7
20. Eusebius, Life of Constantine, trans. Averil Cameron and Stuart Hall, (Oxford: Clarendon Press, n.d.), 204. , accessed July 12, 2015, http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic1025401.files/2.08.Eusebius.Life%20of%20Constantine.pdf
21. Roger Rees, Diocletian and Tetrarchy, (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2004), pp. 69-70, Google Book, https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=8EgCRHxfouQC&pg=PA69&dq=edict+of+milan&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CCcQ6AEwAjgKahUKEwjp5JzI0NXGAhXBKYgKHcIHAuE#v=onepage&q=edict%20of%20milan&f=false
22. Shaye Cohen, “Legitimazation under Constantine: The Path to Victory,” PBS Frontline: From Jesus to Christ, accessed July 12 2015, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/why/legitimization.html
23. L. Michael White, “An Imperial Jesus,” PBS Frontline: From Jesus to Christ, accessed July 12 2015, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/why/legitimization.html
24. Ibid.
25. Lesley Adkins and Roy Adkins, Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome, 33.
26. Eusebius, Life of Constantine, trans. Averil Cameron and Stuart Hall, p. 86.
Bibliography
Adkins, Lesley and Roy Adkins. Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome. 1994. Reprinted Edition. New York: Facts on File, 2004. Google Book. https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=zGY1Sqjwf8kC&pg=PA31&dq=diocletian+tetrarchy&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CDcQ6AEwBmoVChMI09LOlbTVxgIVkymICh1qtANK#v=onepage&q=diocletian%20tetrarchy&f=false
Alföldi, Andrew. The Conversion of Constantine and Pagan Rome. Translated by Harold Mattingly. London: Oxford University Press, 1969.
Cohen, Shaye. “Legitimazation under Constantine: The Path to Victory.” PBS Frontline: From Jesus to Christ. Accessed July 12 2015. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/why/legitimization.html.
David, Jack. “Constantine: The Man and the Myth.” Thesis. Austin Graduate School of Theology, 2004. PDF File. http://jackhdavid.thehouseofdavid.com/papers/Constantine_ppr.pdf
Eusebius, Life of Constantine. Trans. Averil Cameron and Stuart Hall. Oxford: Clarendon Press, n.d. Accessed July 12, 2015. http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic1025401.files/2.08.Eusebius.Life%20of%20Constantine.pdf
Eusebius. Life of Constantine. Introduction, translation and commentary by Averil Cameron and Stuart G. Hall. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999.
Foxe, John. Foxes Book of Martyrs. Ed. Harold Chadwick. Florida: Bridge-Logos, 2001. Google Book. https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=IUtGVgOEsPkC&pg=PT14&dq=why+diocletian+kept+constantine+at+his+court&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CCcQ6AEwAmoVChMIvoSs_7LVxgIVRSmICh27kgJr#v=onepage&q=why%20diocletian%20kept%20constantine%20at%20his%20court&f=false
Grant, Michael. Constantine the Great: The Man and His Times. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1993
Jones, A.H.M. The Decline of the Ancient World. London: Longmans, Green and Co. Ltd., 1966.
Macionis, John, Juanne Nancarrow-Clarke, and Linda Gerber. Sociology Canadian Edition. Ontario: Prentice Hall Canada Inc, 1994.
Pamphilus, Eusebius. The Life of the Blessed Emperor Constantine (Vita Constantini). PDF File. Accessed July 12, 2015. http://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu/03d/0265-0339,_Eusebius_Caesariensis,_Vita_Constantini_[Schaff],_EN.pdf
Rees, Roger. Diocletian and Tetrarchy. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2004. Google Book. https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=8EgCRHxfouQC&pg=PA69&dq=edict+of+milan&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CCcQ6AEwAjgKahUKEwjp5JzI0NXGAhXBKYgKHcIHAuE#v=onepage&q=edict%20of%20milan&f=false
White, L. Michael. “An Imperial Jesus.” PBS Frontline: From Jesus to Christ. Accessed July 12 2015. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/why/legitimization.html.
