...LIBERTY UNIVERSITY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY The Impact the Alleged Conversion of Constantine the Great had on Christianity Submitted to Dr. Gregory Tomlin, in partial fulfillment of the degree requirements for the completion of the course CHHI 520-D02 History of Christianity I By Jerome O. Holmes May 4, 2014 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 1 CONSTANTINE BACKGROUND 2 CONSTANTINE’S CONVERSION 3 THE AUTHENTICITY OF CONSTANTINE’S CONVERSION 4 CONSTANTINE CONVERSION AND ITS IMPACT ON CHRISTIANITY 6 CONCLUSION 12 BIBLIOGRAPHY 13 INTRODUCTION In an effort to create a, “new Rome,” out of the declining Roman Empire, Constantine the Great implemented many changes that included, but not limited to, openly embracing and supporting the Christians who had been persecuted under Roman emperors for three centuries. Edward A. Johnson, in his article, Constantine the Great: Imperial Benefactor of the Early Church stated that Constantine was an important figure in Roman history because, “…he ended the imperial persecution of the Church and unified the declining Roman Empire. Not much is known about Constantine personally. Much of what has been written regarding the emperor was writing by the historian Eusebius of Caesaria; and he presented Constantine in the best possible light. Constantine, as stated, is best known for his support of Christianity by the decisions he made and the edicts he passed. However, many scholars...
Words: 3931 - Pages: 16
...Everything has a beginning whether by accident or design. This is true for inventions, ideas, plans and also religious conversions. Just as the great apostle Paul was on the road to Damascus to persecute more Christians he was met with his 'beginning'. On this road God intervened in Paul's life and with a bright light, being knocked off his horse and blind for three days. This is Paul's testimony of his conversion to trusting in Jesus Christ. Every believer has one even the great Emperor of Rome Constantine. Constantine's conversion is an interesting one and it came about in an unexpected circumstance. Constantine, also known as "Constantine the Great", was born after February 27, 280 and died May 22, 337. His father was an army officer...
Words: 634 - Pages: 3
...History of Christianity Constantine: A Rulers effect on Christianity 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. That was until Constantine took control of Rome introducing tolerance throughout the empire. Throughout this paper the research will show how Constantine’s conversion to Christianity shaped and has continue to shape how Christianity spread throughout the World. Christian Life Before Constantine Before we can dive into how Constantine shaped the Christian world we need to talk about the life of a Christian before Constantine was emperor. A Christian’s life was not fully marked with persecution, as it is commonly believed. While Diocletian was sole emperor Christians lived in relative peace with the Roman government. Eusebius who described the time with extraordinary terms “the glory and the liberty with which the doctrine of piety was honoured” documented this fact. It was not until Diocletian shared the throne with Galerius that the empire began persecuting Christians again. The two of them convened in Nicmedia in...
Words: 3426 - Pages: 14
...structures where religion plays heavy influence, in differing time periods are the Arch of Constantine in Rome, Italy, and the Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral in Paris, France. The two exhibit the different views of Christianity in their respective time periods. While, the Arch of Constantine was constructed during the rise of Christianity and the Notre Dame de Paris was originally constructed during a time when the norm was to build extravagant pieces as a tribute to God. The political, cultural, religious and economic climates all had a hand in creating the similarities and differences between the two structures. This analysis will show that regardless of temporal period religion plays a significant role in architecture during the Renaissance and the Enlightenment. The construction of churches and religious-themed buildings was common in the newly emerging city-states and the already well-established areas. The arch was commissioned by the Roman Senate in the fourth century A.D., in the Italian city of Rome situated between the Coliseum and the Palatine Hill. The beginnings of Christianity, or the Flowering of Christianity as Sayre describes it, saw the construction of the Arch of Constantine in Rome. The triple arch is dedicated to the Roman Emperor Constantine, who is notable for being the first Roman Emperor to convert to Christianity (Sayre, 255). Though the triple arch is dedicated to Constantine, many aspects of the triple arch are pieces taken from Roman sculpture work and pieces...
Words: 1635 - Pages: 7
...Emperor Constantine Who was Emperor Constantine and why was he important in the fourth century? Emperor Constantine (280AD – 337 AD) was a monotheist, who initially was a Sun worshipper. Even before the Roman Empire converted to Christianity, he was always very sympathetic and tolerant toward Christians. In 312, Constantine converted to Christianity, after having a vision of a cross superimposed against the sun. With his conversion, a great change in the Roman Empire occurred. Christianity witnessed a great expansion within the Empire, as many citizens followed Constantine’s movement. The Christian population witnessed its biggest growth from about 5 million in the year 300 to about 300 million in 410AD under his influence. Christianity became the religion of the majority. During this time, Constantine had a personal mission to convert the Roman Empire to Christianity. Due to the fact that his religious conversion took place at the same time the he was establishing his control over the western provinces of the Empire, a link was created between the church and the state, placing a lot of power in the hands of Christian religion. Constantine’s first great contribution was in the year 313AD; Constantine, alongside his co-emperor in the East, Licinius, granted universal religious freedom through the Edict of Milan. This gave legal equality to all cults and restored confiscated property to the Christians. With the great acceptance of Christianity...
Words: 374 - Pages: 2
...Question ? Constantine played a large role in the rise of Christianity throughout the western world. How did a persecuted cult spread to form a widespread religion within a few hundred years? Persecution of Christians Emperor Nero was one who persecuted Christians brutally with punishments often resulting in death. Emperor Nero killed many Christians by setting dogs loose on them, burning them alive and other horrible methods. Christians were most likely persecuted because the Roman religion saw that Christians did not sacrifice to the Roman Gods. In the eyes of the Roman religious followers this is seen as an...
Words: 675 - Pages: 3
...Kletter Eusebius : Life of Constantine The Life of Constantine, written by Eusebius of Caesarea (260-339 C.E) is a story written in the memory of Constantine the Great. The tone somewhat seems to be giving high praise to Constantine commenting on the deeds of Constantine. Kevin Reilly states, “The emperor’s historian Eusebius recognized both the importance of the emperor and the role of the empire in the success of Christianity in the winning the Roman Empire”(246). Eusebius who is also called Eusebius of Caesarea and Eusebius Pamphili was a Roman Historian and Christian Polemicist. He later became the Bishop of Caesarea in Palestine. He wrote other things besides the Life of Constantine. He wrote other biographical details including the Life of Constantine, The Library of Nicene and Post Nicene, Father of Church History, Oration and Phase of Constantine. The view point is of the Author, Eusebius who is a Christian and a Bishop. The events in the Life of Constantine seems to have taken place in the Roman Empire. Reilly says, “Part of the answer lies in the location of these Christians. They were more concentrated in urban than rural areas and managed to gain significant advocates among the powerful elite” (246). The purpose of this is educate us about Constantine the Great from the point of view of the author Eusebius. The audience that Eusebius is targeting are Christians, Roman, Non-Christians, students and pagans. The introduction of Life of Constantine speaks about if Christians...
Words: 1000 - Pages: 4
...Dries Ghielens EBM | The fall of the Roman Empire | How Christianity played a part in the decline of an Empire | | | | 8/1/2014 | Paper outline 1. Introduction 2. Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire 3. How Christianity played a part in the decline of the Roman Empire 4. The situation after the fall of the Roman Empire 5. The situation in the dark ages 6. Conclusion 7. Bibliography “Why did Rome fall?” still remains one the greatest questions of Western history. Many books have been written about this topic and many theories have been advanced about the reason of the decline and fall of the Roman Empire. Several reasons are issued for the fall. These reasons are issued to be sequacious and interwoven. For example, one of the most influential modern historians, Edward Gibbon wrote “The Decline and fall of the Roman Empire” in 1776, where he stated that the initiation of Christianity was one of the reasons for the decline. The transition of religions in the Roman Empire, from a polytheistic religion to a monotheistic religion, leads to instability within the Empire. (Gibbon, 1782) How Christianity was a factor in the decline of the Western Roman Empire will be discussed more extensively in this paper. In the beginning, Christianity was not more than an insignificant...
Words: 1235 - Pages: 5
...outwardly oppressed community of believers; this was heralded the age of the Emperor Constantine the Great, (312 to 337 A.D), who was both the inward life and outward strength of the Church. The Roman Catholics present him as laying the foundation for the Papacy, Protestants see him as the one responsible for leading the early Church away from the simplicity of the pure gospel and turning it into an institutional Church. Thus this short paper seeks to explore the life of Constantine and his contribution to the Christian church. Family and Birth of Constantine: Flavius Valerius Constantinus, known as Constantine the Great, was born on February 27, c. 280, in Naissus, in the province of Moesia Superior (Serbia). Constantine's mother was named Helena, described as a barmaid, and his father was a military officer named Constantius. Constantius would become the Emperor Constantius I (Constantius Chlorus) and Constantine's mother would become famous as the canonized St. Helena. Helena is thought to have found a portion of the cross of Jesus.Constantine had for siblings, three half-sister and three half-brothers, the products of his father's marriage to a second woman of less shady background than Helena's. On October 28, 312, Emperor Constantine met Emperor Maxentius, his major rival to the imperial throne, in battle just outside the city of Rome at the Milvian Bridge. The day before the battle, Constantine appealed to the God of the Christians to give him victory over the pagan Maxentius...
Words: 2196 - Pages: 9
...Constantine’s Importance in the Reign of the Church Emperor Constantine was the ruler of the Roman Emperor from 306 to 337. The reign of Constantine left a lasting impact on Christianity. Constantine began the process of making Christianity the religious foundation of Europe. (James Carroll, 2001, pg. 58-67), also known as Constantine the Great, was credited with converting the Roman Empire to Christianity. He was also the first Roman Empire to adopt Christianity. During the time of his rule Constantine was able to end the persecution of Christians and eventually converted to Christianity. “Constantine signed the Edict of Milan, which ensured religious tolerance for Christians. This edict returned all confiscated property back to the Christians; it also gave them the right to create dedicated churches.” (Herbermann) Another perk of The Edict of Milan was that it granted the freedom for all to worship whichever deity they pleased, as well as ending the Age of the Martyrs, which was when Christians were subject to empire-wide persecution. Constantine saw it as his duty to ensure that God was properly worshipped during his empire. After he brought a stop to the persecution of Christians in the empire, he was instrumental in their integration into both Roman society and government (Freeman, 2002, pg. 152). The Edict of Milan was not solely a victory for the Christians, but for Constantine as well. After Rome was unified Constantine rebuilt his seat of power, and renamed the town Constantinople...
Words: 930 - Pages: 4
...Jeffery Price CHHI301 D14 November 4, 2012 Research 2 When Roman Emperor Constantine converted to the Christian faith many question his sincerity was it real or some type of political stunt. (1) Never or less it proved to be wise move by the Emperor also it marked the end of persecution as they knew it. An expected deliverance from an expected source for deliverance rarely comes the way you expected. The “Edict of Milan” (3)which was a direct order from the emperor in 313 stating that Christianity and other religion will be tolerate also that Sunday would be treated like other pagan feast and those who were martyrs would be honor.(2) The fall of the Western Empire on the Church was highly published and it sent ripples though out the world it shifted the world into the Dark Age politically, economically, and socially.(5) Even though it was predicted and the hand writing was on the wall many were dishearten by it. Before we go further with the impact of the fall we must explore some of the causes the first being the decline of the family area like divorce of marriage as well the divorce of family value and the failure to see the enemy lurking in the shadows. The sexual perversion which is in our nation politics the effect or the impact that the fall had on the Church the Roman culture continue until 1453 and was finally taken over by the Turks and the Mohammed religion. (3) “The bishop of Rome became a primmest person” giving the know church more political muscle. This left...
Words: 610 - Pages: 3
...strong during Rome's golden years of peace. -Imperial favor toward the Church: From the conversion of Constantine in the early fourth century on, the Empoerors gave lots of support to the Church. Churches were built at state expense, church councils had legal sway, priests and bishops were allowed to use the state infrastructure for their own purposes, ect. At a time when money was desperately needed to pay soldiers, money was spent on some of the most extravagant churches ever built. It had also been argued by the likes of Edward Gibbon (though I don't agree that this had much of an impact) that many people who would have served Rome better as soldiers or rulers instead became priests or monks, thus spreading Christianity at the expense of the Empire. -The loss of Imperial control in the West: After the death of Justinian, control over the West, especially the recently reconquered Italian peninsula, sharply declined. But the Goths, who had been organized rulers of the region, had been wiped out by Justinian's armies. The result was a power vacuum in the West. This led to a sharp decline in the Empire, but it also allowed the Catholic Church to step in to exert control in this vacuum. The Church was the only force of centralized power, and took control of governing much of the West, achieving, slowly but surely, the level of influence it would have during the Middle Ages. Emperor Constantine saw the Church as a potential unifying force in the Empire, but knew that the Church could...
Words: 570 - Pages: 3
...The Rise of the Papacy The rise to power of the Papacy in the Roman Empire during the 6-9th centuries is crucial to the history of the church. There were many theories as to why the Papacy earned such central power. Included in these were the rise of the early church, and also the negative and positive effects of individuals related tot he government of the Roman Empire. Altogether it took many steps in a long process for the Papacy to gain such control. What is clear though is that the Papacy held firm control until the reformation. This paper will expand on the reasons for the rise of the Papacy in power, what allowed for it to thrive, and also negative and positive impacts on the empire and even the world. Fall of the Roman Empire There were many factors, and theories that are included when one is speaking of the fall of the Roman Empire. One of the first theories centers around disease and plagues. Some historians maintain that the Empire was crippled, as many diseases and plagues circled the Empire. They crippled families, workers and even members who were involved with the government. Another small factor may have been the decay of the army. The army say an increase in more German peoples, which may have altered the morale of the army, and even the size of the army itself. One large theory also centers around the government of the Empire. Many historians also believe that the Roman Empire set itself up for failure.(1) In the way that the...
Words: 1783 - Pages: 8
...Christians were growing and becoming more plentiful soon after Jesus’s death. Jesus lived in Jerusalem and was just a normal Jewish boy until he became an adult. When he reached the age of thirty he became baptized and began to preach and gain followers. As Jesus became more and more popular, many religious leaders wanted him to be punished for the claims he made about God. He was then arrested by the Romans and executed by Pontius Pilate. The Romans thought this would stop Jesus and his teaching but it only made him more popular. Christianity was quickly spreading throughout Rome. Nero was the first roman emperor to persecute and kill Christians. The reason for Nero’s persecution of Christians was because he blamed them for starting a fire...
Words: 683 - Pages: 3
...suspicion among the upper classes and leaders of the Jewish religion. Roman governors were persuaded that Jesus was a dangerous activist and as a result, Jesus was put to death. On the third day of Jesus’ death, his followers believed that resurrected which led them to further believe he was the Son of God. With the resurrection of Jesus, the religion was spreading amongst Jewish communities within the Roman Empire and further beyond. Paul, whose real name Saul, converted into a Christian in A.D 35. It was through Paul that Christian missionaries began to migrate from the strict Jewish law. He proposed that the new standards of faith be universal and open to all members who wished to practice whether or not they were Jewish. Paul’s conversion to Christianity was vital for the development of the religion. Born a Greek, he was Jewish and had the knowledge of Greco-Roman culture. Paul taught the basic beliefs of Christianity in such a way that other supporters would be able to understand. Paul took it upon himself to preach in Italy and Greece and...
Words: 2386 - Pages: 10
