Constantine The Great's Influence To Christians In Ancient Rome
Constantine the Great is arguably the most pivotal figure in the history of Christendom. Constantine was the first Roman emperor to publicly state his Christianity, as a result he granted religious freedom to all, he granted bishops a status equal to senators, in effect making them officers of the state. 1 Constantine also financed new copies of the Bible, used Christian symbols on his currency, introduced Christian ideals into the Roman statutes to protect children, slaves, and prisoners; and declared Sunday a day of rest replacing the weekly celebration of the mythological god Mithras 2. However despite public confession of his faith, and the benefits he extended to Christians in ancient Rome, was Constantine actually a Christian, or
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was it a pragmatic move meant to gain Christian support for his new empire. Despite my initial belief that he was a Christian, I intend to prove through the facts presented in this paper that Constantine was not a Christian in the true sense of the word. Constantine was born Flavius Valerius Constantinus on February 27, 288A.D. in Naissus, Moesia (Servia) 3. He was the illegitimate son of Constantius Chlorus, a distinguished Roman military officer who rose through the ranks to the title of Caesar. Constantine’s mother Flavia Helena was an innkeeper. 1. Michael Collins, The Story of Christianity (New York, NY: DK Publishing,
Inc, 1999) 2. Flavius Valerius Constantinus, Constantine the Great, His Life and Letters
(New York, NY: le Clue 22, Amazon Digital Services, 2008) 3.
Ibid.
2 While Constantine was still a young boy, he was assigned to military service in the Eastern court under the tutelage of Diocletian. As Constantine rose in rank, he also served under Galerius in the Persian war(3). In 305, the Emperors Diocletian and Maximinius abdicated, and were succeeded by Constantine’s father, Constantius Chlorus and Galerius. Constantine fled from the command of Galerius evading pursuit by freeing the platoons horses(4). Constantine then traveled across Europe, and reunited with Constantinus crossing over to Britain to repel an invasion of the Scots(5). After gaining the victory in that campaign, Constantinus died on July 25, 306, Constantine fought so valiantly, the Roman army recommended his promotion to the rank of Augustus which meant that Constantine was now in charge of the army(6). Aside from being a shrewd military officer, Constantine was also ambitious; he requested recognition as Caesar, a request that was granted; Constantine even had currency made in his image with the Latin phrase “princeps iuventutis”, the “Prince of Youth”(7). As Caesar, Constantine won victories against the Franks and reorganized the defense of the Rhine by building a bridge at Cologne. However Constantine had opposition on the horizon in Rome, as Maxentius, supported by his father Maximianus led to the defeat and …show more content…
capture of the western Augustus, Severus(8). Maximianus however appeared to be hedging his bets, seeing Constantine’s potential, Maximianus recognized his status as Augustus, The alliance was confirmed by Constantine’s marriage to Maximianus’ daughter Fausta(9). Maximianius’ reign as ruler of the west was about to come to an end as a result of his own deceit. Jealous of Constantine’s popularity with the military and uncertain about his own status, Maximianius asked his daughter Fausta to betray her husband on the promise that he would find . 3
Eventually, Constantine would become the sole ruler of all the western provinces north of the Alps; he ruled from from Trier, which is the oldest city in Germany(9). Eventually, Constantine left Trier and moved his base of operations to Sardica (which is now known as Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria)(10). However Constantine left his young sons Crispus, and ConstantineII, who were both promoted to the rank of Caesar in Trier(11). Constantine moved from Sardica to Gaul, he ruled his western empire from Gaul and Britain; in the east Maxentius ruled from Africa, these two rulers were headed for a major confrontation(12). Even though both Maxentius and Constantine were from humble beginnings, both were offspring of peasant soldiers from Illyricum(13), however they both falsified claims to ancient lineage, thereby pitting two ancient Roman families against each other(14). Constantine became the champion of the gens (a group of families in ancient Rome who shared a name and claimed a common origin)(15) Flavia, the new Flavian dynasty, whose authority was challenged by the fictive scion of the gens Valeriana who was represented by Maxentius(16). 9.Paul Stephenson, Constantine (New York, NY: Peter Mayer Publishers, Inc., 2009) 10.Ibid. Kindle Edition 11.Ibid. 12.Ibid. 13.Ibid. 14.Ibid. 15.New Oxford Dictionary 16.Stephenson, p. 128
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Maxentius claimed the patronage of Mars, father of the founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus, and the avenging god of war(17). Not to be outdone, Constantine trumpeted his privileged relationship with the god Apollo, and circulated a story that he had experienced a divine vision that confirmed his fitness to rule(18). This vision consisted of the god Apollo, who was accompanied by Victoria, the goddess of victory. They came to offer Constantine laurel crowns marked with the numerals XXX, which predicted that he would rule for thirty years(19). Apollo was now Constantine’s patron deity having replaced Hercules who was assigned to him by his father Maximianus(20). If in fact Constantine was a Christian, why would he worship any other god other than JESUS CHRIST?. Constantine, emboldened by his alliance with Apollo, and the promptings of his commanders decided to liberate the city of Rome(21). The taking of Rome would be accomplished in several small victories at Susa, Turin, and Milan(22). Constantine’s troops were heavily outnumbered, so much so that Constantine himself took to the field of battle to fight alongside his troops; although outnumbered, his troops were superior and as a result won the battle and descended upon Rome(23). 17. Ibid., p.4 18. Ibid.., p.5 19. Ibid., p. 6 20. Ibid. 21. Ibid., p. 29 22. Ibid., p. 31 23. Ibid. 5
Constantine arrived in Rome with his forces battle weary and depleted, and expecting a long battle. However, within a few days they fought and won the decisive battle of the Milvian Bridge(24). However on the eve of this battle, an event occurred that Constantine credited for his victory despite his troops being weary and understaffed; and changed the course of the Roman empire and the church(25). Even though Constantine opposed the persecution of Christians, he was still associated with sun-god worship, a pagan cult made popular by the emperor Aurelian(26). On the night before the battle at the Milvian Bridge, Constantine supposedly had a dream in which he saw the initial letters of the name of CHRIST, with the words “By this sign you will conquer”(27). Seeing this as direct inspiration from GOD, Constantine decided to follow the GOD of the Christians and had the Chi-Rho (a monogram of chi(X) and rho(P) as the first two letters of Greek Khristos Christ, used as a Christian symbol)(28) monogram painted on the shields of his soldiers(29). However would the CREATOR of the Universe have issued such a decree to Constantine in a dream or through any other means?. When JESUS was on the earth, his method of conquering was to conquer souls for the Kingdom of GOD. There was never an example in the Bible where JESUS and the disciples forced people into the Kingdom by knifepoint, or confiscated land or money in the name of GOD. 24. Stephenson, p. 25. Williston Walker, A History Of The Christian Church
(New York, NY : Simon & Schuster., 1985) 26. Ibid., p.125 27. Ibid. 28. New Oxford Dictionary 29. Walker., p. 125
6
Constantine was still worshipping the sun-god at this time, he needed a convincing victory in Rome to demonstrate his fitness to rule(30), what better way of assuring himself a victory than to get Roman Christians to fight in his ranks.
Constantine won the battle and control of the West. As he triumphantly entered Rome, it was payoff time for the Christians who helped him secure his victory(31). The customary tributes to the pagan gods of Rome were deleted; the Christian GOD who delivered him in battle was now protector of the Roman empire, and Constantine was now championing the growing but still minority cause of Christianity with his own mission of reform(32). Constantine was extremely cautious in how he presented his new allegiance with Christianity. He accepted the pagan title of Pontifex Maximus, and his currency still showed emblems of the sun-god(33). Now Constantine declared himself a Christian, but his actions contradicted that declaration. If he accepted a pagan title and still displayed the sun-god on his currency, in whom was his faith and loyalty really placed?. In a meeting in Milan in 313(34), it is widely reported that Constantine and Lincinius, the emperor of the East reached an agreement about the treatment of Christians known as the Edict of Milan; this edict granted freedom of worship to all religions, giving Christianity full legal equality with other cults and restored Christian property confiscated during the persecution(35). However this
widely reported account is a fallacy. No edict was issued from Milan or any other city; there was no need for an edict to legalize Christianity, as soon as Constantine was acclaimed Augustus of the West in 306, He 30. Stephenson., p.8 31. Walker., p. 125 32. Ibid. 33. Ibid. 34. Peter J. Leithart, Defending Constantine (Downers Grove, Ill:
InterVarsity Press, 2010.) 35. Ibid., p. 99
7
ended the persecution of Christians(36). Tension grew over the next ten years between Constantine and Lincinius, as Lincinius resumed his persecution of Christians in the East, and imposed severe restrictions on the church. This situation led to war, with Constantine defeating Lincinius in battle at Chryspolis in 324; with this victory Constantine became emperor of both the East and West(37). There was likely very little difference in the mind of Constantine between the monotheistic worship of Christianity and that of the Sun-cult of the emperor Aurelian which he himself was a part of(38). Each proclaimed the supremacy of a single omnipotent deity who ruled the entire planet. This depicted Constantine’s mission, to unify human society and to restore a universal monarchy, his own, but this had nothing to do with CHRIST, whom Constantine was now supposedly serving, this was for his own selfish purposes. However, Constantine maintained that it was the Christian GOD that bought him victory, and it was the Christian Churches whom he relied upon to offer the “summa divintas” (One GOD) worship which could insure the well being of not only the empire but his enterprise as well(39). Constantine exempted the clergy of the Catholic Church from civic responsibilities, so they might devote all their time to the service of GOD and positively influence public affairs(40). Constantine had become committed to assuring the welfare of the churches, so that by their worship, they might assure the good estate of the citizens of the empire(41). 36. Leithart, p. 99 37. Ibid. 38. Ibid 39. Walker., p. 129 40. Ibid. 41. Ibid, 8
Constantine also exempted the clergy from tax burdens(42), he constructed basilicas at his own expense to serve as Christian Churches, and issued a decree that allowed churches to receive legacies, and giving them legal status as corporations(43). He legislated that the Christian “first day” or Day of the Sun should be a weekly holiday from work. This however had nothing to do with honoring CHRIST; Constantine while claiming to be a Christian, never publicly renounced his sun-god worship. His making Sunday a weekly holiday was honoring the sun-god, not JESUS. The Arch of Constantine was dedicated to Constantine in 315AD(44) to commemorate his victory over Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge. However what Constantine does with the arch once it is constructed is most telling in that it gives insight into Constantine’s real motivation. Modeled on the arch were the achievements and victories of Rome’s greatest leaders. Constantine remodeled his face on the face of the previous Caesars thus legitimizing his political power; nowhere on the arch is there any sign of his allegiance to CHRIST(45). Christians were still a minority in the Roman empire, and Constantine’s support of Christianity did not help the Christian Church to a great extent, nor did it stop the growth of paganism(46). Also because of long periods of intense persecution, the church in some locations was seriously divided(47). 42. Leithart, p. 175 43. Walker, p. 130 44. www.RomaViva.com/Arch of Constantine 45. Ibid. 46. Walker, p. 130 47. Ibid.
9
The fact that Constantine had committed himself to the well-being of the church meant that he also had to involve himself in the resolution of their conflicts(48). In Alexandria, Egypt, a Libyan priest, Arius was teaching a new doctrine about what was to be known as the Trinity: the relationship between GOD, JESUS, and the HOLY SPIRIT(49). Arius stated “If the Father begat the Son, then he who was begotten had a beginning in existence, and from this it follows there was a time when the Son was not”(50). Arius was denying the divinity of CHRIST, by saying that JESUS could not possibly be GOD because he was a created being(51). The bishop of Alexandria attempted to silence Arius by forcing him into exile for his subversive teaching(52). Arius’ supporters became fierce opponents, and reports of that period record that physical violence erupted as a result of this division, and Arius was rapidly gaining followers(53). Constantine responded to the Arian crisis by convening the first general council(54). He wrote to 1800 bishops across the Roman empire and ordered them to meet at Nicea (modern day Iznik in Turkey) in 325(55). It is believed that anywhere between 220 and 250 bishops actually attended the council, and the majority of them were from the East, where Arianism was mostly concentrated(56). 48. Walker, p. 130 49. Collins, p. 60 50. Ibid. 51. Ibid. 52. Ibid. 53. Ibid. 54. Ibid. 55. Ibid. 56. Ibid.
10
Arius attended the council, and in the middle of explaining his beliefs, he began a chant of his teachings that was sung by his followers; it included the phrase, “The Son is not equal to the Father”, causing anger among the bishops(57). The bishops condemned Arius and came up with a solution to what they believed was a problem. They formed a statement of belief known as the Creed of Nicea, explaining the relationship between GOD and JESUS, who was “of one substance with the Father”(58). It had always been accepted in the East(Africa) that JESUS was born naturally, however in the West it was taught that JESUS had been conceived by a process called “immaculate conception”. This meant that a young, sexually pure Jewish woman named Mary was impregnated by the HOLY SPIRIT, and this is how JESUS was conceived. The immaculate conception was decreed by Pope Leo X and was accepted as fact throughout the West, and is still believed today. The Arians however did not just quietly disappear, they still oppose the decision of the council; and despite the unsatisfactory ending of this council, Constantine continued to endorse the teachings of Nicea(59). On May 22, 337, Constantine passed away, despite reports of his being baptized on his deathbed, I believe I have proven (or I could say Constantine has proven by his actions) that Constantine was not a Christian. 57. Collins, p. 60 58. Collins, p. 61 59. Ibid.
11
To be fair, aside from JESUS CHRIST and the Apostle Paul, no one has had the lasting impact on the Christian Church that Constantine has. The tax-exempt status that churches still enjoy as this is being written, is a result of Constantine exempting the clergy from the burdens of taxation. Approximately 2500 years after the death of Constantine, we still worship the LORD on Sunday, as he decreed in honor of the Sun-cult started by the emperor Aurelian. Everything Constantine did for the Church, he did for political gain but GOD turned it around and used it to help the Church. Constantine used Christianity as a means to an end, that end being political power. I’ve read many things about Constantine, aside from being a shrewd politician, which he most assuredly was, the other accusations include anti-semite, hypocrite tyrant, and heretic. Maybe when I have time I’ll investigate these accusations; but for now my only concern is, was Constantine a Christian?, based on his life, I conclude he was not.
was it a pragmatic move meant to gain Christian support for his new empire. Despite my initial belief that he was a Christian, I intend to prove through the facts presented in this paper that Constantine was not a Christian in the true sense of the word. Constantine was born Flavius Valerius Constantinus on February 27, 288A.D. in Naissus, Moesia (Servia) 3. He was the illegitimate son of Constantius Chlorus, a distinguished Roman military officer who rose through the ranks to the title of Caesar. Constantine’s mother Flavia Helena was an innkeeper. 1. Michael Collins, The Story of Christianity (New York, NY: DK Publishing,
Inc, 1999) 2. Flavius Valerius Constantinus, Constantine the Great, His Life and Letters
(New York, NY: le Clue 22, Amazon Digital Services, 2008) 3.
Ibid.
2 While Constantine was still a young boy, he was assigned to military service in the Eastern court under the tutelage of Diocletian. As Constantine rose in rank, he also served under Galerius in the Persian war(3). In 305, the Emperors Diocletian and Maximinius abdicated, and were succeeded by Constantine’s father, Constantius Chlorus and Galerius. Constantine fled from the command of Galerius evading pursuit by freeing the platoons horses(4). Constantine then traveled across Europe, and reunited with Constantinus crossing over to Britain to repel an invasion of the Scots(5). After gaining the victory in that campaign, Constantinus died on July 25, 306, Constantine fought so valiantly, the Roman army recommended his promotion to the rank of Augustus which meant that Constantine was now in charge of the army(6). Aside from being a shrewd military officer, Constantine was also ambitious; he requested recognition as Caesar, a request that was granted; Constantine even had currency made in his image with the Latin phrase “princeps iuventutis”, the “Prince of Youth”(7). As Caesar, Constantine won victories against the Franks and reorganized the defense of the Rhine by building a bridge at Cologne. However Constantine had opposition on the horizon in Rome, as Maxentius, supported by his father Maximianus led to the defeat and …show more content…
capture of the western Augustus, Severus(8). Maximianus however appeared to be hedging his bets, seeing Constantine’s potential, Maximianus recognized his status as Augustus, The alliance was confirmed by Constantine’s marriage to Maximianus’ daughter Fausta(9). Maximianius’ reign as ruler of the west was about to come to an end as a result of his own deceit. Jealous of Constantine’s popularity with the military and uncertain about his own status, Maximianius asked his daughter Fausta to betray her husband on the promise that he would find . 3
Eventually, Constantine would become the sole ruler of all the western provinces north of the Alps; he ruled from from Trier, which is the oldest city in Germany(9). Eventually, Constantine left Trier and moved his base of operations to Sardica (which is now known as Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria)(10). However Constantine left his young sons Crispus, and ConstantineII, who were both promoted to the rank of Caesar in Trier(11). Constantine moved from Sardica to Gaul, he ruled his western empire from Gaul and Britain; in the east Maxentius ruled from Africa, these two rulers were headed for a major confrontation(12). Even though both Maxentius and Constantine were from humble beginnings, both were offspring of peasant soldiers from Illyricum(13), however they both falsified claims to ancient lineage, thereby pitting two ancient Roman families against each other(14). Constantine became the champion of the gens (a group of families in ancient Rome who shared a name and claimed a common origin)(15) Flavia, the new Flavian dynasty, whose authority was challenged by the fictive scion of the gens Valeriana who was represented by Maxentius(16). 9.Paul Stephenson, Constantine (New York, NY: Peter Mayer Publishers, Inc., 2009) 10.Ibid. Kindle Edition 11.Ibid. 12.Ibid. 13.Ibid. 14.Ibid. 15.New Oxford Dictionary 16.Stephenson, p. 128
4
Maxentius claimed the patronage of Mars, father of the founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus, and the avenging god of war(17). Not to be outdone, Constantine trumpeted his privileged relationship with the god Apollo, and circulated a story that he had experienced a divine vision that confirmed his fitness to rule(18). This vision consisted of the god Apollo, who was accompanied by Victoria, the goddess of victory. They came to offer Constantine laurel crowns marked with the numerals XXX, which predicted that he would rule for thirty years(19). Apollo was now Constantine’s patron deity having replaced Hercules who was assigned to him by his father Maximianus(20). If in fact Constantine was a Christian, why would he worship any other god other than JESUS CHRIST?. Constantine, emboldened by his alliance with Apollo, and the promptings of his commanders decided to liberate the city of Rome(21). The taking of Rome would be accomplished in several small victories at Susa, Turin, and Milan(22). Constantine’s troops were heavily outnumbered, so much so that Constantine himself took to the field of battle to fight alongside his troops; although outnumbered, his troops were superior and as a result won the battle and descended upon Rome(23). 17. Ibid., p.4 18. Ibid.., p.5 19. Ibid., p. 6 20. Ibid. 21. Ibid., p. 29 22. Ibid., p. 31 23. Ibid. 5
Constantine arrived in Rome with his forces battle weary and depleted, and expecting a long battle. However, within a few days they fought and won the decisive battle of the Milvian Bridge(24). However on the eve of this battle, an event occurred that Constantine credited for his victory despite his troops being weary and understaffed; and changed the course of the Roman empire and the church(25). Even though Constantine opposed the persecution of Christians, he was still associated with sun-god worship, a pagan cult made popular by the emperor Aurelian(26). On the night before the battle at the Milvian Bridge, Constantine supposedly had a dream in which he saw the initial letters of the name of CHRIST, with the words “By this sign you will conquer”(27). Seeing this as direct inspiration from GOD, Constantine decided to follow the GOD of the Christians and had the Chi-Rho (a monogram of chi(X) and rho(P) as the first two letters of Greek Khristos Christ, used as a Christian symbol)(28) monogram painted on the shields of his soldiers(29). However would the CREATOR of the Universe have issued such a decree to Constantine in a dream or through any other means?. When JESUS was on the earth, his method of conquering was to conquer souls for the Kingdom of GOD. There was never an example in the Bible where JESUS and the disciples forced people into the Kingdom by knifepoint, or confiscated land or money in the name of GOD. 24. Stephenson, p. 25. Williston Walker, A History Of The Christian Church
(New York, NY : Simon & Schuster., 1985) 26. Ibid., p.125 27. Ibid. 28. New Oxford Dictionary 29. Walker., p. 125
6
Constantine was still worshipping the sun-god at this time, he needed a convincing victory in Rome to demonstrate his fitness to rule(30), what better way of assuring himself a victory than to get Roman Christians to fight in his ranks.
Constantine won the battle and control of the West. As he triumphantly entered Rome, it was payoff time for the Christians who helped him secure his victory(31). The customary tributes to the pagan gods of Rome were deleted; the Christian GOD who delivered him in battle was now protector of the Roman empire, and Constantine was now championing the growing but still minority cause of Christianity with his own mission of reform(32). Constantine was extremely cautious in how he presented his new allegiance with Christianity. He accepted the pagan title of Pontifex Maximus, and his currency still showed emblems of the sun-god(33). Now Constantine declared himself a Christian, but his actions contradicted that declaration. If he accepted a pagan title and still displayed the sun-god on his currency, in whom was his faith and loyalty really placed?. In a meeting in Milan in 313(34), it is widely reported that Constantine and Lincinius, the emperor of the East reached an agreement about the treatment of Christians known as the Edict of Milan; this edict granted freedom of worship to all religions, giving Christianity full legal equality with other cults and restored Christian property confiscated during the persecution(35). However this
widely reported account is a fallacy. No edict was issued from Milan or any other city; there was no need for an edict to legalize Christianity, as soon as Constantine was acclaimed Augustus of the West in 306, He 30. Stephenson., p.8 31. Walker., p. 125 32. Ibid. 33. Ibid. 34. Peter J. Leithart, Defending Constantine (Downers Grove, Ill:
InterVarsity Press, 2010.) 35. Ibid., p. 99
7
ended the persecution of Christians(36). Tension grew over the next ten years between Constantine and Lincinius, as Lincinius resumed his persecution of Christians in the East, and imposed severe restrictions on the church. This situation led to war, with Constantine defeating Lincinius in battle at Chryspolis in 324; with this victory Constantine became emperor of both the East and West(37). There was likely very little difference in the mind of Constantine between the monotheistic worship of Christianity and that of the Sun-cult of the emperor Aurelian which he himself was a part of(38). Each proclaimed the supremacy of a single omnipotent deity who ruled the entire planet. This depicted Constantine’s mission, to unify human society and to restore a universal monarchy, his own, but this had nothing to do with CHRIST, whom Constantine was now supposedly serving, this was for his own selfish purposes. However, Constantine maintained that it was the Christian GOD that bought him victory, and it was the Christian Churches whom he relied upon to offer the “summa divintas” (One GOD) worship which could insure the well being of not only the empire but his enterprise as well(39). Constantine exempted the clergy of the Catholic Church from civic responsibilities, so they might devote all their time to the service of GOD and positively influence public affairs(40). Constantine had become committed to assuring the welfare of the churches, so that by their worship, they might assure the good estate of the citizens of the empire(41). 36. Leithart, p. 99 37. Ibid. 38. Ibid 39. Walker., p. 129 40. Ibid. 41. Ibid, 8
Constantine also exempted the clergy from tax burdens(42), he constructed basilicas at his own expense to serve as Christian Churches, and issued a decree that allowed churches to receive legacies, and giving them legal status as corporations(43). He legislated that the Christian “first day” or Day of the Sun should be a weekly holiday from work. This however had nothing to do with honoring CHRIST; Constantine while claiming to be a Christian, never publicly renounced his sun-god worship. His making Sunday a weekly holiday was honoring the sun-god, not JESUS. The Arch of Constantine was dedicated to Constantine in 315AD(44) to commemorate his victory over Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge. However what Constantine does with the arch once it is constructed is most telling in that it gives insight into Constantine’s real motivation. Modeled on the arch were the achievements and victories of Rome’s greatest leaders. Constantine remodeled his face on the face of the previous Caesars thus legitimizing his political power; nowhere on the arch is there any sign of his allegiance to CHRIST(45). Christians were still a minority in the Roman empire, and Constantine’s support of Christianity did not help the Christian Church to a great extent, nor did it stop the growth of paganism(46). Also because of long periods of intense persecution, the church in some locations was seriously divided(47). 42. Leithart, p. 175 43. Walker, p. 130 44. www.RomaViva.com/Arch of Constantine 45. Ibid. 46. Walker, p. 130 47. Ibid.
9
The fact that Constantine had committed himself to the well-being of the church meant that he also had to involve himself in the resolution of their conflicts(48). In Alexandria, Egypt, a Libyan priest, Arius was teaching a new doctrine about what was to be known as the Trinity: the relationship between GOD, JESUS, and the HOLY SPIRIT(49). Arius stated “If the Father begat the Son, then he who was begotten had a beginning in existence, and from this it follows there was a time when the Son was not”(50). Arius was denying the divinity of CHRIST, by saying that JESUS could not possibly be GOD because he was a created being(51). The bishop of Alexandria attempted to silence Arius by forcing him into exile for his subversive teaching(52). Arius’ supporters became fierce opponents, and reports of that period record that physical violence erupted as a result of this division, and Arius was rapidly gaining followers(53). Constantine responded to the Arian crisis by convening the first general council(54). He wrote to 1800 bishops across the Roman empire and ordered them to meet at Nicea (modern day Iznik in Turkey) in 325(55). It is believed that anywhere between 220 and 250 bishops actually attended the council, and the majority of them were from the East, where Arianism was mostly concentrated(56). 48. Walker, p. 130 49. Collins, p. 60 50. Ibid. 51. Ibid. 52. Ibid. 53. Ibid. 54. Ibid. 55. Ibid. 56. Ibid.
10
Arius attended the council, and in the middle of explaining his beliefs, he began a chant of his teachings that was sung by his followers; it included the phrase, “The Son is not equal to the Father”, causing anger among the bishops(57). The bishops condemned Arius and came up with a solution to what they believed was a problem. They formed a statement of belief known as the Creed of Nicea, explaining the relationship between GOD and JESUS, who was “of one substance with the Father”(58). It had always been accepted in the East(Africa) that JESUS was born naturally, however in the West it was taught that JESUS had been conceived by a process called “immaculate conception”. This meant that a young, sexually pure Jewish woman named Mary was impregnated by the HOLY SPIRIT, and this is how JESUS was conceived. The immaculate conception was decreed by Pope Leo X and was accepted as fact throughout the West, and is still believed today. The Arians however did not just quietly disappear, they still oppose the decision of the council; and despite the unsatisfactory ending of this council, Constantine continued to endorse the teachings of Nicea(59). On May 22, 337, Constantine passed away, despite reports of his being baptized on his deathbed, I believe I have proven (or I could say Constantine has proven by his actions) that Constantine was not a Christian. 57. Collins, p. 60 58. Collins, p. 61 59. Ibid.
11
To be fair, aside from JESUS CHRIST and the Apostle Paul, no one has had the lasting impact on the Christian Church that Constantine has. The tax-exempt status that churches still enjoy as this is being written, is a result of Constantine exempting the clergy from the burdens of taxation. Approximately 2500 years after the death of Constantine, we still worship the LORD on Sunday, as he decreed in honor of the Sun-cult started by the emperor Aurelian. Everything Constantine did for the Church, he did for political gain but GOD turned it around and used it to help the Church. Constantine used Christianity as a means to an end, that end being political power. I’ve read many things about Constantine, aside from being a shrewd politician, which he most assuredly was, the other accusations include anti-semite, hypocrite tyrant, and heretic. Maybe when I have time I’ll investigate these accusations; but for now my only concern is, was Constantine a Christian?, based on his life, I conclude he was not.