Rome: A Christian Analysis
This article starts off by explaining the reasons the emperor of Constantine took to convert to Christianity and make it Rome’s official religion. It will show what convinced the emperor that there was only one God. This was a big change, going from believing in a multitude of gods to just one God.
The emperor starts to think that he might need more powerful aid than just his military forces. He then realizes that most of the emperors, who had rested their hopes in a multitude of gods, had to sacrifice and at last met with an unhappy end. “Reflecting on this, and well weighing the fact that they who had trusted in many gods had also fallen by manifold forms of death, without leaving behind them either family or offspring” and at last realizes that it was necessary to honor his father’s God alone. “He called on him with earnest prayer and supplications that he would reveal to him who he was, and stretch forth his right hand to help him in his present difficulties.” The emperor received a sign from heaven, a cross of light in the heavens. “At this sight he himself was struck with amazement, and his whole army also, which followed him on this expedition, and witnessed the miracle”. In his sleep the emperor saw the same sign and God commanded him to use it as a safeguard in all engagements with his enemies. That morning he woke up calling his workers to make that same sign in gold and precious stones. “A long spear, overlaid with gold, formed the figure of the cross by means of a transverse bar laid over it. On the top of the whole was fixed a wreath of gold and precious stones; and within this, the symbol of …show more content…
the Saviour's name, two letters indicating the name of Christ by means of its initial characters, the letter P being intersected by X in its center”. The emperor used this sign continuously as a safeguard and commanded that it should also be carried at the head of all his armies. He then sent for those that were familiar with the mysteries of His doctrines. “They affirmed that He was God, the only begotten Son of the one and only God: that the sign which had appeared was the symbol of immortality, and the trophy of that victory over death which He had gained in time past when sojourning on earth”. He then confirmed his judgment and devoted himself to the reading of the inspired writings. This article describes how and why the emperor made Christianity the official religion in Rome.
It shows how he was not positive of there only being one God, but thought about how everyone else that believed in more than one god always had an unhappy ending. When the emperor saw the cross of light in the heavens, he was positive he could only believe in one
God.
The emperor starts to think that he might need more powerful aid than just his military forces. He then realizes that most of the emperors, who had rested their hopes in a multitude of gods, had to sacrifice and at last met with an unhappy end. “Reflecting on this, and well weighing the fact that they who had trusted in many gods had also fallen by manifold forms of death, without leaving behind them either family or offspring” and at last realizes that it was necessary to honor his father’s God alone. “He called on him with earnest prayer and supplications that he would reveal to him who he was, and stretch forth his right hand to help him in his present difficulties.” The emperor received a sign from heaven, a cross of light in the heavens. “At this sight he himself was struck with amazement, and his whole army also, which followed him on this expedition, and witnessed the miracle”. In his sleep the emperor saw the same sign and God commanded him to use it as a safeguard in all engagements with his enemies. That morning he woke up calling his workers to make that same sign in gold and precious stones. “A long spear, overlaid with gold, formed the figure of the cross by means of a transverse bar laid over it. On the top of the whole was fixed a wreath of gold and precious stones; and within this, the symbol of …show more content…
the Saviour's name, two letters indicating the name of Christ by means of its initial characters, the letter P being intersected by X in its center”. The emperor used this sign continuously as a safeguard and commanded that it should also be carried at the head of all his armies. He then sent for those that were familiar with the mysteries of His doctrines. “They affirmed that He was God, the only begotten Son of the one and only God: that the sign which had appeared was the symbol of immortality, and the trophy of that victory over death which He had gained in time past when sojourning on earth”. He then confirmed his judgment and devoted himself to the reading of the inspired writings. This article describes how and why the emperor made Christianity the official religion in Rome.
It shows how he was not positive of there only being one God, but thought about how everyone else that believed in more than one god always had an unhappy ending. When the emperor saw the cross of light in the heavens, he was positive he could only believe in one
God.