DOCSLIB.ORG

Analysis of the Female Presence in the Male-Dominated Comic Book Industry" (2017)

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Analysis of the Female Presence in the Male-Dominated Comic Book Industry Chapman University Chapman University Digital Commons Honors Papers and Posters Honors Program 4-2017 Analysis of the Female Presence in the Male- Dominated Comic Book Industry Nicole Choy Chapman University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/honors_student_work Part of the Book and Paper Commons, Illustration Commons, Reading and Language Commons, Visual Studies Commons, and the Women's Studies Commons Recommended Citation Choy, Nicole, "Analysis of the Female Presence in the Male-Dominated Comic Book Industry" (2017). Honors Papers and Posters. 5. http://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/honors_student_work/5 This Poster is brought to you for free and open access by the Honors Program at Chapman University Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Papers and Posters by an authorized administrator of Chapman University Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Analysis of the Female Presence in the Male-Dominated Comic Book Industry Comments Presented at the Western Regional Honors Council conference in Ashland, OR, in April 2017. This poster is available at Chapman University Digital Commons: http://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/honors_student_work/5 Analysis of the Female Presence in the Male-Dominated Comic Book Industry Nicole Choy [email protected] Comic Book Industry and Consumer Demographics 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s - Present • Evolved from newspaper comic • Surge in popularity after WWII • Surveys revealed that men were the • Females remained an • Resurgence of female strips • Survey featured in Justice Society of America Toxic Masculinity and Destructive Stereotypes primary consumers of comic books. insignificant demographic to readers continues into • Widely read & consumed by (1944): 277 boys & 233 girls • Disparate representation of female to publishers 1990s adults & young children • Another 1944 study: primary consumers male characters, featuring stories • 1984 Marvel study: 94% of • Female consumers became more vocal about their role • Polls revealed more women read were children & adolescents • Popularity of action comics with boys enabled publishers to produce content to marketed for male audiences readers were male comics than men continue to pique their interest, highlighting violence, action, & displays of • 1989 Marvel study: distribution within comic book culture masculinity of boys & girls reading comics was approximately equal • Young boys can project themselves into the lives of overtly masculine characters, Visibility = Validation empowering them with a learned masculinity that can become toxic Women as Creators • Companies focused on most profitable demographic: adolescent boys • Fostered unwelcoming environment for women to The Adult Female Brat break into comic book culture • Characteristic to post-war America • Mainstream comic book culture remains unwelcoming for female creators • Represented women as spoiled, willful, & expecting to get what they • 2011: DC Comics debuted the New 52 (canonical reboot of existing titles) & the creative team went from 12% female creators to 1% wanted • Blogging & social • July 2016: 18.4% of DC comics’ & 15.7% of Marvel creators are female media increased • Gender disparities in publishing comics seems to be independent of accessibility for social movements & ideological shifts within society female creators & consumers Women in Refrigerator “The inclusion of females in stories is specifically discouraged. Women when Examples of Feminist Ideologies in Modern Comic Book Titles used in plot structure should be secondary in importance.” – DC Comics (1950s) Cultural Influence & Comics • Function as a medium of popular culture & are influenced by changing social & cultural trends, like other forms of art, literature, & media Representation of Women • Academics can study comic books for unique perspectives of history & culture The introduction of more female characters and feminist stories correlates to the second-wave of feminism and a shift in social emphasis on the importance of gender diversity and representation in all forms of media and popular culture. • Through the 1980s-90s, more female characters were • Like picture books, comics tell stories through image & text and are used in early introduced & existing ones earned solo titles, becoming childhood development to teach children about social norms household names • Studies reveal that children begin to define masculinity/femininity based on • These comics empower readers through diverse storylines featured in picture books representations & by featuring strong female characters & feminist themes • Representations of women in comics present readers with a template of gender roles for young girls in society References 1. Geoffrey D. Robinson, “Paul Ricoeur And The Hermeneutics Of Suspicion: A cover of Marvel and DC Comics,” Bleeding Cool, 12 Sep 2016. Brief Overview And Critique,” Presbyterion 23.1 (1997): 43-55. 12. Valerie Walkerdine, “No Laughing Matter: Girls’ comics and the preparation for 2. Jean-Paul Gabilliet, Of Comics and Men: A Cultural History of American adolescent sexuality,” Critical Theories of Psychological Development (1987):87-125. Comics (University Press of Mississippi, 2009). 13. Wonder Woman, Vol. 36, No. 229, March 1977 3. Jeffery A. Brown, “Comic Book Fandom And Cultural Capital,” Journal of 14. The Amazing Spider Man, No. 121, March 13 1973. Popular Culture 30.4 (1997): 13-32. 15. Thor, No. 1, October 2014. 4. Jill Lepore, The Secret History of Wonder Woman (New York: Vintage Books, 2014). 16. Thor, No. 5, February 2014. 5. June M. Madeley, “Women and Readers of Graphic Novels,” Salem Press 17. Superman’s Girlfriend Lois Lane, No. 4, October 1958. Encyclopedia of Literature (2016). 18. Batgirl, No. 35, October 8 2014. 6. May M. Nahara, “Gender Stereotypes in Children’s Picture Books,” ERIC (1998). 19. Batgirl, No. 36, November 12 2014. 7. Mike Madrid, The Supergirls : Fashion, Feminism, Fantasy, And The History Of 20. Zalbenal, “Exclusive: ‘Batgirl’ Gets a Brand New Look from DC Comics,” MTV Comic Book Heroines (Minneapolis, MN: Exterminating Angel Press: 2009) News (July 2013). 8. Sue Thornham, “Second Wave Feminism,” The Routledge Companion To Feminism 21. Green Lantern, Vol. 3, No. 54, August 1994. And Postfeminism, ed. By Sarah Gamble, Routledge, 2001, 25-35. 22. All-Star Comics, No. 13, October 1942. 9. Suzanne Scott, “Representation and Diversity in Comic Studies,” Cinema Journal,23. Y: The Last Man, No. 23, June 2004. no. 1 (2015): 120. 24. Harley Quinn, No. 25, February 2016. 10. Suzanne Scott, “Fangirls in Refrigerators: The Politics of (In)Visibility in Comic 25. Saga, No. 25, February 2015. Book Culture,” Transformative Works and Cultures 13 (2013). 26. Wonder Woman, No. 1, September 2011. 11. Tim Hanley, “Gendercrunching July 2016—The Creators and Characters on the .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Myth, Metatext, Continuity and Cataclysm in Dc Comics’ Crisis on Infinite Earths
    WORLDS WILL LIVE, WORLDS WILL DIE: MYTH, METATEXT, CONTINUITY AND CATACLYSM IN DC COMICS’ CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS Adam C. Murdough A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS August 2006 Committee: Angela Nelson, Advisor Marilyn Motz Jeremy Wallach ii ABSTRACT Angela Nelson, Advisor In 1985-86, DC Comics launched an extensive campaign to revamp and revise its most important superhero characters for a new era. In many cases, this involved streamlining, retouching, or completely overhauling the characters’ fictional back-stories, while similarly renovating the shared fictional context in which their adventures take place, “the DC Universe.” To accomplish this act of revisionist history, DC resorted to a text-based performative gesture, Crisis on Infinite Earths. This thesis analyzes the impact of this singular text and the phenomena it inspired on the comic-book industry and the DC Comics fan community. The first chapter explains the nature and importance of the convention of “continuity” (i.e., intertextual diegetic storytelling, unfolding progressively over time) in superhero comics, identifying superhero fans’ attachment to continuity as a source of reading pleasure and cultural expressivity as the key factor informing the creation of the Crisis on Infinite Earths text. The second chapter consists of an eschatological reading of the text itself, in which it is argued that Crisis on Infinite Earths combines self-reflexive metafiction with the ideologically inflected symbolic language of apocalypse myth to provide DC Comics fans with a textual "rite of transition," to win their acceptance for DC’s mid-1980s project of self- rehistoricization and renewal.
    [Show full text]
  • Crossmedia Adaptation and the Development of Continuity in the Dc Animated Universe
    “INFINITE EARTHS”: CROSSMEDIA ADAPTATION AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF CONTINUITY IN THE DC ANIMATED UNIVERSE Alex Nader A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS May 2015 Committee: Jeff Brown, Advisor Becca Cragin © 2015 Alexander Nader All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Jeff Brown, Advisor This thesis examines the process of adapting comic book properties into other visual media. I focus on the DC Animated Universe, the popular adaptation of DC Comics characters and concepts into all-ages programming. This adapted universe started with Batman: The Animated Series and comprised several shows on multiple networks, all of which fit into a shared universe based on their comic book counterparts. The adaptation of these properties is heavily reliant to intertextuality across DC Comics media. The shared universe developed within the television medium acted as an early example of comic book media adapting the idea of shared universes, a process that has been replicated with extreme financial success by DC and Marvel (in various stages of fruition). I address the process of adapting DC Comics properties in television, dividing it into “strict” or “loose” adaptations, as well as derivative adaptations that add new material to the comic book canon. This process was initially slow, exploding after the first series (Batman: The Animated Series) changed networks and Saturday morning cartoons flourished, allowing for more opportunities for producers to create content. References, crossover episodes, and the later series Justice League Unlimited allowed producers to utilize this shared universe to develop otherwise impossible adaptations that often became lasting additions to DC Comics publishing.
    [Show full text]
  • Relationality and Masculinity in Superhero Narratives Kevin Lee Chiat Bachelor of Arts (Communication Studies) with Second Class Honours
    i Being a Superhero is Amazing, Everyone Should Try It: Relationality and Masculinity in Superhero Narratives Kevin Lee Chiat Bachelor of Arts (Communication Studies) with Second Class Honours This thesis is presented for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of The University of Western Australia School of Humanities 2021 ii THESIS DECLARATION I, Kevin Chiat, certify that: This thesis has been substantially accomplished during enrolment in this degree. This thesis does not contain material which has been submitted for the award of any other degree or diploma in my name, in any university or other tertiary institution. In the future, no part of this thesis will be used in a submission in my name, for any other degree or diploma in any university or other tertiary institution without the prior approval of The University of Western Australia and where applicable, any partner institution responsible for the joint-award of this degree. This thesis does not contain any material previously published or written by another person, except where due reference has been made in the text. This thesis does not violate or infringe any copyright, trademark, patent, or other rights whatsoever of any person. This thesis does not contain work that I have published, nor work under review for publication. Signature Date: 17/12/2020 ii iii ABSTRACT Since the development of the superhero genre in the late 1930s it has been a contentious area of cultural discourse, particularly concerning its depictions of gender politics. A major critique of the genre is that it simply represents an adolescent male power fantasy; and presents a world view that valorises masculinist individualism.
    [Show full text]
  • How Superman Developed Into a Jesus Figure
    HOW SUPERMAN DEVELOPED INTO A JESUS FIGURE CRISIS ON INFINITE TEXTS: HOW SUPERMAN DEVELOPED INTO A JESUS FIGURE By ROBERT REVINGTON, B.A., M.A. A Thesis Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts McMaster University © Copyright by Robert Revington, September 2018 MA Thesis—Robert Revington; McMaster University, Religious Studies McMaster University MASTER OF ARTS (2018) Hamilton, Ontario, Religious Studies TITLE: Crisis on Infinite Texts: How Superman Developed into a Jesus Figure AUTHOR: Robert Revington, B.A., M.A (McMaster University) SUPERVISOR: Professor Travis Kroeker NUMBER OF PAGES: vi, 143 ii MA Thesis—Robert Revington; McMaster University, Religious Studies LAY ABSTRACT This thesis examines the historical trajectory of how the comic book character of Superman came to be identified as a Christ figure in popular consciousness. It argues that this connection was not integral to the character as he was originally created, but was imposed by later writers over time and mainly for cinematic adaptations. This thesis also tracks the history of how Christians and churches viewed Superman, as the film studios began to exploit marketing opportunities by comparing Superman and Jesus. This thesis uses the methodological framework of intertextuality to ground its treatment of the sources, but does not follow all of the assumptions of intertextual theorists. iii MA Thesis—Robert Revington; McMaster University, Religious Studies ABSTRACT This thesis examines the historical trajectory of how the comic book character of Superman came to be identified as a Christ figure in popular consciousness. Superman was created in 1938, but the character developed significantly from his earliest incarnations.
    [Show full text]
  • Media Website Contact List
    MEDIA WEBSITE CONTACT LIST version: 8/2016 Outlet Name First Name Last Name Title Email Address Website Address Bleeding Cool Richard Johnston Editor-in-Chief [email protected] http://www.bleedingcool.com/ Comics Alliance Andrew Wheeler Editor in Chief [email protected] http://comicsalliance.com/ Comics Alliance Kevin Gaussoin Editor in Chief [email protected] http://comicsalliance.com/ Comic Book Resources Albert Ching Managing Editor [email protected] http://www.comicbookresources.com/ Comic Vine Tony Guerrero Editor-in-Chief [email protected] http://www.comicbookresources.com/ ComicBook.com James Viscardi Editor in Chief [email protected] http://comicbook.com/ Forces of Geek Erin Maxwell Reporter [email protected] http://www.forcesofgeek.com/ IGN Entertainment Joshua Yehl Comics Editor [email protected] http://www.ign.com/ ICV2 Milton Griepp Editor in Chief [email protected] http://icv2.com/ Newsarama Chris Arrant Editor-in-Chief [email protected] http://www.newsarama.com/ The Beat Heidi MacDonald Editor in Chief [email protected] http://www.comicsbeat.com/ Comicosity Matt Santori-Griffith Senior Editor [email protected] http://www.comicosity.com/ The Mary Sue Maddy Myers Editor [email protected] http://www.themarysue.com/ The Mary Sue Dan Van Winkle Editor [email protected] http://www.themarysue.com/ Multiversity Comics Brian Salvatore Editor-in-Chief [email protected] http://multiversitycomics.com/ Comic Crusaders [email protected] www.comiccrusaders.com/ Graphic Policy Brett Schenker Founder / Blogger in Chief [email protected] https://graphicpolicy.com/ THIS LIST OF CONTACTS IS DESIGNED TO BE A RESOURCE FOR PUBLISHERS TO HELP PROMOTE THEIR PROJECTS TO THE PUBLIC.
    [Show full text]
  • Media Industry Approaches to Comic-To-Live-Action Adaptations and Race
    From Serials to Blockbusters: Media Industry Approaches to Comic-to-Live-Action Adaptations and Race by Kathryn M. Frank A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Communication) in the University of Michigan 2015 Doctoral Committee: Associate Professor Amanda D. Lotz, Chair Professor Susan J. Douglas Professor Lisa A. Nakamura Associate Professor Aswin Punathambekar © Kathryn M. Frank 2015 “I don't remember when exactly I read my first comic book, but I do remember exactly how liberated and subversive I felt as a result.” ― Edward W. Said, Palestine For Mom and Dad, who taught me to be my own hero ii Acknowledgements There are so many people without whom this project would never have been possible. First and foremost, my parents, Paul and MaryAnn Frank, who never blinked when I told them I wanted to move half way across the country to read comic books for a living. Their unending support has taken many forms, from late-night pep talks and airport pick-ups to rides to Comic-Con at 3 am and listening to a comics nerd blather on for hours about why Man of Steel was so terrible. I could never hope to repay the patience, love, and trust they have given me throughout the years, but hopefully fewer midnight conversations about my dissertation will be a good start. Amanda Lotz has shown unwavering interest and support for me and for my work since before we were formally advisor and advisee, and her insight, feedback, and attention to detail kept me invested in my own work, even in times when my resolve to continue writing was flagging.
    [Show full text]
  • The Evolution of Batman and His Audiences
    Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University English Theses Department of English 12-2009 Static, Yet Fluctuating: The Evolution of Batman and His Audiences Perry Dupre Dantzler Georgia State University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/english_theses Part of the English Language and Literature Commons Recommended Citation Dantzler, Perry Dupre, "Static, Yet Fluctuating: The Evolution of Batman and His Audiences." Thesis, Georgia State University, 2009. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/english_theses/73 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of English at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in English Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STATIC, YET FLUCTUATING: THE EVOLUTION OF BATMAN AND HIS AUDIENCES by PERRY DUPRE DANTZLER Under the Direction of H. Calvin Thomas ABSTRACT The Batman media franchise (comics, movies, novels, television, and cartoons) is unique because no other form of written or visual texts has as many artists, audiences, and forms of expression. Understanding the various artists and audiences and what Batman means to them is to understand changing trends and thinking in American culture. The character of Batman has developed into a symbol with relevant characteristics that develop and evolve with each new story and new author. The Batman canon has become so large and contains so many different audiences that it has become a franchise that can morph to fit any group of viewers/readers. Our understanding of Batman and the many readings of him gives us insight into ourselves as a culture in our particular place in history.
    [Show full text]
  • Super Satan: Milton’S Devil in Contemporary Comics
    Super Satan: Milton’s Devil in Contemporary Comics By Shereen Siwpersad A Thesis Submitted to Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MA English Literary Studies July, 2014, Leiden, the Netherlands First Reader: Dr. J.F.D. van Dijkhuizen Second Reader: Dr. E.J. van Leeuwen Date: 1 July 2014 Table of Contents Introduction …………………………………………………………………………... 1 - 5 1. Milton’s Satan as the modern superhero in comics ……………………………….. 6 1.1 The conventions of mission, powers and identity ………………………... 6 1.2 The history of the modern superhero ……………………………………... 7 1.3 Religion and the Miltonic Satan in comics ……………………………….. 8 1.4 Mission, powers and identity in Steve Orlando’s Paradise Lost …………. 8 - 12 1.5 Authority, defiance and the Miltonic Satan in comics …………………… 12 - 15 1.6 The human Satan in comics ……………………………………………… 15 - 17 2. Ambiguous representations of Milton’s Satan in Steve Orlando’s Paradise Lost ... 18 2.1 Visual representations of the heroic Satan ……………………………….. 18 - 20 2.2 Symbolic colors and black gutters ……………………………………….. 20 - 23 2.3 Orlando’s representation of the meteor simile …………………………… 23 2.4 Ambiguous linguistic representations of Satan …………………………... 24 - 25 2.5 Ambiguity and discrepancy between linguistic and visual codes ………... 25 - 26 3. Lucifer Morningstar: Obedience, authority and nihilism …………………………. 27 3.1 Lucifer’s rejection of authority ………………………..…………………. 27 - 32 3.2 The absence of a theodicy ………………………………………………... 32 - 35 3.3 Carey’s flawed and amoral God ………………………………………….. 35 - 36 3.4 The implications of existential and metaphysical nihilism ……………….. 36 - 41 Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………………. 42 - 46 Appendix ……………………………………………………………………………… 47 Figure 1.1 ……………………………………………………………………… 47 Figure 1.2 ……………………………………………………………………… 48 Figure 1.3 ……………………………………………………………………… 48 Figure 1.4 ……………………………………………………………………….
    [Show full text]
  • DC Comics Jumpchain CYOA
    DC Comics Jumpchain CYOA CYOA written by [text removed] [text removed] [text removed] cause I didn’t lol The lists of superpowers and weaknesses are taken from the DC Wiki, and have been reproduced here for ease of access. Some entries have been removed, added, or modified to better fit this format. The DC universe is long and storied one, in more ways than one. It’s a universe filled with adventure around every corner, not least among them on Earth, an unassuming but cosmically significant planet out of the way of most space territories. Heroes and villains, from the bottom of the Dark Multiverse to the top of the Monitor Sphere, endlessly struggle for justice, for power, and for control over the fate of the very multiverse itself. You start with 1000 Cape Points (CP). Discounted options are 50% off. Discounts only apply once per purchase. Free options are not mandatory. Continuity === === === === === Continuity doesn't change during your time here, since each continuity has a past and a future unconnected to the Crises. If you're in Post-Crisis you'll blow right through 2011 instead of seeing Flashpoint. This changes if you take the relevant scenarios. You can choose your starting date. Early Golden Age (eGA) Default Start Date: 1939 The original timeline, the one where it all began. Superman can leap tall buildings in a single bound, while other characters like Batman, Dr. Occult, and Sandman have just debuted in their respective cities. This continuity occurred in the late 1930s, and takes place in a single universe.
    [Show full text]
  • Growing up with Vertigo: British Writers, Dc, and the Maturation of American Comic Books
    CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by ScholarWorks @ UVM GROWING UP WITH VERTIGO: BRITISH WRITERS, DC, AND THE MATURATION OF AMERICAN COMIC BOOKS A Thesis Presented by Derek A. Salisbury to The Faculty of the Graduate College of The University of Vermont In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Master of Arts Specializing in History May, 2013 Accepted by the Faculty of the Graduate College, The University of Vermont, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, specializing in History. Thesis Examination Committee: ______________________________________ Advisor Abigail McGowan, Ph.D ______________________________________ Melanie Gustafson, Ph.D ______________________________________ Chairperson Elizabeth Fenton, Ph.D ______________________________________ Dean, Graduate College Domenico Grasso, Ph.D March 22, 2013 Abstract At just under thirty years the serious academic study of American comic books is relatively young. Over the course of three decades most historians familiar with the medium have recognized that American comics, since becoming a mass-cultural product in 1939, have matured beyond their humble beginnings as a monthly publication for children. However, historians are not yet in agreement as to when the medium became mature. This thesis proposes that the medium’s maturity was cemented between 1985 and 2000, a much later point in time than existing texts postulate. The project involves the analysis of how an American mass medium, in this case the comic book, matured in the last two decades of the twentieth century. The goal is to show the interconnected relationships and factors that facilitated the maturation of the American sequential art, specifically a focus on a group of British writers working at DC Comics and Vertigo, an alternative imprint under the financial control of DC.
    [Show full text]
  • Justice League: Rise of the Manhunters
    JUSTICE LEAGUE: RISE OF THE MANHUNTERS ABDULNASIR IMAM E-mail: [email protected] Twitter: @trapoet DISCLAIMER: I DON’T OWN THE RIGHTS TO THE MAJORITY, IF NOT ALL THE CHARACTERS USED IN THIS SCRIPT. COMMENT: Although not initially intended to, this script is also a response to David Goyer who believed you couldn’t use the character of the Martian Manhunter in a Justice League movie, because he wouldn’t fit. SUCK IT, GOYER! LOL! EXT. SPACE TOMAR-RE (V.O) Billions of years ago, when the Martians refused to serve as the Guardians’ intergalactic police force, the elders of Oa created a sentinel army based on the Martian race… they named them Manhunters. INSERT: MANHUNTERS TOMAR-RE (V.O) At first the Manhunters served diligently, maintaining law and order across the universe, until one day they began to resent their masters. A war broke out between the two forces with the Guardians winning and banishing the Manhunters across the universe, stripping them of whatever power they had left. Some of the Manhunters found their way to earth upon which entering our atmosphere they lost any and all remaining power. As centuries went by man began to unearth some of these sentinels, using their advance technology to build empires on land… and even in the sea. INSERT: ATLANTIS EXT. THE HIMALAYANS SUPERIMPOSED: PRESENT INT. A TEMPLE DESMOND SHAW walks in. Like the other occupants of the temple he’s dressed in a red and blue robe. He walks to a shadowy figure. THE GRANDMASTER (O.S) It is time… prepare the awakening! Desmond Shaw bows.
    [Show full text]
  • Constantine's Effect on Early Christianity
    Constantine’s Effect on Early Christianity Jo Ann Shcall Constantine! When you hear his name, do you think of the power and brutality of the Roman Empire, or do you think of the founding of formalized Christianity? Was Constantine good, bad, a mixture? There’s evidence for each position. Why Consider Constantine? The Orthodox Church regards Constantine as Saint Constantine the Great. He did much for the early Christian church from 306 to 337 while he was the Roman Emperor. Constantine was the first Roman Emperor to claim conversion to Christianity. His declaration of the Edict of Milan in 313 is one of his most important early contributions. This edict declared that Christians (and all other religions) would be tolerated throughout the empire, bringing an end to religious persecution. Constantine called together the first council of Nicaea in 325 with 250 mostly Eastern bishops1 resulting in the Nicene Creed, a statement of faith that attempted to unite disparate Christian communities.2 Constantine built the Church of the Holy Sepulcher at the purported site of Jesus’ tomb, which became the holiest site in Christendom. During his reign, he built many basilicas, repaired churches throughout the empire, relieved clergy of some taxes, supported the Christian church financially3 and saw that Sunday was designated as a day of rest for all citizens. He promoted Christians into political offices. Constantine decided his capitol should be moved to Byzantium. He did extensive building in this city, then renamed it Constantinople. This “new city” was said to be protected by relics of the True Cross, the Rod of Moses, and other holy relics.
    [Show full text]