CHAPTER THREE HELENA'S CONVERSION

Obviously Helena was a Christian when, at the end of her life, she departed from Rome and began her travels through Palestine and the other eastern provinces. What can be said about her conversion? It has been suggested that from her childhood on Helena had felt great sympathy for the Christian faith.1 This is questionable. It is hard to determine when her interest in Christianity quickened and when she was converted. Did this take place during her relationship with Constantius Chlorus, of whom it is said that he was well-disposed towards the Christians during the Great Persecution?2 Did it when she heard about the Antiochene priest and martyr Lucian?3 Or shortly after 312, when Constantine granted Christians freedom of religion, protected and favoured the Christian church in all possible ways and became a Christian himself? Each option is possible, but it is safest to date Helena's conversion after 312. Eusebius relates that Helena was converted by her son Constantine. He says that Constantine made Helena such a devoted servant of God, which she had not been before, that it seemed as if she had from childhood on been taught by the Redeemer himself.4 Of course Eusebius here not only praises Helena's piety and profound Christian conviction but also in particular the piety and missionary zeal of his hero Constantine. But it is apparent from his remarks that Helena was definitely not a Christian before Constantine's succesful attempt to convert her.5

' R. Couzard, 1911, 10-12. 2 VC I 13; 16; 17. The name of Constantius' and Theodora's daughter Anastasia, a typical Christian name, suggests Constantius' Christian sympathy; cf. R. Lane Fox, 1986, 610-611. 3 See above p. 10-11. 4 VC III 47. 5 Theodoret, Hist. Eccl. I 18,1 and in his wake Gelasius of Cyzicus, Hist. Eccl. Ill 6,1 state wrongly that Constantine was raised a Christian by Helena and Constantius Chlorus. K. Aland, 1960, 223, thinks that Eusebius would have gladly dated Helena's conversion earlier, but could not do so because of the simple fact that Helena was not a Christian before 312. Helena's conversion is for Aland particularly decisive evidence for Constantine's Christianity: "Die Christin Helena scheint mir ein schlagender Beweis für den Christen Konstantin." According to J. Vogt, 1963, 46, Helena's conversion should be seen as proof of Constantine's missionary zeal: "It was his declared desire to win people for his 36 PART ONE

It is not known which pagan cults had Helena's attention before she became a Christian. For this reason J. Vogt in 1963 rightly remarks: "We do not know which faith she followed prior to Constantine's elevation and her own ascent."6 Thirteen years later, however, Vogt has changed his opinion. In an article entitled 'Helena Augusta, das Kreuz und die Juden', he thinks Helena may originally have been Jewish. The four arguments Vogt produces to support his opinion are of a dubious nature: 1 ) Helena was of Oriental descent. 2) Her appearance showed Jewish characteristics; Vogt even speaks of "die energisch gebogene Nase". 3) Her name could be inferred from the first-century princess Helena of Adiabene who, together with her son, had been converted to Judaism.7 4) To erase her old sin, i.e. her adherence to the Jewish religion, and to show her disgust for the guilt of the Jews in crucifying the Messiah, she, together with other former Jews, had devoted all her efforts, to finding the Cross on which Christ died.8 Vogt's arguments cannot stand the test of scrutiny. His first three arguments are so vague and dubious that we can reject them without further discussion. The last argument demands more careful consideration. Vogt derives it from the legend of the discovery of the Cross and the Actus Silvestri. According to the legend, the Cross was discovered by Helena when she visited Jerusalem. Some versions allege that the Cross had been hidden by the Jews because the holy wood was proof of their share in the execution of Christ. It is true that in Late Antiquity the Cross played an important role in conflicts between Jews and Christians, but during Helena's lifetime this was not yet the case. Moreover, there is no reason to assume that Helena was responsible for the discovery of Christ's Cross.9 In fact, the earliest extant source which mentions Helena's discovery of the Cross is Ambrose's De Obitu Theodosii, composed in 395.10 More important than the legend of the Cross for Vogt's argument is the Actus Silvestri.11 More than 300 manuscripts of this

faith; and at his court Helena's conversion must have been the finest reward of his missionary zeal." 6 J. Vogt, 1963, 45. 7 Fl. Josephus, Ant. Jud. 20,49ff.; 71; 95; Bell. Jud. 5,55; 119; 147. 8 J. Vogt, 1976, 219ff. 9 For the discovery of the Cross, the silence about it in contemporary sources, and the origin and development of the legend, see below Part two: legend. 10 De Ob. Theod. 40-49. " For the Latin text see B. Mombritius, 1910, vol.2, 508-531.