Tantine, Roman Emperor

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Tantine, Roman Emperor Constantine, Roman Emperor March 7. Emperor Constantine I. Of all the emperors Rome ever had, only Constantine I was called “The Great.” He unified and strengthened the empire, built a new capital, and was the first Christian emperor of Rome. He gave Christianity the social and political respectability it had previously lacked. On this date in 321, Constantine decreed that—throughout the Roman empire—Sunday would be a day of rest. Not everyone was pleased with Constantine at the helm and trouble followed. Today’s story is about one of the troubles. A man’s strength can make him confident, but victory comes from God. The news was not good. Constantine prepared to invade Italy and take over the western Roman Empire. But he had learned that his enemy Maxentius had him vastly outnumbered. Worse, Maxentius had been using sorcery and divination to win the favor of the Roman gods. Going into battle was difficult enough, but having all the gods of Rome against him, too? What chance did he have? He was battling heaven and earth. Maxentius was a cruel tyrant, who murdered innocents on a whim. He had to be stopped. But with such a small army, Constantine didn’t have the strength to win on his own. And as for the Roman gods, many generals before had sought the favor of their gods—they had all met a terrible end with their so-called gods nowhere in sight. But Constantine remembered his parents. His father, despite being high up in the Roman hierarchy, didn’t worship the gods his friends did. In fact, he only worshipped one—the God of the Christians. But Christians were always being persecuted in the Empire. Could the Christian God help him? Was this God more powerful than the gods of Rome? Constantine prayed to see if the Christian God would reveal himself and help with the battle to come. As Constantine was praying, and the sun was beginning to lower during the mid-day, he suddenly saw what looked like a cross of light in the sky, just above the sun, with words written there: “Conquer by this.” Constantine was awestruck. His army suddenly stopped their work and saw the same thing, and he wondered what the miracle meant. That night in a dream, Constantine saw Christ. The same sign he had seen earlier now stood beside the God he had prayed to. Christ told Constantine to make a standard like the sign he made, and use it during his battles to protect him. When Constantine awoke at dawn, he immediately set out to work. He would join the Christian God and seek His protection, despite the persecutions that had threatened the Christians for centuries. He described the sign to some friends who were to make the standard, which was given the name labarum, and on it was a spear, with a crown decorated in gold and precious stones. On the crown was the letter P [Rho], and intersected at the center was an X[Chi]. These letters were the two that indicated the name of Christ. The piece that crossed the spear was a streamer of purple, covered with precious stones and laced with gold. But the standard was not enough. Before he went into battle, Constantine wanted to know who God was, so he asked about the Christian God and learned about the Christian faith. He decided to join the Christians and made priests his counselors. After all this, he was ready for battle, and despite the odds against him, Constantine went on to defeat Maxentius and become the first Christian Emperor of Rome. “The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD” (Proverbs 21:31 NIV). We all face battles in our lives. Do you have everything you need to face overwhelming odds? A man’s strength can make him confident, but victory comes from God. Freeman, Charles. Egypt, Greece, and Rome: Civilizations of the Ancient Mediterranean. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. Matyszak, Philip. “Constantine the Great: The Emperor Who Created Europe.” History Extra. Accessed August 17, 2020. https://www.historyextra.com/period/roman/constantine-great-life-facts-christian-roman-emperor- europe/. Firth, John B. Constantine the Great. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1905. Internet Archive. Accessed May 18, 2019. https://archive.org/details/constantinegrea01firtgoog/page/n14/mode/2up. Pamphilus, Eusebius. The Life of the Blessed Emperor Constantine, in Four Books, From 306 to 337 A.D. London: Samuel Bagster and Sons, 1845. Internet Archive. Accessed May 18, 2019. https://books.google.com/books?id=S09FAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad= 0#v=onepage&q&f=false. Story read by Blake Mattocks .
Recommended publications
  • Constantine the Great and Christian Imperial Theocracy Charles Matson Odahl Boise State University
    Boise State University ScholarWorks History Faculty Publications and Presentations Department of History 1-1-2007 Constantine the Great and Christian Imperial Theocracy Charles Matson Odahl Boise State University Publication Information Odahl, Charles Matson. (2007). "Constantine the Great and Christian Imperial Theocracy". Connections: European Studies Annual Review, 3, 89-113. This document was originally published in Connections: European Studies Annual Review by Rocky Mountain European Scholars Consortium. Copyright restrictions may apply. Coda: Recovering Constantine's European Legacy 111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 Constantine the Great and Christian Imperial Theocracy Charles Matson Odahl, Boise State University1 rom his Christian conversion under the influence of cept of imperial theocracy was conveyed in contemporary art Frevelatory experiences outside Rome in A.D. 312 until (Illustration I). his burial as the thirteenth Apostle at Constantinople in Although Constantine had been raised as a tolerant 337, Constantine the Great, pagan polytheist and had the first Christian emperor propagated several Olympian of the Roman world, initiated divinities, particularly Jupiter, the role of and set the model Hercules, Mars, and Sol, as for Christian imperial theoc­ di vine patrons during the early racy. Through his relationship years of his reign as emperor
    [Show full text]
  • The Political and Military Aspects of Accession of Constantine the Great
    Graeco-Latina Brunensia 24 / 2019 / 2 https://doi.org/10.5817/GLB2019-2-2 The Political and Military Aspects of Accession of Constantine the Great Stanislav Doležal (University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice) Abstract The article argues that Constantine the Great, until he was recognized by Galerius, the senior ČLÁNKY / ARTICLES Emperor of the Tetrarchy, was an usurper with no right to the imperial power, nothwithstand- ing his claim that his father, the Emperor Constantius I, conferred upon him the imperial title before he died. Tetrarchic principles, envisaged by Diocletian, were specifically put in place to supersede and override blood kinship. Constantine’s accession to power started as a military coup in which a military unit composed of barbarian soldiers seems to have played an impor- tant role. Keywords Constantine the Great; Roman emperor; usurpation; tetrarchy 19 Stanislav Doležal The Political and Military Aspects of Accession of Constantine the Great On 25 July 306 at York, the Roman Emperor Constantius I died peacefully in his bed. On the same day, a new Emperor was made – his eldest son Constantine who had been present at his father’s deathbed. What exactly happened on that day? Britain, a remote province (actually several provinces)1 on the edge of the Roman Empire, had a tendency to defect from the central government. It produced several usurpers in the past.2 Was Constantine one of them? What gave him the right to be an Emperor in the first place? It can be argued that the political system that was still valid in 306, today known as the Tetrarchy, made any such seizure of power illegal.
    [Show full text]
  • Let's Look Let's Look Again Tapestry Showing The
    TAPESTRY SHOWING THE TRIUMPH OF CONSTANTINE OVER MAXENTIUS AT THE BATTLE OF THE MILVIAN BRIDGE FROM THE SERIES KNOWN AS THE “HISTORY OF CONSTANTINE THE GREAT” This tapestry shows the dramatic conclusion of the Battle of the 1623–25 Milvian Bridge fought between two leaders of ancient Rome, Wool and silk with gold and Constantine and Maxentius, in 312 CE. As part of their strategy, silver threads 15 feet, 11 inches x 24 feet, 5 inches Maxentius’s army knocked down a stone bridge and replaced it with (485.1 x 744.2 cm) a temporary wooden one, which could be pulled down easily if they FIGURAL COMPOSITION DESIGNED IN 1622 BY needed to retreat. When Maxentius and his troops were forced back PETER PAUL RUBENS Flemish (active Italy, Antwerp, and by Constantine’s army, the bridge unexpectedly collapsed beneath England), 1577–1640 Woven at the Comans–La Planche them, sending horses and soldiers tumbling into the Tiber River tapestry factory (Paris) below. After this victory, Constantine became the sole ruler of the Western Roman Empire. LET’S LOOK Describe the action in this scene. The defeated Maxentius is pictured upside down at the bottom center What is happening? of the composition. Around him, horses and men fall in a tangled Who is winning? Who is losing? mass of arms, legs, bodies, and heads. At the edge of the bridge, How can you tell? a terrified soldier desperately attempts to prevent his horse from What details tell you about the time period when this falling. Two soldiers cling to the bridge with their fingertips, anxiously event took place? trying to hang on.
    [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]
  • And Eastern Monophysitism
    Athens Journal of History - Volume 1, Issue 4 – Pages 267-288 The Political and Social Conflict between Orthodox Christianity (Constantinople and Rome) and Eastern Monophysitism By Jayoung Che The 4th Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon (431) denounced Eutychianism/Monophysitism as a heresy. Rushdoony suggested that the Chalcedonian formula made Western liberty possible because the unity and particularity (or individuality) firmly grounded in the triune God freed man from the oppression of the state. In my opinion, however, even the triune God does not always refer to everybody’s liberty, but could degenerate into an instrument protecting the privileged. The so called universalism exploited by some Byzantine emperors or most senatorial aristocrats refers to the enforcement of the religious dogma; the former preferred Monophysitism for consolidating autocratic imperial power, and the latter the Chalcedonian formula for securing their liberty against the emperors’ despotism. Enforcing whichever kind of religious dogma denotes the degeneration of the Byzantine Society towards an exclusive, privileged society. Contrary to religious exclusivism, there was a type of Christianity which was more universal and open- minded, not only towards heretics but even to the pagans. Introduction As Constantine the Great promulgated the Edict of Milan (313 AD), the Hellenic-Roman traditions and the various sects of Christianity began to co- exist legally. Actually, however, the universalism of Christianity allowed it to open its mind towards the so called pagans
    [Show full text]
  • Ss. Peter & Paul
    16th Sunday After Pentecost Tone 7 September 16, 2018 SS. PETER & PAUL Lorain, OH | www.OrthodoxLorain.org | (440) 277-6266 Rev. Joseph McCartney, Rector Cell (440) 668 - 2209 ~ Email: [email protected] ~ Home (440) 654-2831 Gospel Reading ~ Mark 8:34-9:1 Epistle Reading ~ Galatians 2:16-20 Sunday after Elevation of the Cross This Week at a Glance Gospel Meditation Sat, September 22nd There is no other way to be a follower of Jesus Christ than to 6:00 pm - Great Vespers follow Him on the road of the Cross. The Narrow Road is paved with Sun, September 23rd stones like these: love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and 9:00 pm - 3rd & 6th Hours strength, love others more than yourself, give expecting nothing in Steuart & Michelle Pincombe Received as Catechumen return, turn the other cheek, give away your possessions to the poor, 9:30 am - Divine Liturgy be willing to die for the sake of the Gospel or for the life of another, Sunday School love your enemies, pray without ceasing, be peacemakers, rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep, lift up the oppressed, love justice, show mercy, deliberately and consciously and continuously choose the narrow path, be humble, “flee from the company of men”, control the tongue, put on the mind of Christ and repent of everything that is not His mind, nurture and love silence, love without condition, become pure in heart and mind, do everything necessary to think and to live in a way that pleases God. All of this seems too hard.
    [Show full text]
  • The Beasts of Revelation Why Study Revelation 12?
    Class 3 The Great Red Dragon vs The Woman Part 2 The Beasts of Revelation Why Study Revelation 12? • It outlines dramatic, earth-quaking events of extreme importance in the divine plan, that would forever re-shape the course of history • It contains practical exhortation and warning for disciples living during those events and for disciples today • It explains how the “Man of Sin” of 2 Thess. 2 would be revealed • It is the source of false beliefs in Christendom The Dragon The Key Players The Woman The Man-Child The Great Red Dragon – Pagan Roman Empire • The Dragon shares many similar feature to that of Daniel’s 4th Beast (Symbolizing the Roman Empire) • The language is also used by both Peter & Paul to describe pagan Roman Empire – Compare Rev. 12:4,9,10 with 1 Pet. 5:8 & Eph. 6:8-9 • Dragon – Ezek. 29:3 – used initially of Egypt, later conquered by Roman Empire & used as symbol of R.E. • Serpent – Gen 3:15 – Pagan R.E. bruised Christ’s heel • Red = fiery – pagan generals carried fire ahead of them into battle as offering to the gods • 7 heads – location identified as Rome (Rev. 17:9-10) • Heads Crowned – (rather than 10 horns) Symbol of kingly or imperial dignity The Woman of Revelation 12 Woman: Representative of the Christian Community (both true & False) The Woman in Glory (12:1): • Clothed with the sun • Clothed with imperial favour • Moon under her feet • Pagan religious system under her subjection • Crown of 12 stars on head • Awarded political ascendancy and honour through her military achievements The Woman of Revelation 12 Rev 12:2,5 “And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered… “And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron…” • Christian community pregnant with iniquity (2 Cor.
    [Show full text]
  • East and West: Cultural Dissonance and the “Great Schism of 1054”
    1 East and West: Cultural Dissonance and the “Great Schism of 1054” Margaret Trenchard-Smith, Loyola Marymount University Perception is an overwhelming force. Collective perceptions can be contra-factual. The memories of individuals, of institutions, often magnify the inconsequential, distort or omit. A failure of memory can be total, through accident or deliberate oblivion. Shared recollections and the narratives they form shape perceptions. Yet even when these things are faulty, they can have as much force as if they were sound—just as the effects of a rumor can be as damaging when false as when founded in fact.1 The “Great Schism of 1054” is perceived by many to be the momentous event that resulted in the permanent sundering of the “Western” Roman Catholic and “Eastern” Orthodox branches of Christendom.2 Factually, however, there is a problem with this perception, since it can plausibly be argued on technical and practical grounds (and has been argued by scholars like Francis Dvornik and Steven Runciman) that no schism occurred in 1054—certainly not the “Great Schism.”3 The perception of schism came about through cultural dissonance and alienation East and West which grew until at last the divorce became reality. When precisely that happened, however, is unclear. If not in 1054, when did the formal schism of the Great Church occur? Did it occur? From whose perspective, and by what criteria? There is no scholarly consensus on these questions.4 Please bear in mind that this paper has been written by an historian, not a theologian. These
    [Show full text]
  • The Experiences and Education of the Emperor Julian and How It
    COMPANION TO THE GODS, FRIEND TO THE EMPIRE: THE EXPERIENCES AND EDUCATION OF THE EMPEROR JULIAN AND HOW IT INFLUE NCED HIS REIGN Marshall Lilly Thesis Prepared for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS August 2014 APPROVED: Christopher Fuhrmann, Major Professor Laura Stern, Committee Member Robert Citino, Committee Member Richard McCaslin, Chair of the Department of History Mark Wardell, Dean of the Toulouse Graduate School Lilly, Marshall. Companion to the Gods, Friend to the Empire: The Experiences and Education of the Emperor Julian and How It Influenced His Reign 361-363 A.D. Master of Arts (History), August 2014, 108 pp., bibliography, 114 titles. This thesis explores the life and reign of Julian the Apostate the man who ruled over the Roman Empire from A.D. 361-363. The study of Julian the Apostate’s reign has historically been eclipsed due to his clash with Christianity. After the murder of his family in 337 by his Christian cousin Constantius, Julian was sent into exile. These emotional experiences would impact his view of the Christian religion for the remainder of his life. Julian did have conflict with the Christians but his main goal in the end was the revival of ancient paganism and the restoration of the Empire back to her glory. The purpose of this study is to trace the education and experiences that Julian had undergone and the effects they it had on his reign. Julian was able to have both a Christian and pagan education that would have a lifelong influence on his reign.
    [Show full text]
  • Julian the Apostle: the Emperor Who “Brought Piety As It Were Back from Exile”
    MJUR 2017, Issue 8 103 Julian the Apostle: The Emperor who “Brought Piety as it Were Back from Exile” Adrian Scaife Rhodes College Abstract Julian the Apostate stands as the only pagan emperor to rule after Constantine the Great instituted Christianity as the state religion of the Roman Empire. During his reign he attempted to reestablish classical religion to its former preeminence, though he also recognized the need to adapt these practices to the context of the post-Diocletian, post-Constantinian empire. This paper will explore his paradoxical forward-looking conservatism through an analysis of the ways in which Julian’s paganism came to resemble the Christian faith he hoped to replace, namely the role of the priesthood, the emerging “pagan orthodoxy,” and the reorganization of the religious power structure into a strict hierarchy. Julian was a prolific writer, and his extant literature provides rare insight into the intentions and beliefs of this notable iconoclast. His polarizing attitudes garnered both enthusiastic praise and ardent condemnation from contemporary historians and theologians, all of which combine to produce an outsized historical record for an emperor whose reign lasted less than two years. Ultimately, the formidable intellectual and political challenge Julian posed to the Christian community required a proportional response, and the extent to which he affected the development of Christianity arguably makes Julian a “father of the Church.” From the end of the third century and into the fourth century CE, the vast Roman Empire underwent arguably the most significant shift in Western history. The military ballooned in size and social and political importance, necessitating a sprawling bureaucracy to support its needs.
    [Show full text]
  • 774 Constantine the Great and Woodrow Wilson, II ¬– the Council of Laodicea, Part 1, the General Councils of the Church
    #774 Constantine the Great and Woodrow Wilson, II – The Council of Laodicea, part 1, The General Councils of the Church The Council of Laodicea. The Council of Laodicea was not an ecumenical General Council of the Church, which has come to mean the Roman Catholic Church. The Council of Laodicea was a regional, or local, synod, consisting of approximately 30 clerics from Anatolia (modern Turkey). Most sources say that it took place in 364 A.D., during the close of a 26-year war between Rome and Persia, near which time the Roman Emperor Julian died, and Jovian was elevated to the throne. The General Councils of the Church. First, let’s look at a list of the General Councils of the Church, in which the Council of Laodicea is not listed (because it was regional, or local, instead of encompassing all of the bishops of the Roman Catholic Church). The first was the First General Council of Nicaea in 325 during the time of Constantine. The last was Vatican II in 1962-1965. 1. The First General Council of Nicaea, 325 The Council of Nicaea fresco in the Sistine Salon Vatican, showing Constantine the Great presiding 2. The First General Council of Constantinople, 381 3. The General Council of Ephesus, 431 4. The General Council of Chalcedon, 451 5. The Second General Council of Constantinople, 553 6. The Third General Council of Constantinople, 680-81 7. The Second General Council of Nicaea, 787 8. The Fourth General Council of Constantinople, 869-70 9. The First General Council of the Lateran, 1123 10.
    [Show full text]
  • This Remarkable Collection of Genuine Coins
    This remarkable collection of genuine coins traces the history of the Empire from the late second through the fourth centuries, a period of tumult and uncertainty, when emperors came and went, almost none of them dying of natural causes. The Roman Empire was the greatest the world had ever known. Its dominions stretched from Britain to Persia, from the Maghreb to Northern Europe, and encompassed every inch of shoreline along the great Mediterranean Sea. While Rome endured for centuries, establishing a system of colonization and administration that is still copied today, the Empire was always on the brink of collapse. Indeed, the definitive history of Rome, Edward Gibbon’s The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, covers the period from 98 through 1590 CE. In other words, Rome’s decline and fall lasted for almost 15 centuries! This remarkable collection of genuine bronze coins traces the history of the Empire from the late second through the fourth centuries, a period of tumult and uncertainty, when emperors came and went, almost none of them dying of natural causes. Indeed, the entire history of the Roman Empire is revealed in its coinage. Coins were the newspapers of their day, used not only to exchange for goods and services, but to share information. The portraits, legends, and reverse iconographies describe the adoration of the emperors and their heirs and families, and communicate imperial agendas in the realms of politics, religion, domestic life and the military. All of this history is handed down to us on these ancient coins. 1.
    [Show full text]