Constantine’s Early Years
Born more than 1,700 years ago, Constantine I was a Roman emperor who declared himself a Christian. Even in his earliest years, Constantine was influenced by Christianity, as his father was the ruler of a branch of the Christian faith. He was exposed to various religious doctrines of the day, eventually leading him to Christianity in his teenage years, and laying the groundwork for his later evangelical work.
After ascending to the throne, Constantine quickly set his sights on Christianity and began a spree of evangelization that would eventually see Christianity become the official religion of the Roman Empire. He repealed anti-Christian laws and declared Sunday as the official day of rest, furthering the idea that Christianity was the preferred faith.
Constantine outlined the principles of faith as laid out by the Nicene Creed and enacted various measures to reinforce them. For example, he outlawed pagan worship and appointed Christian teachers and preachers to educate and indoctrinate the masses, eventually paving the way for Christianity to lose its persecuted status and spread through the empire.
Edict Of Milan
The Edict of Milan was one of Constantine’s most momentous acts, issuing a decree that abolished all religious persecution and allowed everyone—regardless of faith—to “follow whatever religion he chooses.” This act of religious tolerance was particularly important in a time when many residents of Rome either practiced other religions, or where hesitant to declare themselves Christian.
Before long, the Edict of Milan was evenly disseminated throughout the empire and Christians everywhere rejoiced with Constantine’s newfound conversion. He was seen as a liberator of sorts and the religious persecution of Christians came to an end. Immensely pleased with his work, Constantine became an ardent evangelist for Christianity, creating various laws and practices that allowed for the rapid expansion of the faith.
Building Places Of Worship
It was during Constantine’s reign that sanctioned Christian places of worship began to be constructed in Rome. A major development, this allowed for Christian evangelism to be conducted on a much grander scale than before. Great basilicas, cathedrals and forums were built across the empire and used to house the rapidly growing Christian population.
Constantine also donated large sums of money to the construction of churches and provided the necessary resources to ensure their success. He also granted a large amount of official privileges and authority to the Christian priesthood, furthering the Christianization of Rome and significantly strengthening the foothold of Christianity within the empire.
Spreading The Gospel
Aside from building churches and constructing religious monuments, Constantine sought to spread the message of Christianity wherever he could. He heavily relied on the Christian texts of the day, such as the Bible, to promote the faith and wrote several letters encouraging his subjects to declare themselves loyal to God and the Christian faith.
His efforts in spreading Christianity were not confined to just Rome, however. Roaming around the empire with an immense sense of purpose and zeal, he visited some of the farthest provinces of the empire and preached directly to their people. His presence had an incredible impact, as those who attended Constantine’s sermons—many of whose original faith had been oppressive or in conflict with Christianity—quickly converted to the “new” faith.
Legacy Of Constantine
Constantine’s impact on Christianity was immense, and his actions were a major catalyst in allowing Christianity to become the major religion of the Roman Empire. He put forth a stringent set of laws that prevented any more religious persecution, allowing the faith to spread freely and with abandon. He also constructed churches to house this growing congregation, and spread the gospel far and wide in the both the eastern and western parts of the empire.
His legacy lives on even to this day, as even in the face of persecution Constantine refused to give up his faith and worked to make Christianity the major faith in the Roman Empire. By the time Constantine died, his legacy as an important evangelist and religious revolutionary had already been cemented in history.
Constantine And The Conversion Of Jews
Under Constantine, the conversion of Jews was heavily encouraged. Roman Christians had historically been antagonistic towards Jews and their religion, however, Constantine strove to change people’s attitudes to greater acceptance. He issued several decrees that ensured religious freedom for Jews and sought to abolish any form of discrimination.
He also allowed Jews to construct their own places of worship, although these were restricted to ones in private homes and underground chambers to avoid any potential unrest. This did little to hinder the conversion of Jews, who were inspired by Constantine and saw his message as one of peace and tolerance. Over the years, conversions to Christianity increased significantly and many Jews saw the value of the faith and adopted it.
Constantine And Paganism
Constantine actively worked towards suppressing any form of paganism and idol worship in the empire during his reign. He banned any form of pagan festival and replaced them with Christian ones and sought to close temples and places of pagan worship. Although his efforts were met with some resistance, Constantine was able to implement a near-total ban on all forms of paganism within the empire, something unheard of in that time period.
He also actively sought to promote Christianity and its core principles, such as monotheism, by outlawing any form of duality and promoting Christian symbols such as the cross. In time, paganism faded into obscurity, especially with the increased acceptance of Christianity within the empire.
Constantine’s Crusade Against Heresy
Constantine was also one of the first to try and stamp out what he perceived as heretical teachings that were contrary to orthodox Christianity. Dissenting voices were quickly shut down and those who held differing views were forced to keep them to themselves out of fear of retribution from Constantine, who sought to instill a more unified view of Christian belief.
This unified view of Christian belief led to the adoption of the Nicene Creed and its strict teachings, further advancing the orthodox version of Christianity. Heresy was also equated to treason during Constantine’s time, signifying the power he had to enact these laws and the importance of these measures to Christianization.
Military Tactics Of Constantine
Constantine was a keen military strategist and regularly deployed his forces to protect and spread Christianity. He received financial and military aid from Christian sympathizers and used the resources to gain control of provinces that did not already have a Christian majority. This allowed for the expansion of Christianity and its doctrines, pushing the faith further into parts of the empire that still remained unconverted.
He also issued various military edicts, such as guaranteeing clemency and freedom of religion to conquered peoples and prohibiting the construction of pagan temples. By doing so, he ensured the spread of Christianity and disallowed any kind of resurgence in the prevalence of paganism.
Constantine And His Successors
Constantine’s successors were quick to carry on his work, utilizing the same strategies and tactics that he had been so successful with in promoting Christianity. His immediate family was a major factor in the way in which Christianity spread and was accepted by the people of the Roman Empire.
Though conversion was not immediately widespread, Constantine’s descendants and court helped to further the growth of Christianity, eventually paving the way for it to become mainstream and the religion of choice throughout the Roman Empire. Even after his death, Constantine’s legacy continued to be felt and remains to this day.
