Constantine defeated his rivals to claim the Western Roman Empire. He bested his main rival, Maxentius, at Milvian Bridge in 312 and marched into the capital to popular acclaim. Since he attributed his victory to the Christian god, Constantine ended persecutions and legalized the religion. The first Christian emperor went further and established Christianity as Rome’s official religion and intermingled church and state laying the foundations of over 1500 years of Christian power.
Constantine had a vision before his showdown with Maxentius. He believed that if his troops painted the Christian symbol on their shields, he would defeat his enemy. At Milvian Bridge, Constantine’s troops routed Maxentius. After the battle, Constantine marched into Rome a hero and the Senate proclaimed him emperor.
The new emperor consolidated his power within the city and empire. In 313, he issued the Edict of Milan with the Eastern Emperor Licinius. Constantine felt he owed the Christian god for his success. During this period, people believed the stronger god won battles. Constantine had to show his respect to the his patron or risk the consequences. The edict legalized Christianity and restored property seized by Diocletian.
Constantine made conversion advantageous. Christians received special rights under his regime. Churches received tax breaks and priests were exempted from military service. Constantine donated public lands to build churches. He also supported the church with public funds and built religious structures. Additionally, Christians returned to government service and some held high office.
In addition to supporting the Christian Church with government action, Constantine’s mother founded Biblical archaeology. St. Helena traveled to the Holy Land in search of relics. Tradition credits her with discovering the True Cross. Constantine built the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on the site she claimed to have made the discovery. Additionally, Helena is credited with other major discoveries. The validity of her discoveries are questionable, but not to the people in the fourth century.
While his mother made dramatic discoveries, Constantine presided over doctrinal matters. In 325, he presided over the Council of Nicea which determined the true nature of God. Trinitarians believed God included the father, son, and Holy Spirit while the Arians thought this smacked of polytheism. The council sided with the Trinitarians and Constantine swore to enforce the ruling. The issue tore Constantine personally, but he swore to uphold the council’s findings and declared the Arians heretics. While Constantine's policies tied church and state, the Council of Nicea intimately married the two entities as the emperor involved himself in settling doctrinal matters.
By the time of Nicea, Constantine had moved the capital to Asia Minor. The power and wealth of the empire existed in the east and Rome was too far from the frontier to effectively govern. Licinius launched a persecution of Christians in 320 knowing it would result in another Roman civil war. Constantine defeated him in 324 unifying Rome under one emperor once more. Licinus’ defeat opened the east to Constantine’s imperial designs and the emperor moved the capital to Byzantium. Constantine built a Christian city in his own image. He based the city on Rome and moved important relics within its walls. Constantine offered incentives to Roman elites to move east. The city represented a shift in imperial power away from Rome.
After building his city and transferring Rome’s political power eastward, Constantine continued campaigns against barbarians and planned for war with Persia. In 337, Constantine fell ill and was baptized on his deathbed. Constantine hoped the baptism would wash away his sins and guarantee entry into heaven. He died shortly thereafter.
Constantine legalized and mainstreamed Christianity. Without his victory at Milvian Bridge, the religion may never have ascended to control the western world. Constantine provided benefits and incentives to convert. He involved himself in doctrine and dogma and helped extend the religion. His efforts intimately entwined church and state. As a result of Constantine’s efforts, the church remained a major force in geopolitics to the present day.
Author: Don Keko | Source: Examiner [October 02, 2010]