Constantine I

When Constantine moved the capital to Constantinople the Christian churches of Rome and Constantinople found themselves at odds. They ended up differing on many subjects. Over the years they gradually grew apart until the final split happened in 1054. This continues to today. The differences are slight but significant. The Roman church continued with using Latin as the official language, giving the Pope the ultimate authority, but not allowing priests to get married (Doc C). Whilst the Eastern Orthodox church decided to have Greek as the official language, instead of a Pope they had a ceremonial leader, also known as the Patriarch (who could marry); this is because Constantinople failed to see the Pope as the supreme authority. Their interpretation of the bible was also a bit different (Doc C). In the world there are about 120,845,374 people who worship Orthodox Christianity. Though there are many branches of it. Most of the religion stays in the Eastern side of the world, except the 5,000,000 or so Americans (Doc C). If it hadn’t been for the Byzantines stepping out

While Constantine I ruled the Roman Empire, Christianity became the overriding faith of Rome. 5 While Constantine I had been exposed to Christianity during childhood through his mother, Helena, he was never a true believer. Many Christian sources write that Constantine received a revelation in 312 before the Battle of Milvian Bridge.

The Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic, are two variations of the same religion, that due to some disagreements over certain ideas and religious teachings leads to the great Schism in 1054 AD. The great schism of 1054 refers to the final separation of the Eastern Orthodox church, led by the patriarch in Constantinople and the western church, led by Pope Leo IX. The estrangement between the Orthodox and Roman church, happened gradually over the course of the 5th and much of the 11th century. The reasons of the Schism are attributed to several differences between the two churches. The religious and doctrinal studies of the East, had roots in Greek philosophy, while the Western studies closely followed Roman law. Misunderstandings between the two churches then led to two separate ways of defining one doctrine, which would initiate the split. The doctrine in question, procession of the Holy Spirit, where without consulting the East the Roman churches added “and from the Son” to the Nicene Creed. This was not the only thing the two churches clashed on. The eastern church resented the forced clerical celibacy, political jealousies and interests only intensified the disputes. There had been schisms before but not ones that were permanent. While there may have been hopes for a reconciliation, the eastern Greeks were infuriated by the Latin capture of Constantinople in 1204 A.D. After this, any pleas from the west concerning reunion were rejected. (“Schism of 1054”)

Besides Constantine’s hunger for power, there was another detrimental flaw in his strategy for the spread of Christianity. According to many historians, Constantine did not actually believe in the Christian religion. Although he made it a priority to spread Christianity through the Roman Empire, He continued to worship the Sun God. According to The Impact of Constantine on Christianity there was,

The life of Constantine, a Roman emperor from 306 to 337 AD, is explained by two different accounts that differ from each other. The first one that was written by Eusebius in 337 AD states that Constantine is a victorious, pious emperor who helps others and orders the construction of sacred places to honor Christ. The second account was written in 520 AD by Zosimus and it states that Constantine is an impious, arrogant and selfish emperor who is responsible of the Roman Empire’s collapse.

He was the first emperor to make the conversion to Christianity. Christianity is a monotheistic religion that focuses on the teachings of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Reasons why he may have converted from paganism to Christianity are that it could help him politically in ruling the empire by gaining support or that during war his experiences may have caused him to have a change of heart but most think it's because of the former. Christianity did not become the official religion until the reign of Emperor Theodosius. Constantine blamed his rise to power on the Christian God and believed that he was chosen by God to rule and bring prosperity to all.

Eight years after Constantine's birth, Emperor Diocletian issued a new type of government: a tetrarchy, or “rule of four”. This tetrarchy split the government in two, and consisted of Maximian, a strong military commander, ruling the west, and Diocletian himself ruling the east. Galerius, a soldier of Rome, and Constantius Chlorus, Constantine's father, served as co-Caesars. It was in the east that Constantine happened to work as a member of the Imperial Court. So, it comes as no surprise that there is where he probably had his first encounters with Christianity in court circles and in the cities of the east. Diocletian and Galerius, on the other hand, dealt with Christianity almost constantly, but with their beliefs firmly rooted withing paganism, they were the ones who persecuted the Christians. For these men the state of mind toward state and God between Christianity and roman paganism were polar opposites: “In the Roman mind, religion was a government department, and it was the duty of the government to maintain favor in the eyes of the gods. From the Christian point of view there was a distinct difference between God and emperor, and the former had priority. Pagans saw Christians as a dangerous threat to the crown. Christians simply wanted relief from persecution (Willems, Katharine. “Constantine and Christianity: The Formation of the Christian State Church”)”; Diocletian was

Constantine defeated the Eastern Emperor Licinius in the civil war of 324. Since this point, he reigned over the whole united Roman Empire. One of Constantinople's actions as Emperor was to move the capital of Rome from the city of Rome to Byzantium, which he renamed Constantinople. Rome, as the original capital, still retained much of its power. The two cities served as capitals of the Eastern and Western halves of the Empire. Having contracted a serious illness, Constantine was officially baptised into Christianity on his deathbed. The next great change for Christianity came under the rule of Emperor Theodosius in 379 AD. Although the Roman Empire had been predominately Christian for some time, Theodosius took the final step in making Christianity

Constantine was one of the most famous Christians ever. If it were not for him Christianity would be dead. He was not a saint, he was guilty of killing his wife and child. He joined Christianity because

Constantine researched on emperors before him and saw reasons for their demise with a dishonorable end. Worshipping multiple gods had led to the downfall of the ones who led before him. Reilly states, “While engaged in enquiry, the thought occurred to him that of the many emperors who had preceded him, those who had rested their hopes in a multitude of gods, and served them with sacrifices... had met with an unhappy end” (248). However, the one whom he had realized to his provider and Shelter and the successful one among most was his father who served one supreme being. Reilly says, “While one alone, Constantine’s father who had pursued an entirely opposite course, who had condemned their error and honored the Supreme God during his whole life had found him to be Saviour and Protector of his Empire. and the giver of everything good” (248).

Before Emperor Constantine made the decision to convert to Christianity he was anti-christianity previously. Even though people made a big deal in the beginning about the Emperor Constantine’s choice to convert he still became well known for this. Many people were curious as to what could

The first ecumenical council, Nicaea, provided a foundation on which all other church councils would operate. This council was called to order for the Airian controversy needed to be addressed. Arius developed a doctrine, deemed heretical by the council, that declared: “There was (once) when Christ was not.” Which understood the idea of “begetting” as “creating.” Differing theological ideas were the norm in that era as people wrestled with questions surrounding the incarnation and various other religion-based qualms. However, a fierce opponent rose against Arius, his name was Athanasius. During this time Constantine was in power and intended to make a united religion, but Arius’ thoughts were causing a schism that Constantine thought needed

The beginning of the fourth century was when the Orthodox Church developed. After 100s and 100s of years an Emperor of the Roman Empire was orthodox. This was St Constantine the Great. During the 4th century to the 10th, the Church and the Empire developed a very close and beneficial relationship. St Constantine was the son of Constantius Constainious Chlorus, and St Helen. He was born between 272 and 280 in Naissus (todays Nis in Serbia). St Constantine’s full name was Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus. As a young boy St Constantine was educated in matters of religion known as Solar Henotheism. He was also educated in the art of military, fighting in both Egypt and Persia before joining his father’s military campaign. In 306, when his

While Constantine supposedly converted to Christianity in 312, he wasn't baptized until on his deathbed 25 years later. In the intervening years he had his wife and eldest son murdered, and from all appearances he continued as a worshipper of the sun god. Long after his supposed conversion he had coins minted with a portrait of himself on one side and a depiction of his “companion, the unconquered Sol [sun]”

As we compare Eusebius's story of the life of Constantine and Argothos, History of the Armenians. Both Kings have some similarities but one deciding factor is that they both convert differently. As we go through eusebius's account of Constantine, Constantine is convince under his own understanding of what Christianity is. He converts to christianity by himself. He decides to change after he does his investigation. This only happens after he