By adopting christianity as the religion of the vast roman empire, he elevated a once illegal cult to the law of the land. Constantine the great and christianity eusebius of caesarea and other christian sources record that constantine experienced a dramatic event in 312 at the battle of milvian bridge, after which constantine claimed the emperorship in the west. A captivating guide to the first christian roman emperor and how he ruled the roman empire hardback or cased book item description author. Stephenson notes that the roman army was the core constituency for any emperor, which meant that an emperor wishing to initiate a program of religious change had to take the attitude of the army into account. Constantine the great was a roman emperor of illyrian ancestry who ruled from 306 to 337 ad.
Paul stephenson this work surveys the life and legacy of the first christian roman emperor, describing the vision that inspired his religious conversion and subsequent conquest of the imperial capital, his founding. Constantine the great about ad274337, roman emperor 30637, the first roman ruler to be converted to christianity. He not only initiated the evolution of the empire into a christian state but also provided. Reconsidering roman power apollo, christ, and mithras. Sep 26, 2019 constantine the great is known in history as the first roman emperor to convert to christianity. A fascinating survey of the life and enduring legacy of perhaps the greatest and most unjustly ignored of the roman emperorswritten by a richly gifted historian. Constantine is a fascinating survey of the life and enduring legacy of perhaps the greatest and most unjustly ignored of the roman emperors.
Apr 19, 20 constantine i was roman emperor from 306 to 337 ce. He is most famous for becoming the single ruler of the roman empire after deceiving and defeating licinius, his brotherinlaw and supposedly converting to christianity. Was the emperor constantine a true christian or was he a. His books include theodora, the victors crown, emperors of rome, and ancient rome. Constantine waited until death drew near to be baptized as a christian. However, legends and archaeological evidence suggest a different story it seems that constantine had a secret about his faith which was hidden for centuries. Rather than trying to reconcile disparate accounts to construct an image of an emperor who fits our categories of christian or pagan, however. His decision was not unusual in a day when many christians believed one could not be forgiven after baptism.
On the eve of the battle, a cross appeared to him in the sky with an exhortation, by this sign conquer. He was a popular emperor, famous for the numerous administrative, financial, social, and military reforms he implemented to strengthen the empire. Constantine i, the first roman emperor to profess christianity. Since the book covers a broad topic, there is very little detail provided, but if you are interested in a good overview of the roman empire, this book is for you. Realizing that the roman empire was too large for one man to adequately rule, emperor diocletian 284305 ce split the empire into two, creating. Bust of constantine i introduction the emperor constantine has rightly been called the most important emperor of late antiquity. His two sons, by an unknown wife, flavius dalmatius and hannibalianus held high offices in their uncles administration. On 28 october 312 ad, the sixth anniversary of his reign, he approached the keepers of the sibylline books for guidance. Edited by elizabeth hartley, jane hawkes, martin henig and francee mee.
In answer, constantine bade his soldiers to inscribe the cross on their shield, and so fortified, they drove their rivals into the tiber and claimed rome for themselves. In art, politics, economics and particularly in religion, the life of constantine acts as a bridge between past and present. The relationship between constantine the great and christianity as well as how constantine, being the first christian emperor of the roman empire affected the future of. However, the point of this particular work seems to be a clumsy attempt to use this significant knowledge of rome as a weapon against the sincerity of constantine s faith and, indeed, christianity generally. In 3, they signed the edict of milan which stated that christians would no longer be persecuted in the roman empire. Roman emperor, christian victor is a blend of biography and history. Constantine the great is known in history as the first roman emperor to convert to christianity. Constantine i, roman emperor questia online library. This is a good book for someone who knows little about the roman empire.
It develops this history through a biography of ten important emperors from augustus through constantine. This is a chronologically ordered list of roman emperors. Did constantine decide what books belonged in the bible. Emperor of all of rome seven years later, licinius decided to renew the persecution of. This book on constantine and the christian empire is the result of my extensive research, travel and teaching on constantine. A captivating guide to the first christian roman emperor and how he ruled the roman empire.
Aug 10, 2018 the roman emperor constantine c 280 337 a. Jun 10, 2010 a fascinating survey of the life and enduring legacy of perhaps the greatest and most unjustly ignored of the roman emperorswritten by a richly gifted historian. Although his early years seem to have been spent in gaul at the city of tolosa, he may have been recalled as early as the mid 320s. Eusebius quoted the letter of commission in his life of constantine, and it is the only surviving source from which we know of the. May 31, 2014 this video covers the life and reign of constantine the great, the first christian emperor of the roman empire. Emperor constantine the great romes first christian.
A captivating guide to justinian the great and how this emperor ruled the roman empire. Constantine i emperor of rome 337 worldcat identities. The justice of constantine university of michigan press. As the first christian emperor of rome, constantine the great has long interested those studying the establishment of christianity. His father became caesar, the deputy emperor in the west, in 293 ce. The facts are that claudius constantine established the roman catholic religion in 325 ac after caesar. Charlemagne used monumental constantinian forms in his court to suggest that he was constantine s successor and equal. Dec 10, 2012 scholarly biography of the legendary roman emperor best known as the man who converted to christianity and in so doing made it possible for christianity to become a world religion. Paul stephenson this work surveys the life and legacy of the first christian roman. Flavius claudius constantinus, known in english as constantine iii died shortly before 18 september 411 was a roman general who declared himself western roman emperor in britannia in 407 and established himself in gaul. And constantine became the emperor of the vast roman empire. The fifty bibles of constantine were bibles in the original greek language commissioned in 331 by constantine i and prepared by eusebius of caesarea. For all this, constantine the emperor is still a solid and very readable book. History records that constantine became the first christian emperor of rome and played a major role in converting the pagan roman empire to christianity.
With coemperor licinius, he issued the edict of milan in 3, which proclaimed tolerance of all religions. Constantine i emperor of rome global firsts and facts. Rise to power when his father was made caesar subemperor, constantine was left at the court of the emperor diocletian, where he was under the watchful eye of galerius. Paul stephenson offers a nuanced and deeply satisfying account of a man whose cultural and spiritual renewal of the roman empire gave birth to the idea of a unified christian europe underpinned by a commitment to religious tolerance. Discover librarianselected research resources on constantine i, roman emperor from the questia online library, including fulltext online books, academic. During the reign of the roman emperor constantine the great ad 306337, christianity began to transition to the dominant religion of the roman empire. The first pope of rome the roman emperor constantine. Join britannicas publishing partner program and our community of experts to gain a global audience for your work. Books on constantine the great and constantinople byzantine. Constantine the great also known as constantine i, was a roman emperor who ruled between. He was the first christian emperor and saw the empire begin to become a christian state. He celebrated faith in one christian god and his son. List of books and articles about constantine i, roman emperor. The view that potter presents of the emperor is necessarily a partial one, and in many ways a rather biased one.
Constantine was the son of flavius valerius constantius, a roman army officer, and his consort, helena. Historians remain uncertain about constantines reasons for favoring christianity, and theologians and historians have often argued about which form of early christianity he subscribed to. Constantine was sent east, where he rose through the ranks to become a military tribune under the emperors. But constantine is also notable for his ability to control a sprawling empire and effect major changes. Since the advent of history as a formal discipline, we have struggled to explain how constantine i r. We look at constantines conversion at the battle of milvian bridge, his attempts to. Publication coincides with the major international exhibition on constantine celebrating the 1700th anniversary of his proclamation as emperor in york on 25 july 306, from the 31 march 29 october 2006 at the yorkshire museum, york. The justice of constantine examines constantine s judicial and. He was the first roman emperor to convert to christianity and played a crucial role in the spread of the religion. Founding his capital at constantinople, constantine revitalized the eastern half of the empire, enabling it to survive and to flourish as the byzantine empire for another thousand years. At the council of nicea, constantine the great settled christian doctrine for the ages. What is unique, however, about his contribution is the discussion of issues that are often overlooked by traditional scholarship, such as the attitude of the roman army towards constantine the emperor.
However, the point of this particular work seems to be a clumsy attempt to use this significant knowledge of rome as a weapon against the sincerity of constantines faith and, indeed, christianity generally. His acceptance of christianity and his establishment of an eastern capital city, which. He was followed by jerome who compiled and partly wrote the new testament while changing many parts of the old testament to make the two line up. Aug 27, 2018 the relationship between constantine the great and christianity as well as how constantine, being the first christian emperor of the roman empire affected the future of the empire as well as the. It is a detailed biographical narrative which reveals how this important emperor transformed christianity from a persecuted minority cult into an established majority religion, and changed the pagan state of classical rome. He was the founder of constantinople presentday istanbul, which remained the capital of the eastern roman byzantine empire until 1453.
The fun is that after a few shortlived decendents, julian the paul stephensons constantine is the best coverage by themes and best documented history of any of the roman emperiors i have. Constantine led christianity and its adherents out of the shadow of persecution. Scholarly biography of the legendary roman emperor best known as the man who converted to christianity and in so doing made it possible for christianity to become a world religion. Constantine the great delves into the reasons why the reign of this roman emperor 30637 marked an historical epoch, albeit one charged with irony. His work is largely a pastiche of recent scholarly work on constantine and in some places reads like a dissertation. It is very important to clarify exactly what role the emperor constantine played in the council of nicea, what the purpose for the council was, what happened at nicea, and briefly how the canonthe bible as we know itwas formed. In his new book, paul stephenson provides a fascinating survey of the life and legacy of one of the most influential roman emperors that ever lived. Constantine would be emperor of the west and licinius in the east. This video covers the life and reign of constantine the great, the first christian emperor of the roman empire. Flavius dalmatius was the son of constantius i and his wife theodora, and the halfbrother of the emperor constantine i. We look at constantine s conversion at the battle of milvian bridge, his attempts to. The religion of christianity was actually created by the roman emperor and high priest of apollo. He was the son of constantius i and helena and was named in full flavius valerius constantinus. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article requires login.
The emperor constantine by hans a pohlsander truth and fiction in the da vinci code. The life of augustus is historically important because his leadership marked out a new era in the story of the roman world, an era that would see the expansion of the roman empire across the mediterranean and beyond. A movement of protest in roman north africa, 1952 oxford, pp. Constantine was a strong emperor who made christianity more strongly accepted in the roman world and, hence, in history and later history of the rc church.
In the later byzantine state, it became a great honor for an emperor to be hailed as a new constantine. Its not really a biography, and despite the title, only about half the book is about the reign of emperor constantine, with the first half being a grounding in the crisis of the third century, and diocletians reign and depicts the tetrarchy as being far less a farsighted idea than ive seen elsewhere, and then shows what constantines place in the imperial court was before his selfappointment to the rank of augustus. Constantine the great was a roman emperor from 306337 ce. Dec 01, 2009 constantine was a strong emperor who made christianity more strongly accepted in the roman world and, hence, in history and later history of the rc church. The life of augustus is historically important because his leadership marked out a new era in the story of the roman world, an era. In this riveting book, the author outlines the lives of ten roman emperors, from augustus to constantine, as indicated in the book s subtitle. Constantine now considered himself a follower of the christian faith. The justice of constantine examines constantines judicial and. He not only initiated the evolution of the empire into a christian state but also provided the impulse for a distinctively christian culture that prepared the way for the growth of byzantine and western medieval culture. He states that he selected these ten particular emperors because he feels that they were the ten most successful ones. In 312, constantine one of four roman emperors ruling a divided empire marched on rome to establish his sole control of its western half. Explore our list of constantine i, emperor of rome d. Stephenson seems a competent historian and certainly knows a great deal about roman civilization. They were made for the use of the bishop of constantinople in the growing number of churches in that very new city.
It covers the life of constantine, though not in minute detail which, for all i know, might not be possible. Constantine 272337 was the first roman emperor to convert to christianity, after a moment of revelation in the campaign that culminated at. Constantine was a roman emperor who lived from 274 to 337 a. Paul stephensons constantine is the best coverage by themes and best documented history of any of the roman emperiors i have read thus far. What is unique, however, about his contribution is the discussion of issues that are often overlooked by traditional scholarship, such as the attitude of.
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