Constantine the Great - Term Paper Example

Constantine the Great Constantine was born at the time when the Roman Empire had already existed for about three hundred years; it happened in Naissus around 274 AD. As his father, Constantius, was a Roman officer, Constantine was trained early on as a soldier. At the time of his coming of age no Roman Emperor had been able to establish a peaceful system; political tension resulted in several rulers attempting to take command once an Emperor died, usually by bloody battles, which caused great turmoil among the people (Bowman). This system was disastrous and the Empire had strong enemies who constantly raided the four big Roman cities: Milan, Athens, Ephesus, and Antioch. In 284, the Empire was ruled by General Diocletian and co-Emperor Maximian; Caesares were appointed by leaders, one of them being Constantius. A system known as tetrarchy was implemented which divided the Empire into four territories with one officer assigned to defend each territory. This system became much more efficient in putting the end to the civil wars and the Empire was able to successfully defend against Persian and German raids. The tax system was reformed and the increased revenue allowed the construction of walls and other defenses; by the fourth century the Empire was considered stable. Christians were a minority population and refused to recognize the Roman Empire as a divine entity and would not submit to taxation, sacrifices or imperial service. In 303, Christians were pronounced enemies of the State. Christians were prosecuted in an attempt to force them into loyalty. It was during the campaigns of Diocletian that Constantine gained experience and military training. Constantius died in 306 and the common people declared Constantine as successor though this support and decision was unpopular and not favored by others in the tetrarchy. Constantine married the daughter of Maximian, who was granted shelter at Constantine’s court when he later became enemies with Maxentius. A conference in 308 insisted upon Constantine relinquishing his title of Augustus and return to being only a Caesar but Constantine refused. Maximian made an attempt to gain power and Constantine, upon learning this, immediately marched into Gaul. Maximian either committed suicide or was executed in 310 (“Emperor Constantine”). Constantine had an amazing vision in which he claimed to see the symbol of Christ shining above the sun, he imagined this to be a divine vision and had his soldiers paint the symbol on their shields. It seemed Constantine’s conversion was genuine and Constantine is thought to believe that the God of the Christians was the real God (Fout, 119). In his attempt to follow the Christian God, he began to show concern for the unity of the Church. He supported and advocated for the Church in public, encouraging new construction of Churches and discouraging paganism. While Constantine tolerated and advocated for the Church in public, pagans, Jews, and Christians all occupied important posts and the Church was moved to the center of the Empire (Fout, 120). There has been some controversy over the exact nature and facts of what is known as the ‘Edict of Milan.’ Reliable textbooks state that in 313, Emperor’s Constantine and Licinius met at mediolanum jointly issuing a decree known today as the Edict of Milan that proclaimed toleration of all religions. This document was not actually issued in Milan but was issued by Licinius to provide for the return of property confiscated from individual Christians and from Christian Communities in the years from 303 forward. It also known that no Edict whatsoever issued in Milan survives except the so called Edict of Milan’ which was used to preserve a letter by Lucinius to a Governor. An example of the manuscript remained in good enough condition that we were able to copy a small section and though we did not translate the section that would definitely be an interesting and rewarding find: Cum feliciter tam ego [quam] Constantinus Augustus quam etiam ego Licinius Augustus apud Mediolanum convenissemus atque universa quae ad commoda et securitatem publicam pertinerent, in tractatu haberemus, haec inter cetera quae videbamus pluribus hominibus profutura, vel in primis ordinanda esse credidimus, quibus divinitatis reverentia continebatur, ut daremus et Christianis et omnibus liberam potestatem sequendi religionem quam quisque voluisset, ... (Lactantius, Mort. Pers. 48.2, ed. J.).(Barnes) Loosely translated this passage demonstrates Constantine’s desire for religious freedom; When I am so happy [which] also to the Emperor Constantine I Augustus Licinius met at Milan and all that to the advantages and the matter of public security and, in the treaty we had, among other things, these things which we saw several men will be profitable, or in the first regulations to be made, which contained divine reverence, so that we would give to the Christians and others full authority to follow religion which everyone wanted. Throughout Constantine’s illustrious career, his contributions were often overlooked and underappreciated in the growth of the Early Church. Constantine provided favors to the church and without these favors it is possible that the church would have remained a minor sect and became dominated by paganism. The Council of Nicea took place in 325 AD directed to be so by the order of Constantine. This Council affirmed the deity of Jesus Christ and also established an official definition of the Trinity. Constantine committed many actions now are known to have played a large role in the Church, allowing a solid foundation from which the people could build from: Constantine completed civil basilica, constructing new public baths and also erecting Christian Church at the Lateran which was then baptized Constantine published the Decree of Galerius giving religious freedom in his realm and ordered the prefect in Africa to restore Christian property and aid to the bishops He permitted the emancipation of slaves within the church Constantine also made Sunday a civil holiday and freed Christian soldiers for religious services In a somewhat outrageous move, he leveled a cemetery on Vatican Hill instead to build a vast martyr basilica on the spot thought to be the final resting place of the Apostle S. Peter Christian Monograms were painted on his army shields He organized Christian religious ceremonies and made Sunday a civil holiday He also requested that fifty copies of the Christian scriptures to be magnificent and elaborately bound He requested that these fifty copies of the Christian scripture be used by the churches in the city and to be converted to Greek language for the people to understand. In 396, Constantine launched a brilliant attack on Britain and then sailed up the Thames to London destroying the remnants of Allecttus’ army. He began restoring their frontier defenses. His enforcement of Diocletians edicts against Christ was very lax; there was the burning of some churches though no believers were executed. Soon after becoming the Senior Emperor in the West, Constantine realized he was going to die (“Emperor 1 Constantine”). Knowing this and being on his death bed, he requested to be baptized. This last kind act was performed at his bed by Eusebius, Bishop of Nicomedia. When Constantine died on the 22 of May, 337 AD, his body was carried to the Church of the Holy Apostles, the Mausoleum. The decision that he would be buried in the mausoleum in a most absurd and strange way elevated Constantine, the first Christian Emperor, to the status of an old pagan Deity (“Emperor 1 Constantine”). The influence of Constantine is physically appreciated through the many churches that he erected from 325-329 AD. He built the Church of the Apostles, began work on the Hagia Sophia, completed the Church of Saint Irene, and the Church of the Holy Nativity in Bethlehem. It is possible up to this very day to admire a man’s vision and to appreciate the beauty of his ideas when visiting any number of Landmarks that are still with us today. Works Cited Barnes, Timothy D. "Constantine After Seventeen Hundred Years: The Cambridge Companion, The York Exhibition And A Recent Biography." International Journal Of The Classical Tradition 14.1/2 (2007): 185-220. Academic Search Premier. Web. 10 Apr. 2012. Bowman, Jeffrey. "Constantine I, The Great." Constantine I, The Great (2009): 1. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 9 Apr. 2012. "Emperor Constantine." The Roman Empire. Web. 09 Apr. 2012 "Emperor 1 Constantine." The Roman Empire. Web. 11 Apr. 2012. Fletcher, Joseph. Life of Constantine the Great (1852). Kessinger Publishing (2010) "Constantius I." Britannica Biographies (2011): 1. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 11 Apr. 2012. Fout, Jason A. "Defrnding Constantine: The Twilight Of An Empire And The Dawn Of Christendom." Political Theology 13.1 (2012): 119-121. Academic Search Premier. Web. 9 Apr. 2012. Karras, Athanasuis Constantine. "Biography, Constantine the Great, Leadership Style of Constantine the Great: Significance for Leadership Development in the Church.” A doctoral dissertation. 2001. Print. Kousoulas, D.G. The Life and Times of Constantine The Great. Rutledge Books, Inc., 1997. Print. Read More