Constantine the Great and the Spread of Christianity
Today, 2.4 billion out of the world’s 7 billion inhabitants are followers of the most popular religion, Christianity. It is obvious that Rome once was and still is one of the biggest influencers on the religion. One only has to look as far as the largest section of Christianity, Roman Catholicism, to see the societies’ influence. Vatican City, home of arguably the most influential religious figure in the world, lies just to the West of Rome making the city very special to pilgrims, and tourists. Historically, Rome was not always a city/society that took to Christians kindly. Roman soldiers undertook the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus Christ as it was their responsibility to maintain control …show more content…
His father, Constantius Chlorus was an officer in the Roman military and would eventually become Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. While Constantine’s father was of very high standing, his mother Helena was not. It is not certain if Helena was ever married to Constantius Chlorus, but either way Constantius would eventually marry the stepdaughter of Maximian who was the Emperor of the Western Roman Empire in the year 289 A.D. who reigned along with Diocletian in the East. After the two stepped down due to health problems Constantius became Emperor of the West in the year 305 but his reign was short as he passed away in the year 306 and Constantine was controversially declared Emperor by his loyal troops. (Constantine I Biography …show more content…
The Greek city of Byzantium which is modern Istanbul, Turkey today was this desired spot. The city was renamed Constantinople. Statues to the old gods were replaced with Christian symbols and churches were built. In 325 Constantine once again became engaged with the theological side of the church. He called for the first Council of Nicea so major Christian bishops could find some common ground on the key beliefs of Christianity such as the divinity of Jesus. The end result found that Jesus was fully divine and of the same being as God. The two bishops who disagreed were banished (Constantine the Great Rules, NP). Constantine’s attitude towards Paganism was very interesting, because he still remained loyal to some of the old pagan traditions and gods, but at the same time he passed laws that prohibited adultery, confiscated gold, silver, and other valuable statues from pagan temples, and prohibited the construction of new temples. Constantine also showed a sense of humanity that was way ahead of his time. Condemned prisoners were not allowed to die in an arena, and prisoners were not allowed to be kept in complete darkness. On top of this Sunday was declared a day of rest, and crucifixion became outlawed. To ease the peace between the two he combined certain holidays such as Christmas, with the birthday of the pagan Sun god, and Easter also combining with Pagan holidays (Constantine
Today, 2.4 billion out of the world’s 7 billion inhabitants are followers of the most popular religion, Christianity. It is obvious that Rome once was and still is one of the biggest influencers on the religion. One only has to look as far as the largest section of Christianity, Roman Catholicism, to see the societies’ influence. Vatican City, home of arguably the most influential religious figure in the world, lies just to the West of Rome making the city very special to pilgrims, and tourists. Historically, Rome was not always a city/society that took to Christians kindly. Roman soldiers undertook the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus Christ as it was their responsibility to maintain control …show more content…
His father, Constantius Chlorus was an officer in the Roman military and would eventually become Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. While Constantine’s father was of very high standing, his mother Helena was not. It is not certain if Helena was ever married to Constantius Chlorus, but either way Constantius would eventually marry the stepdaughter of Maximian who was the Emperor of the Western Roman Empire in the year 289 A.D. who reigned along with Diocletian in the East. After the two stepped down due to health problems Constantius became Emperor of the West in the year 305 but his reign was short as he passed away in the year 306 and Constantine was controversially declared Emperor by his loyal troops. (Constantine I Biography …show more content…
The Greek city of Byzantium which is modern Istanbul, Turkey today was this desired spot. The city was renamed Constantinople. Statues to the old gods were replaced with Christian symbols and churches were built. In 325 Constantine once again became engaged with the theological side of the church. He called for the first Council of Nicea so major Christian bishops could find some common ground on the key beliefs of Christianity such as the divinity of Jesus. The end result found that Jesus was fully divine and of the same being as God. The two bishops who disagreed were banished (Constantine the Great Rules, NP). Constantine’s attitude towards Paganism was very interesting, because he still remained loyal to some of the old pagan traditions and gods, but at the same time he passed laws that prohibited adultery, confiscated gold, silver, and other valuable statues from pagan temples, and prohibited the construction of new temples. Constantine also showed a sense of humanity that was way ahead of his time. Condemned prisoners were not allowed to die in an arena, and prisoners were not allowed to be kept in complete darkness. On top of this Sunday was declared a day of rest, and crucifixion became outlawed. To ease the peace between the two he combined certain holidays such as Christmas, with the birthday of the pagan Sun god, and Easter also combining with Pagan holidays (Constantine