![]() Eusebius refers to the story of the emperor's conversion to Christianity in 336 while giving a speech in honor of him. There is no good reason to doubt these accounts of Constantine's conversion. When Constantine declared himself a Christian, a third of the Roman empire is thought to have been Christians. This represents a dramatic change in the attitudes of religious tolerance within the Roman empire.Īs Constantine contemplated his future, the purpose of his life may have gradually fallen into place, convincing him that he would cast away the old worshiping of Roman gods and lead a life of faith as taught by the Christian God. ![]() This edict was passed in February 313 AD after Constantine left Rome. It was from these meetings that Licinius drafted the Edict of Milan, granting to all in the Roman Empire the freedom to worship any god they chose. Constantine had previously met with Licinius in Milan in March 312 where they discussed the future of the empire. He ordered the restitution of property confiscated from Christians during their previous persecution. He did not make any sacrifices to Roman gods during his time there. A Brief Stay in RomeĬonstantine entered Rome as the welcomed and undisputed master of the West, but would not stay in the city for very long. He made the priests of God his close advisers, and believed that it was his duty to honor the God who had appeared to him in his original vision. It is likely that these Bishops affirmed to him that Jesus was the only begotten son of God and that the cross he had seen in his vision was a symbol of Jesus' triumph over death.Ĭonstantine devoted himself completely to God, and would from then on immerse himself in the reading of inspired writings. It is known that Bishops regularly traveled with Constantine, Maternus from Cologne, Recticius from Autun, Marinus from Arles, and Ossius from Cordoba. So he begins to seek out others who might help him to learn more about what he has seen. Maxentius himself was seen to fall from the bridge into the river as his army was retreating and drown due to his heavy armor.Įusebius says that Constantine doesn't know which god has given him this sign in the sky, but that he was so moved by his vision of the cross that he vowed to worship no other God than the one represented to him. His cavalry chased the remnants of the enemy's forces across the Tiber river. Constantine's infantry, many of whom were Christians, decisively win the battle. Maxentius displayed the banner of the Unconquerable Sun as his battle standard. Constantine advanced to the forefront of the battle behind the initials of Christ interwoven with a cross. On October 28, 312 AD, the Battle of Milvian Bridge was fought outside of Rome against Maxentius. The emperor explains the heavenly dream to his army and tells them to make the battle standard that is described, placing the symbol of the "Highest God" on their shields. He dreams of a common Christian symbol, the Greek symbols chi and rho, an X with an R, which looks like a long P, drawn through the middle. Underneath were written the Greek words en toutoi nika, "In this sign, conquer."īut the Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea, a Roman historian who would later write a favorable biography of Constantine, tells that he and his army experienced this vision just before the battle outside of Rome began.īoth accounts tell of Constantine not fully understanding the meaning of this vision and praying for an explanation. He states that in Gaul, before setting out towards Rome, Constantine and his army saw a great cross in the sky. ![]() The first is by Lactantius, a tutor to Constantine's son and a good authority. There are two accounts of Constantine's conversion to Christianity. As a sign of confidence, Maxentius moves his army to meet Constantine outside the safety of the city's defenses. His armies fight their way south until they begin to approach Rome. Constantine decides to cross the Alps into the Italian peninsula near Mt. This left him with forces much smaller than that of his enemy. This is no easy task, as he must maintain an elaborate supply chain for his army while leaving behind some troops to defend the Rhine frontier while he is gone. ![]() He decides to invade the Italian peninsula from Gaul. Photo credit: Constantine the Emperor by David Potter ![]()
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