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CONSTANTINE AND THE CHURCH

Was Constantine the Great, Emperor of Rome, the man God used to catapult “Christianity” into the dominant role it plays in the western world today, as is commonly believed today? Moreover, was Constantine’s religion the one Christ commissioned his twelve apostles to take to the world? Unrecognized by most is the co-existence of two churches that claimed the name of Christianity. One adhered to pagan doctrine while usurping the name of Christ to gain followers. The other, both small and seemingly powerless, disappeared from view when it was pushed aside by the brutish efforts of those who sought to overthrow it in favor of its false counterpart. There’s much more to this story than most professing Christians realize.

The Rise of Constantine

Roman Emperor Constantine’s famous victory at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in the year 312 A.D., not only changed the Roman Empire, but also changed the face of a movement that was claiming the name of Christ and calling itself Christian. What is considered to be Constantine’s “inspired” spiritual conversion allowed the burgeoning pseudo-Christian movement—that was adopting some of Christ’s teachings while rejecting others—to escape persecution and rise to a position of dominance over the social and political aspects of the Roman Empire. This monumental change eventually led to the creation of the Roman Catholic Church and her daughter churches. But did Constantine’s conversion promote religion, or did he employ a “universal” form of Christianity as a brilliant tactic to unify the Roman Empire under an evolving religion that would come to reflect his own personality and religious dogma?

Following the death of his father, Constantine rose quickly in the Roman hierarchy, being elected to the position of Augustus by the army. He then moved decisively to solidify his position. However, the Empire remained divided, and Constantine acted in the fall of 312 A.D. to rid himself of a major rival to the Roman throne, a certain Maxentius, ruler of Italy and the master of Rome at that time. Constantine invaded Italy, which eventually led to the famous decisive battle at the Milvian Bridge.

Just before marching on Rome, Constantine is said to have had a vision. This vision appeared as a cross of light superimposed on the sun. Following this vision came a dream in which the “One Supreme Power” told him to conquer in the sign of the cross. He had his army paint the cross on their shields and then they attacked Maxentius at the battle of the Milvian Bridge. Constantine was outnumbered approximately three to one, but his troops were battle hardened and inspired by their new battle standard. As Constantine’s army routed the opposing army, Maxentius fled the battle and drowned trying to cross the river. Following this battle, Constantine became the undisputed emperor of Rome.

Much credit for his rise to power has been given to Constantine’s vision, yet following his victory very little significance was placed upon it. Even his triumphal arch states that he was full of divinity and by the greatness of his spirit avenged the commonwealth. It was many years later, after the emerging Universal Christian Church became the state religion, that the vision and dream began to evolve into something of great importance. By the time Eusebius wrote his history on the subject—many years after Constantine’s death—the vision and dream were greatly magnified. It was Eusebius who elevated the importance of these signs, and wrote that Constantine told him about them in a private conversation before he died. This may very well be true, but it is interesting that these signs and his conversion took on greater significance only over time as the church he was to have championed became more prominent.

Constantine’s Conversion

Constantine’s conversion to the universal Christian faith has been tied to the battle of the Milvian Bridge because he conquered his enemies in the sign of the cross. Historians pretty much all agree on this point. But did Constantine really convert to the faith, or was his conversion motivated by something else?

According to the scriptures, conversion is a process that includes repentance and baptism. Defeating your enemies in the name of God or a religious relic doesn’t constitute conversion. Such a notion stems from pagan concepts inherited from the hero worship of the Babylonian mysteries. In Acts 2:38, Peter says to repent and be baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 3:19 says to repent and be converted. The Bible is very clear that repentance and baptism are necessary, and without the help of the Holy Spirit, conversion is impossible. Did Constantine’s conversion include these two requirements just prior to his famous battle? History only records that Constantine had a deathbed confession, and last minute baptism, thus nothing in which would suggest he was truly converted to Christianity.

As emperor, Constantine did remove many pagan symbols of various gods. This was typical of conquerors who wished to turn the conquered to themselves. Constantine, however, never totally removed the pagan symbols of the sun god that were a prominent feature of the paganism that dominated Rome. In fact, he incorporated his belief of the sun god into the emerging Roman dominated form of Christianity that paralleled but was not in form or character the Church Jesus himself founded. Apparently, Constantine had trouble understanding the difference between the Father of Jesus Christ and his belief in the divine Sun.1

Concerning baptism, it was well documented that Constantine was not baptized until just before his death. This custom was followed by many in Rome who didn’t want to be judged or held accountable during their lifetime, and was counter to the prescribed baptism of the Bible. Compare this with Matthew 12:36 and 1 Peter 4:17 in which repentance and baptism are required in order to receive the Holy Spirit as an aid in living the godly life. This order in becoming a member of the church Christ founded (see 1 Corinthians 12:12-13) ran counter to the new Romanized faith that prescribed baptism at infancy or any time throughout the life of the adherent; thus leaving it open to the individual to find the convenient time to submit to the church’s faith. This is a pivotal point when considering all the doctrines Constantine brought to the church as he implemented his social reforms.

Constantine’s life was not ruled by the principles of the faith of the Bible. Thus we know the faith he followed had another focus. Where Jesus taught in Matthew 5:43 to love your enemies, Constantine crushed his enemies. Also, in Matthew 5:39, Jesus taught that if someone slaps you on your cheek, turn your other one also. Constantine murdered his son Crispus on mere suspicion of treason although some historians have stated he was jealous of his son’s popularity. Shortly after the execution of his son, he also had his wife Fausta executed for adultery. Even this death is disputed, and may have been revenge by Constantine’s mother Helena for the death of her grandson. These were not the only family members Constantine executed. Whatever the case, Constantine’s intent was apparent: his understanding of Christian values could no way be found to be consistent with the Bible.

Constantine’s Christianity Becomes Sanctioned by the State

When Constantine came to power, he inherited a pagan Rome. Emperor Diocletian had severely persecuted all other religions not his own, including Christianity, and reinvigorated ancient paganism as the state religion. One of the prominent forms of Roman paganism was the cult of Mithraism, which included many of the ancient Babylonian mysteries. This cult worshipped a pantheon of gods, but the “One Supreme Power” stood above all the rest. This “One Supreme Power” was the sun god and was worshipped on the first day of the week called the “Venerable Day of the Sun”. Today we just call this same day Sunday, based on the Gregorian calendar.

The Roman emperor was the high priest of this cult, and was given the title of Pontifex Maximus or Supreme Pontiff and Holy Father. As the Supreme Pontiff of this pagan religion, the emperor wore a mitre, purple robe, and the fisherman’s ring of the ancient god, Janus. All the holy garments descended from the ancient worship of the fish god Dagon. This mystery religion was absorbed from Greece, Egypt, and Phoenicia, and its roots were found in ancient Babylon, its original source. It directly controlled and influenced Roman thought and culture.

The form of Christianity that Constantine encountered, on the other hand, was considered a minor “Judaizing” sect and had very little influence on the Empire, but this changed drastically once Constantine came to full power. Within one year following his victory, religious tolerance was decreed and the Christianization of Rome began. Constantine became the first “Christian” emperor. It was much later in 324 A.D. when he defeated Licinius, the emperor of the eastern half of the Empire and thus reunited the Roman world under himself that he claimed to be the protector of the church.

At first, the church saw Constantine as their deliverer, especially the bishop of Rome. The Edict of Milan, which was issued by Constantine in 313 A.D., reversed Diocletian’s government sanctioned religious persecution and handed back any confiscated properties to their previous “Christian” owners. More importantly, it gave this increasingly paganized form of Christianity equal status with other pagan religions from the viewpoint of the state. Even though Constantine favored Christianity, this edict was for all religions. He also donated his own Lateran palace to the bishop of Rome, and built the first Basilica of St. Peter as well as other churches throughout the empire. What is not stated very often is that he built these church buildings on the site of ancient pagan temples, and replicated them in pagan style and architecture.

Constantine gave the emerging pseudo-Christian clergy certain privileges. They were exempt from serving in the army, performing forced labor, and were even given civil authority. This alliance between church and state made him very popular within the church; but little by little, Constantine began to take over control of the direction and doctrines of the church. “This alliance with the state profoundly influenced every aspect of the church’s thought and life. It carried many advantages, but it also entailed some serious drawbacks—infringements on the church’s freedom as civil authorities exploited the relationship for political purposes; mass conversions where social conformity was the chief motivating factor; the widening of the gap between clergy and laity thanks to the official status conferred on them; and persecution of dissenters as a menace to the unity of the state.” 2 These drawbacks quickly became apparent within just a few years of the Edict of Milan.

Constantine’s evolving state religion caused a major problem for his army. The church strongly held that members shouldn’t fight in the army because this would violate the sixth commandment (Exodus 20:13). As soldiers were converted, they would leave the army, but this was unacceptable because it destroyed morale. Constantine summoned the Council of Arles in 314 A.D., and the outcome condemned Christians who deserted from the army. When the Donatist sect of Christianity centered in North Africa refused to accept Constantine’s authority in church matters, he threatened to send the army to “make it plain what kind of worship would be offered to God.” 3 Although the army was never sent, Constantine had the Donatist churches confiscated and their leaders banished. “The Roman emperor, as head of the state religion, had always been responsible for maintaining good relations between the people and their gods. Constantine naturally saw himself in a similar role as Christian emperor.” 4


The Council of Nicea

In 325 A.D., Constantine presided over the Council of Nicaea in order to settle several disputes that had arisen for the church. Eusebius claims, “Now when the appointed day arrived on which the council met for the final solution of the questions in dispute…and all rising at the signal which indicated the emperor’s entrance, at last he himself proceeded through the midst of the assembly, like some heavenly messenger of God, clothed in raiment which glittered as it were with rays of light, reflecting the glowing radiance of a purple robe, and adorned with the brilliant splendor of gold and precious stones.” 5 Not only did Constantine enter wearing the robe of Supreme Pontiff—the title of the high priest of the sun cult—he guided the clergy into the following decisions: (1) The Nicene Creed was adopted as the fundamental belief in the nature of God; (2) He resolved the debate over which day to keep the Passover; (3) He replaced the Passover, kept on the 14th day of Nisan, with the Roman holiday Easter that stemmed from the worship of the pagan goddess Oestere, and was observed on the day of the sun, or Sunday. Constantine left this council declaring a victory as well as unity in the empire.

Constantine made other changes that also resembled his early belief in the sun god. He changed the biblical Sabbath from the seventh day of the week to the first day of the week. “The Sunday Observance laws of 321 forbade all but essential work on that day, and did not described this now “special” day as the Sabbath, as in Jewish usage, nor as the day of the resurrection of Jesus, as Christian understanding now has it, but simply as the ‘Venerable Day of the Sun.” 6 Historians also note another change to the calendar as, “Christmas originated in the fourth century when Constantine joined it with a pagan feast celebrating the birthday of the sun on December 25.” 7

With such contravention of biblically based doctrine, Constantine stamped his personality and beliefs upon his state religion. It became apparent the Bible was not the source for determining doctrine in the Romanized Christian church, but the Emperor or Pontifex Maximus could and would make those determinations. Constantine’s death showed his audacity as well. In Constantinople, he built the church of the twelve Holy Apostles wherein he was represented to be the thirteenth member.


The Legacy of Constantine

Constantine reigned for thirty years, and was finally baptized just before he died at the age of sixty-four. He ruled as joint emperor from 306-323 A.D., and finally as sole emperor from 323-337 A.D. Why did he choose pseudo-Christianity as the state religion? One popular reason proclaims that his mother was a member of this religious movement before he conquered Rome, but this is heavily disputed. Another reason accepts Constantine’s conversion, but states that he confused the Sun god with the Christian God. Edward Gibbon wrote, “The mind of Constantine might fluctuate between Pagan and the Christian religions. According to the loose and complying notions of Polytheism, he might acknowledge the God of the Christians as one of the many deities who compose the hierarchy of heaven.” 8 Although he started referring to the Christian God as the “One Supreme Power” or “One Supreme Divine Principle” as he did the sun god, this still doesn’t totally answer the question.

The real answer may be subtler and tied to Rome’s internal troubles. Rome had been locked in repetitive civil wars and unrest for many decades. Since the time of Nero, there became a huge separation between the upper and lower classes, and unemployment was rampant. The Roman emperors kept a tenuous hold by providing free public games, bread and wine. This was nothing more than a massive state sponsored welfare program that was quickly bankrupting the empire. The main attraction during Diocletian’s reign was the persecution of all Christians, which included feeding them to lions. Although this type of entertainment was considered barbaric and bloodthirsty by many, the poor savored it. Rebellion was promised if the masses weren’t appeased, and thus the games continued. Rome, being in a continual state of civil unrest, was in great need of Constantine’s social reforms to prevent the almost certain implosion of the Empire. The employment of social change through his state religion was the solution!

Constantine took full advantage of certain attributes of the emerging church (enumerated below) for his purpose:

1. The church was severely persecuted following the reign of Diocletian and would be obligated to be faithful to the one who freed them and gave them equality.
2. The church had a very good communication network, which the pagan religions didn’t have that would allow Constantine to spread social reforms, replace government handouts with Christian charities, and promote civility to the masses.
3. The church had a definite authority structure that could be used to implement and maintain the social reforms put into effect.
4. The church had shown itself willing to compromise on doctrinal points and thus could be persuaded to yield to the will of the Emperor.
5. Most importantly, the church at this time had a huge aversion to war and insurrection. He could use the church to motivate the lower classes without the worry of civil unrest, and possibly unify the empire.

Constantine gave the clergy enough secular authority to implement his reforms and take advantage of these benefits, but he kept his finger on the pulse of the church. Sometimes he guided the bishops. Other times he chided them. Ultimately, he would threaten the use of the imperial army if they refused to follow his demands.

Was Constantine a member of his state religion? No doubt Constantine was religious, but he was also exceedingly ruthless. During his early years as a worshiper of pagan deities, he demonstrated a desire to live by a moral code. However, his life as the emperor displayed serious defects of character and morals. As one historical commentator surmised, “……although Constantine himself was deeply superstitious, he seems to have possessed only the most elementary understanding of theological problems; and his religious feelings and views appear to have changed radically on several occasions.”9 And yet, he implemented more doctrinal changes in the Roman church than probably any other individual in history. The church that has emerged from his dominance bears his personality and dogma to this day. As Emperor, he definitely deserves the title, “Constantine the Great,” for his secular accomplishments; but his brand of Christianity blended the ancient paganism of the sun god with certain of the biblical concepts—something Jesus Christ condemns.

Constantine’s actions always supported his personal belief in the “One Supreme Power”, which was the sun god, not the God of the Bible. He continued in his belief by simply usurping the label of Christianity while imposing his pagan notions upon the church that fell into his hands and consequently flowed from it. He forced his belief system of the venerable sun on this paganized pseudo-Christianity through persuasion, debate, and the threat of force. Following his death, the Roman church became more and more like the ancient Babylonian system, and by the end of the century the bishop of Rome assumed the mantle of Supreme Pontiff and Holy Father. Constantine’s conversion didn’t unify the empire as he intended, but doctrinal changes he championed greatly impacted the future of the church that emerged from this combined Roman-pagan-Christian organism that is the mother of the modern Christian movement. This militant and highly political church continues to reflect Constantine’s own image down to this very day.

Throughout this time, however, there was another church, small, persecuted, largely unrecognized throughout its history. It was and still is the faithful little flock Christ talked about in Luke 12:32. It is the true Christian church that never fell under the sway or became a part of the “universal” Christian church. Instead, throughout its history it adhered to the doctrines Christ gave to it; and it remains obedient to Him to this day. Where is that church? Continue to visit the Wonderfulworldtomorrow.org. where you will read and hear much more about this small but tenaciously persistent church. It’s one of the most fascinating stories in all of human history.

Bibliography:
1. Eerdmans’ Handbook to the History of Christianity, page 130
2. Bokenkotter, A Concise History of the Catholic church, page 39
3. Eerdmans’ Handbook to the History of Christianity, page 133
4. ibid, page 134
5. Eusebius, The Life of Constantine the Great, chapter X
6. Jones & Pennick, A History of Pagan Europe, pages 66-67
7. Bokenkotter, A Concise History of the Catholic church, page 43
8. Gibbon, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, vol 2, page 255
9. Grant, The Roman Emperors, pages 230-231