Constantine the Great
Throughout time there have been pivotal men and women who have made significant marks in history that may be considered indelible. One of these men, Constantine the Great, more formally known as, Caesar Flavius Constantinus Pius Felix Invictus Augustus made tremendous religious contributions to the Roman people in which he ruled. For the first time ever, a Christian emperor ascended the throne of the Rome. In the year 323 CE Constantine the Great became the sole ruler of the Roman Empire. 1 The purpose of this paper is to explore the religious contributions Constantine the Great made for the Roman people. Constantine the Great not only legalized and helped establish Christianity in Rome, but he set up the Council of Nicaea to reestablish religious peace and honored the site of Christ's resurrection with the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Constantine the Great, was born at Naissus, which is now Nisch, Servia. The exact date of his birth is unknown but is thought to be between the years 274 and 288. (cite).2 Constantine was the eldest son of Constantius Chlorus , and his concubine, Helena. Constantine I first distinguished himself by his military talent under Diocletia
n and served under Galerius in the Persian War. In 305, Diocletian and Maximian abdicated and were succeeded by Constantine's father, Constanius Chlorus, and Galerius. Constantine went to serve under his father who ruled in Western Rome. 3 There he was able to distinguish himself, and when his father died on July 25, 306, Constantine I was immediately named as his father's successor. 4 By the year 314, following many battles, Constantine I had gained full control over the West and Lucinius had become the sole emperor of the East. In 323, Constantine I defeated Lucinius and put him to death. Constantine was now the sole of Emperor of the entire Roman Empire. He moved his headquarters to Byzantium, established it as the new Roman capital and changed the name to Constantinople (now Istanbul). 5 The history of Christianity is filled with division, controversy, and conflict. One of the most important people who contributed to the lasting success of this diverse religion was Constantine. However, the intentions of Constantine's decision to legalize and make Christianity the religion of Rome are questionable. Some believe his intentions were not pure and relied mostly on political reasoning. By means of the church Constantine was enabled to gain touch with and hold organization of the people, which was something that earlier emperors had been unable to do. Christianity was organized and was encompassed an agreed set of ideas concerning the essentials of life and was capable of producing a coherent political philosophy applicable to contemporary conditions. 6 Others believe that Constantine's decision was a direct result of a vision that Constantine had prior to the battle in which he defeated Maxentius. Constantine had a vision of a flaming cross that bore the inscription HOC VINCES, which means "In this Conquer". Constantine, strengthened by this apparition, was able to advance courageously to battle, defeat his rival, and gain supreme power of Western Rome. Directly after his victory, Constantine granted tolerance to the Christians. A year later he issued the Edict of Tolerance, which granted the Roman p
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Approximate Word count = 1441
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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