He was born at Naissus, (today's Niš, Serbia, Serbia and Montenegro) in Upper Moesia, to Constantius I Chlorus, who was of Greek descent, and an innkeeper's daughter, Flavia Iulia Helena, who at the time was an adolescent of only 16 years. She "may not have been married to Constantius I Chlorus, - who as a high officer could have found it difficult to marry a n

Christian historians ever since Lactantius have adhered to the view that Constantine "adopted" Christianity as a kind of replacement for the official Roman paganism. Though the document called the "Donation of Constantine" was proved a forgery (though not until the fifteenth century, when the stories of Constantine's conversion were long-established "facts") it was attributed as documenting the conversion of the Roman Empire to Christianity for centuries. Even Christian skeptics have accepted this formulation, though seeing Constantine's policy as a political one, unifying and strengthening the Empire, rather than a spiritual move.

In the essential Roman legions, however, Christianity was unpopular because it accepted women, and the soldiers followed Mithras and Isis. Since the Roman Emperors ruled by "favor from the Gods" and stayed in power through the support of the legions, it was important for them to be seen visibly aiding the cause of religion. The insolence of the Christians consisted in their public refusal to sacrifice and build idols, which some modern writers see as an oath of allegiance. Refusal might easily bring upon all the Roman people the loss of Jupiter's and the other Gods support. "The army was conservative, a creature of habit; it was slow to Christianize even its externals; it was used to obeying orders. It was recruited from diverse sources, some of them not even Roman, and internal tolerance of different beliefs had always been necessary for it to function efficiently."5

Third, the city provided a defense for the eastern provinces of the old Roman Empire against the barbarian invasions of the fifth century. The 60 foot tall walls built by Theodosius II (413-414) were essentially invincible to the barbarians who, coming from the Lower Danube, found easier targets to the west rather than pursing the richer provinces to the east in Asia beyond Constantinople, allowing the east to develop relatively unmolested, while Rome and the west collapsed.

Constantine respected cultivation and Christianity. His court was composed of older, respected, honored men. Leading Roman families that refused Christianity were denied positions of power, yet two-thirds of his top government was non-Christian. A student of Iamblichus, Sopater, a Greek Neoplatonist, and a defender of Paganism, enjoyed a private position for some years, until he was charged with sorcery, or some other reason not preserved by pagan writers, and executed. Shortly before his own death Constantine confirmed the privileges of pagan priests.

Another result of the council was an agreement by all the Churches, through the agreement of their bishops, to celebrate Easter on the same day. As by far the most important feast of the Church's life, it was thought important for all to celebrate the Resurrection together, on a day that did not follow the Jewish Calendar. Earlier synods had resolved important questions, to be sure. Now, the Council of Nicaea formulated a definitive statement against a growing heresy, a profession of faith intended to clarify and defend the heritage of true belief. This council had a worldwide effect, for the whole Church. "it must be supposed that Constantine himself, who was not very much at home with in Greek, did not have a particularly clear idea of what homoousios [from the Greek word translated as "of one substance"] was supposed to mean. But he reckoned that it would serve to obtain more or less general agreement, and he was right: less for theological reasons than because hardly anyone had the nerve to contradict him."7

Specifically, the council, dealt with the problems raised by the Arian controversy, concerning the nature of Jesus, deciding against the Arians in favor of Trinitarianism. The new heresy of Arianism was causing intense controversy, and Constantine wanted to bring about peace. "After listening for two months to heated, long-winded arguments that he did not understand about

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