Constantine and Christianity

[PerfectimusPrime]

It probably took quite some time before pagan beliefs dissappeared. If I recall, even Constantine built pagan temples.

Edited April 12, 2006 by PerfectimusPrime

[Rameses the Great]

It probably took quite some time before pagan beliefs dissappeared. If I recall, even Constantine built pagan temples.

 

Guys that was BEFORE he became Christianized. God came to him in a dream to tell him to make his nation Christian. If God came to him to spread the word, why would he in turn spread paganism. Remember he was Orthodox not Catholic. He was strict and before a battle prayed to God to give him a victory, and he did. I'm pretty sure after that he destroyed pagan temples, not created them.

[Ursus]

Constantine had a vision from a variety of gods through his lifetime.

 

Anyway, Constantine did not formally end paganism. He merely removed it from its lofty height of State religion.

[Primus Pilus]

And Eusebius was... hmm how shall we say this... highly motivated. Though his position as a close advisor to the emperor for many years lends credence to the idea that Constantine was indeed a Christian.

[Rameses the Great]

Constantine had a vision from a variety of gods through his lifetime.

 

Anyway, Constantine did not formally end paganism. He merely removed it from its lofty height of State religion.

 

Ursus, he turned a new leaf and became a good person. Who else spread Christianity to the Romans, Fabio? He ordered the destruction of pagan temples, and made everyone a Christian. They loved Constanine so they would surely listen to him, or else He may not have removed it from the Westerners but he did in the East. He had a vision of God, and he guaranteed him a victory and he granted him a victory. Or did Zeus tell him to spread Christianity.

[PerfectimusPrime]

Constantine didn't raze pagan temples because of some religious reason, that was simply excuse. He razed them because the imperial treasury was in a terrible need of some choclate. I don't think Constantine cared about religion that much, he just exploited Christianity and its cultural power.

 

Anyway, despite his actions, paganism didn't just dissappear, and I believe many people were quite reluctant to embrace christianity. Pagan believes lasted all the way to the middle ages, I believe.

Edited April 12, 2006 by PerfectimusPrime

[Rameses the Great]

Constantine didn't raze pagan temples because of some religious reason, that was simply excuse. He razed them because the imperial treasury was in a terrible need of some choclate.

 

Ok in my culture Constantine was a holly man. Its a shame that the biggest lasting image of him was beeing an evil pagan man. He was Christianized and became a holly man. Kind of like George Foreman. He was bad and beat the crap out of everyone, until he turned a new leaf. Same thing with Consatantine, you may think he was selfish and undiginified but you don't know the story behind the man. Can someone come under the influence of something and change entirely with honesty. Of course and he is no exception. Christianity began in Alexandria, Egypt. His daughter was ill while at Egypt, and she was about to die. After a monk healed her, Constantine vowed to switch to Christianity. He destroyed pagan temples because they were 'evil,' and did not comply to what he was intending to do. Not for his own real estate guys.

[PerfectimusPrime]

No, he pillaged pagan temples because they were rich and plentiful. By fourth century AD, rome was generally fighting defensive wars on all fronts. Defence was expensive, supporting an army of 400 000 well trained and well armed, professional soldiers, and fortfications and infrastructure... ETC... and add to that, the new cavalry forces strained the economy. Rome was not gaining riches through conquest anymore, like under the late Republic and early empire.

 

Constantine was an ambitious and ruthless politician. But he was a genious, I think. Exploiting Christianity like that was a smart move in the end. I am not saying he was evil, and he probably acted out of his better judgement and was willing to sagrifice a lot to save the empire.

 

I don't wish to mock your believes, but that is my opinion.

Edited April 12, 2006 by PerfectimusPrime

[Primus Pilus]

Constantine was actually fairly neutral when it came to the pagan temples. He allowed some desecration, but for the most part he was simply the emperor who first allowed Christianity to be openly tolerated. It was Theodosius and the organized church that destroyed paganism a half century or so later.

 

And comparing Constantine to George Foreman is certainly a first around here.

[athenian1977]

In later years of Constantine, historical facts were clouded by legend.

 

It was considered inappropriate that Constantine was baptized only on his death-bed and by a bishop of questionable orthodoxy, and hence a legend emerged that Pope Silvester I (314-335) had cured the pagan Emperor from leprosy.

According to this legend, Constantine was baptized after that and donated buildings to the Pope. In the 8th century, a document called the "Donation of Constantine" first appeared, in which the freshly converted Constantine hands the temporal rule over Rome, Italy and the Occident to the Pope. In the High Middle Ages, this document was used to and accepted as the basis for the Pope's temporal power, though it was denounced as a forgery by Emperor Otto III and lamented as the root of papal worldliness by the poet Dante Alighieri...

[Primus Pilus]

Also Constantine wasn't being so nice when he murdered his own son and boiled his wife (though this was reported as asphyxiation in an over heated bath). Of course considering the drama of the imperial life, perhaps he was just being prudent.

[athenian1977]

Constantine is perhaps best known for being the first Roman Emperor to freely allow Christianity. Christian historians ever since Lactantius have adhered to the view that Constantine "adopted" Christianity as a kind of replacement for the official Roman polytheism. Though he was not baptized until he was on his deathbed, his conversion, according to the sources, was the immediate result of an omen before his victory in the Battle of Milvian Bridge, on October 28, 312. Upon seeing this vision, Constantine is said to have instituted a new standard to be carried into battle called the labarum. This vision seen by Constantine was made up of two events. Firstly, while marching with his soldiers he saw the shape of an ambigram cross with the words "in this sign you will conquer" in front of the sun. After seeing that he had a dream instructing him to put a new sign as the standard. It is said that after this event Constantine was immediately converted to Christianity.

 

Constantine and Licinius' Edict of Milan removed penalties for professing Christianity, under which many were martyred in previous persecutions of Christians, and returned confiscated Church property.

 

After the Edict, new avenues were opened to Christians, including the right to compete with pagan Romans in the traditional cursus honorum for high government positions, and greater acceptance into general civil society. New churches were allowed to be constructed and Christian leadership became increasingly bold

[PerfectimusPrime]

Maybe it was Theodosius (who razed the temples), however the reasons were probably the same as the ones mention in my previous post.

 

Anyway, I recall reading it was Constantine who razed pagan temples, acording to my history book at least.

Edited April 12, 2006 by PerfectimusPrime

[athenian1977]

Tend to agree , I think it was Theodosios too..

[Rameses the Great]

How many times must I stress this guys. Constantine was evil BEFORE, converting. He became Chritianized and was willing to convert. Remember, he and only he was the first emperor not only to allow Chritianity, but to make it the official religion and be the first Christian emperor. Keep that in mind. also it was at time when any Christian would be killed. Wouldn't Constantine change it if he strongly believes in this?

Edited April 12, 2006 by Rameses the Great