Briefly discuss the life of Emperor Constantine and analyze some of the major ways in which `imperial christianity` changed (directly or indirectly) the history of the church.

Emperor Constantine

Life , Actions , Impact on the History of the Church Introduction

Emperor Constantine has been described as the first Christian emperor Indeed , he changed the history of both the Roman Empire and the Christian Church , legalising the new faith and stopping the persecution But this was not his only accomplishment . Constantine is also famous for the refounding of Byzantium that received his name and was called "Constantine 's City , or Constantinople for a long time . He also ruled over the period of the Roman history when the Empire continued to grow

br and expand its boundaries . Although Constantine never became a truly Christian ruler and legalised Christianity mainly as a way to promote his political agenda , his decision had for the most part positive impact on the history of Christian churches

Constantine 's Life and Actions

Constantine was born in the family of Constantius I Chlorus and Flavia Iulia Helena . His father at one point became of so-called caesares , or junior emperors , and replaced Maximilian after his abdication Constantine saw his father die in Roman Britain and was proclaimed Emperor by the loyal troops . This started the eighteen years of his rule that included battles , the reunification of the Empire , and the introduction of Christianity

The political impact of Constantine is also important since he was the one to get Rome back to monarchy . He made the title of the emperor hereditary wishing to pass it to his children . As was to be expected his children started the fight over throne directly after his death Constantine is also known for the reunification of the Roman Empire . He proceeded from the co-rule with the Eastern Roman Emperor to the leadership of the entire Roman Empire . He received the title of the emperor of the Western Roman Empire after he won the Battle of Milvian Bridge in 312 , defeating the troops of Maxentius

With all his recognition of Christianity , Constantine was not following its spirit to the full . Thus , he chose to keep all the trappings of power including the demand that he be venerated as a god , as Diocletian had done (Washington State University , n .d . However , Christianity served as a convenient pretext for starting a war with the Licinius emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire , who violated the laws mandating the legalisation of Christianity and began a series of repressions against the Christians . Constantine started a civil war against Licinius in 324 with the two rivals bringing in armies so large another like these would not be seen again until at least the 14th century (Wikipedia Both armies saw themselves as representatives of their respective faiths , Paganism and Christianity , and Constantine 's tropps won a victory over the enemy despite the fact that they were outnumbered

Constantine also became famous for the founding of the new city in the place where ancient Byzantium was situated in 324 , called Constantinople . Now this is the site of Istanbul , Turkey . The place became a major center of Christianity along with Antioch in Syria...