12 décembre 2022

Which Emperor Made Christianity Legal to Practice in the Roman Empire

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Shortly before his death in May 337, Constantine is said to have been baptized a Christian. Until then, he had been a catechumen for most of his adult life. He believed that if he waited until he was baptized on his deathbed, he was less likely to pollute his soul with sin and not go to heaven. He was baptized by his distant relative the Arian Bishop Eusebius of Nicomedia or by Pope Sylvester I, who is supported by the Catholic Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church, the Antiochian Orthodox Church, the Greek Orthodox Church, the Russian Orthodox Church, the Serbian Orthodox Church and many other Eastern Orthodox, Nestorian Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox Churches. [44] [45] [46] [47] [48] [49] In the time of Eusebius of Nicomedia at the imperial court, the eastern court and the most important positions of the Eastern Church were occupied by Arians or Arian sympathizers. [50] With the exception of a brief period of darkness, Eusebius enjoyed the full confidence of Constantine and Constantius II and was the teacher of Emperor Julian the Apostate. After Constantine`s death, his son and successor Constantius II was an Arian, as was Emperor Valens.[51] In honour of the event, 330 special commemorative coins were issued. The new city was protected by the relics of the True Cross, the staff of Moses, and other sacred relics, although a cameo now held at the Hermitage also depicted Constantine crowned by the tyche of the new city. [232] The figures of the old gods were either replaced or assimilated into a framework of Christian symbolism.

Constantine built the new Church of the Holy Apostles on the site of a temple dedicated to Aphrodite. Generations later, there was a story that a divine vision led Constantine to this place, and an angel that no one else could see guided him on a tour of the new walls. [233] The capital is often compared to « old » Rome as Nova Roma Constantinopolitana, the « New Rome of Constantinople. » [222] [234] Some have argued that Constantine`s conversion to Christianity was politically motivated. At least openly, Constantine attributed much of his political success to the grace of a Christian god, even claiming to have won a battle because of a divine vision he had received before. He played an important role in the spread of Christianity by legalizing its practice and financially supporting the activities of the Church. He made one of his greatest contributions to the faith by convening the Councils of Arles (314) and Nicaea (325), which guided Church doctrine for centuries. He was baptized shortly before his death in 337.

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