Constantine Essays - Constantinian Dynasty, Flavii, Christianization

Constantine and Christianity The Roman Empire was dominant in the Western world for centuries and it also had a huge impact on the spread of Christianity. Emperor Constantine had a lot to do with this growth as it was he who was the first Emporer to convert to Christianity. While it is uncertain when he did in fact convert, as some have argued that this switch came on his deathbed, his contribution to the growth of Christianity cannot be ignored. He made it acceptable to be a Christian in the Roman Empire and even help change the society into meeting Christian ideals. Emporer Constantine is a major reason why Christianity was able to spread across the Roman Empire and could even be considered a reason why the religion is so prevalent today. Before Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire, Christians were not treated with much respect in Roman society. As was shown in a letter from a Roman governor to a Roman Emperor, anyone suspected of being a Christian was arrested immediately and questioned about his or her beliefs. When someone was suspected of being a Christian, that person was asked three times whether or not he or she was in fact a Christian. Each time the answer was yes, harsher punishments were offered towards the person if the person was in fact a Christian. If the person admitted to being a Christian all three times, he or she was sent away for execution. This was how Christians were treated in the times before Christianity was accepted in Roman culture. Roman citizens who admitted to being Christians were not immediately executed, but were given a fair trial. Also, if a Christian repented his or her Christianity, he or she would be allowed to live as long and he or she worshipped the Emp eror, which is something that most Christians would not be willing to do. Christianity was looked down upon during this time period because the Emperor was seen as the highest being and the existence of a greater being undermined his authority. This means that the Emperor would do almost anything to ensure that the people did not believe in any other God, since it would take away from the power that he held. In fact, ?those who denied that they were or had ever been Christians? (Rome and the Early Christians) were forced to pray to the Roman Gods and praise the image of the Emperor. Constantine was the first Emperor to grant Christianity the status as an official religion, as he took Christian ideals into his own life. The most widely recognized story of how this came about is that Constantine saw the Greek letters that represent the word ? ?Christ? in the sky before a battle, while marching with his troops. Through this vision, Constantine began using a Christian emblem when going into battle, which is why many Christians believe that this is when he converted to Christianity. There are other stories, however, that claim that he did not officially convert to Christianity until he was on his deathbed, as it was a common belief that only past sins were forgiven by Baptism, so most people would wait until the last moment possible before going through with the ritual. Another reason why Constantine could have become a Christian was that his mother, Helena, could have been one. While very little is known about her background, it can be argued that she was raised a C hristian because later in life she was a part of numerous pilgrimages. Constantine was responsible for switching the day of rest of Saturday, which was originally the Sabbath, to Sunday, which is the first day of the week on in the Jewish calendar and also the day where Christ was Resurrected. Another thing that Constantine was responsible for was the building of many Churches throughout both the Holy Land and his Empire. These numerous Churches did a lot to support the growth of Christianity in the region and could be used to show the Constantine was in fact a Christian the entire time. Constantine was also responsible for bringing in religious reforms to the area. He ?ordered the abolition of crucifixion