Constantine I, First Christian Roman Emperor
Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus was a Roman emperor who reigned from the year 306 AD until his death in 337 AD. He was known by various names, among them Constantine the Great, Saint Constantine or simply Constantine. He first came to power upon his proclamation as emperor by his own troops on July 25th, in the year 306 AD.
The day of his proclamation in what is now modern day York was the beginning of a spectacular reign that would increase the breadth of the Roman Empire considerably up until his death. Although he was not included in the Latin Church's Roman Martyrology he is listed in the Byzantine liturgical calendar as a saint along with his mother Saint Helena.
The Byzantine liturgical calendar is followed by the Eastern Orthodox Church as well as by the Eastern Catholic Churches of Byzantine rite. The Latin Church's Roman Martyrology does bestow upon him the designation "The Great" in reverence to his considerable contributions to Christianity.
Best known for being the very first Christian Roman Emperor, Constantine's reign marked a significant turning point for the Christian Church and after his rule, things just were not the same. Among his noteworthy contributions to the Church was his announcement in the year 313 AD of a new tolerance for the practice of Christianity in the Edict of Milan.
Whereas before this time, Christians lived in fear and in fact were persecuted in the thousands for professing their faith, this Edict removed all such restraints and they were free to profess their religious faith as they pleased. Additionally, Church properties which were previously confiscated during the less tolerant regimes were returned to their rightful owners.
Constantine was also wholly responsible for convoking the Council of Nicaea in the year 325 AD, which further increased the reverence the Christian Church held for him.
Many historians and Church scholars are to this date divided as to whether Constantine adopted his mother's spiritual beliefs early on in his youth or whether it came about gradually during the course of his adult life.
The announcement of Constantine's decision in the year 324 AD to transform Byzantium into Nova Roma again met with the approval of many Church leaders as did his proclamation of the city as the new capital of the Roman Empire in the year 330 AD. The city was also renamed Constantinople (or the City of Constantine) upon the emperor's death which was a further indication of the respect that he had gained from the city's denizens.
Under his rule Constantinople was not only the first known Christian city in the world, it was also the only one where the building of pagan temples and other places of worship were not permitted. The city would enjoy the distinction of being the capital of the Byzantine Empire for more than a thousand years, a designation that would only end in the year 1453 when the Ottoman Turks upon claiming control over the city renamed it to Istanbul, a name that was made official in 1930 and has remained with the city ever since.
As much as he showed tolerance for the Christian faith and the practice of its religious traditions, Constantine was equally intolerant of Jews and in fact the entire Jewish faith. He put in place various legislations that severely curtailed the religious freedom of the Jews and this made him quite unpopular with this sector.
Jews for example, were forbidden by law to own any Christian slaves and what slaves they did have under their authority, they were forbidden to perform the rite of circumcision to. Any Christian who wished to convert to the Jewish faith was out of luck, for laws were in place that forbade them from doing so.
While congregations for religious services were again restricted severely, Jews were allowed to enter the holy city of Jerusalem particularly during the anniversary of the destruction of the Temple, an event that was known in their faith as Tisha B'Av. A further restriction that Constantine placed upon the Jewish people was the forbidding of the celebration of Easter on the day before the Jewish Passover by the First Council of Nicaea.
In spite of all these restrictions Constantine was and still remains one of the most revered of all Roman emperors.
Constantine died on May 22nd, 337 AD.
Original Authors: Doods Pangburn
Edit Update Authors: M.A.Harris
Updated On: 13/05/2008
