Contstantine was the first Roman emperor to profess
Christianity. By doing so, he profoundly
influenced world history. He embraced
this previously persecuted religion and set it on a path that led to the
formation of Christendom. Thus,
so-called Christianity became “the strongest social and political agent” ever
to influence the course of history, according to The Encyclopedia
Britannica.
Why should you care about an ancient Roman
emperor? If you are interested in
Christianity, you should know that Constantine’s political and religious
maneuvers have affected the beliefs and practices of many churches right down
to this day. Let us see how.
THE CHURCHES – LEGALIZED AND THEN USED
In 313 C.E., Constantine ruled over the Western Roman
Empire, while Licinius and Maximinus ruled over the East. Constantine and Licinius granted freedom of
worship to all, including Christians.
Constantine protected Christianity, believing that the religion could
unify his empire.
Constantine was thus appalled to find that the
churches were divided by disputes. Eager
for consensus, he sought to establish, and then enforce, “correct”
doctrine. To win this favour, bishops had
to make religious compromises, and those who did received tax exemptions and
generous patronage. “Getting the ‘right’
version of Christian doctrine,” said historian Charles Freeman, “gave access
not only to heaven but to vast resources on earth.” The clergy thus became powerful figures in
worldly affairs. “The Church had acquired
a protector,” says historian A.H.M Jones, “but it had also acquired a master.”
WHAT KIND OF CHRISTIANITY?
A result of Constantine’s alliance with the bishops
was a religion with tenets that were part of Christianity, part pagan, it could
hardly have been otherwise, since the emperor’s goal was religious pluralism,
not the pursuit of religious truth. He
was, after all, the ruler of a pagan empire.
To please both religious camps, he adopted a stance of “conscious
ambiguity in his acts and government in general,” wrote one historian.
While professing to champion Christianity, Constantine
kept one foot in paganism. For example,
he practiced astrology and divination – occult activities that the Bible
condemns. (Deut 18:10-12) On the Arch of
Constantine in Rome, he is shown sacrificing to pagan deities. He continued to honour the sun-god by
featuring the deity on coins and promoting the sun-god cult. Late in life, Constantine even permitted a
small town in Umbria, Italy, to construct a temple to his family and himself
and to appoint priests to serve there.
Constantine postponed his “Christian” baptism until a
few days before his death in 337 C.E. Many scholars believe that he held back
in order to retain the political support of both Christian and pagan elements
within the empire. To be sure, his life
record and the lateness of his baptism raise questions about the sincerity of
his professed faith in Christ. However,
one thing is uncertain: The church Constantine legitimized became a powerful
political and religious entity, one that thus turned its back on Christ and
embraced the world. Jesus said of his
followers: “They are not part of the world, just as I am no part of the
world.” (John 17:14) From this church –
that was now worldly - sprang countless denominations.
What does all of this mean for us? It means that we
should not take the teachings of any church for granted but that we should
examine them in the light of the Bible.
1John 4:1
Source: Awake Magazine
Nathaniel Otoo
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