When Constantine became a Christian and made it a legal religion in the Roman Empire, he ended an era of persecution and oppression that had been started by Nero, but the corruption of Christianity that lasted through the Middle Ages had begun. The legalization of Christianity assisted in its spread, yet it also caused some problems that had not existed within the church previously. Among these problems is the fact that when Christians were being persecuted and martyred, only those who were truly believers went under the title of Christianity, while after the conversion of the emperor many probably claimed to be saved because it was somewhat of a new ‘trend’. Constantine kept the title of Pontifex Maximus; however, signifying that he still was the official head of the pagan priesthood, and the conflicting religions that were being practiced in the Roman Empire during that period could have been mixed or confused with Christianity. The worship of the sun god still appeared to be in Constantine’s life, and his coins continued to have symbols of the sun god on them, perhaps causing even more confusion as to who the Christians really worshiped. Although there were some benefits for Christianity following Constantine’s so called conversion, the negative effects greatly outweigh the positive.
Before the battle of Milvian Bridge, according to Eusebius, Constantine was contemplating the gods of the Romans and how they never seem to protect the emperors (http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/conv-const.asp). Constantine thought to himself that if these gods did not help previous emperors, why would they help me? Constantine believed that there must be a god who is invincible and all-powerful, the question was where? At the battle of Milvian Bridge, he received his answer. At first, he saw the sign in the sky and a voice saying, “By this sign, you will conquer.” After this, he had a dream, which again urged him to use the sign to conquer. Constantine then had his attendants discover who this god is and what religion he is lord over. Christianity. Constantine then became a Christian and devoted his life to studying the Word of God. However, there is evidence that suggests that because he was successful at Milvian Bridge, he used Christianity as his way to receive what he wanted. He did not truly believe, and used Christianity, as is crutch. However, there is also evidence that suggests that Constantine was a true believer. No one knows for sure. Once Constantine became the emperor of Rome, he had an incredible impact on Christianity. Constantine legalized Christianity and made the church a key element in Roman society. Previously Christians were persecuted and taken captive, but now they were free and the church began to grow and flourish. However, because Christianity was becoming so popular, some might say that they were Christians in order to be looked upon as a good citizen. During this time of church prosperity, the church began to drift away from the truth of the scriptures. The church began to struggle with structure, doctrine, and purity. There were a few incidents where pagan customs would creep into the church. Because of the diversity of people at the church, it was difficult for the leaders to disciple the people. Some wished to be discipled and others wanted to be in the popular group. In the end, Constantine’s legalization of Christianity led to more people interested in Christianity. In my opinion, Constantine had a good influence on the church at first, but as time went on and the church became more like the popular thing to do, I think that that hurt the church. The larger the church, the harder it is to disciple each individual person. Overall Constantine was a great emperor, who at first helped the church grow, but then could not help it disciple the believers.
In 313 A.D., Constantine passed an edict, called “The Edict of Milan”, that legalized Christianity in the Roman Empire. This was a huge impact on the Christians and the early church for Constantine’s emperorship and the edict ended the reign of persecution on the Christians. Whether or not Constantine became a Christian is a subject that has been debated over without a concrete outcome. What is concrete is the fact that Constantine’s outward acts toward Christianity greatly affected the early church. But not all of them were in a positive way. I already mentioned the Edict of Milan, but Constantine made the Roman government the protector of the early church as well. He also “…made the priests of God his counselors…”* This, while good for Constantine in the fact that he was surrounding himself with Godly men, also started the rise of the Church being more political than Biblical. Many churches today are run more like a business than a place to go worship God and fellowship with other believers. Now, although Constantine’s actions caused the church to swell, this might not have been a result of people truly wanting to become Christians. As others have stated, some of the Romans might have claimed to be Christians or joined the ever-growing church because it was the popular thing to do. This would allow for some of these “Christians” to be able to rise in influence in the church and, as R.W. stated, cause the church to “struggle with structure, doctrine, and purity.” So all in all, I think that, initially, Constantine’s influence on the church was excellent for the church and the Christians. They were no longer being persecuted and could worship and exercise their faith freely. Yet I think that, eventually, Constantine’s influence hurt the church more than help it. Yes, he helped the church to sort through a doctrinal debate that resulted in the Council of Nicaea, but his decision to make Rome the patron and protector of the church could have caused the church to flourish in a negative way as a result of Romans not really becoming Christians, but saying they were to seem like “good people” or because it was the popular thing to do.
My pastor spoke yesterday about the eleventh chapter of Acts, in which the church at Antioch is formed. One of his main points was that God can overcome despite persecution. We have been going through Acts for quite a while, and one of the most important things I have learned is that persecution can actually be a good thing for the church. For some reason, by God's grace, when the church is persecuted, it grows exponentially. When the church was persecuted under the Roman emperors, Christians spread the gospel to many, much more than we do today, and more importantly, their faith was genuine. Why would you potentially throw your life away for something you do not really believe in? James 1:2-4 says “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” Thus under Roman persecution, Christians were genuine in their faith, and growing quickly. However, when Constantine made Christianity legal, passing the Edict of Milan, things changed. The Edict says “in the case of the Christians... if it happens anyone heretofore has bought from our treasury from anyone whatsoever, those places where they were previously accustomed to assemble,... the same shall be restored to the Christians without payment or any claim of recompense and without any kind of fraud or deception.” (Constantine 1) Even in other things he made it perhaps preferable to be a Christian under this new government. Thus, some, many, would come to the church in order to take advantage of this Edict. This depleted the amount of genuine Christians in the church by percentage. So, in this way, the Edict of Milan and Constantine's conversion were bad for the church. The same can be seen in our culture today. Because of our so-called “religious freedom,” we have become stagnant. Secure in our liberty, we have neglected to make disciples. Revelation 3:15-16 says “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.”
No one is entirely sure weather Constantine's conversion to Christianity was authentic or not. Constantine was curious, wondering what divinities were actually true. Upon seeing the sign at the battle of Milvian Bridge, Constantine heard a voice declare, "With this sign, you will conquer." He also had a similar dream, and after his success in the battle, converted to Christianity. His intentions could be sincere, or maybe just a route to more power, but the answer is unknown. However, this does not change the amount of impact he had on Christianity.
When the edict of Milan was passed in 313, Christianity was officially declared legal, ending the persecution of Christians in Rome. This brought many people to the church, believers and unbelievers alike. He popularized the church in many ways, and changed the environment by meeting in basilicas instead of homes or small rooms. Constantine took church, a place based on God, and turned it into a place focused more on the temporary than the eternal. This obviously strays from a biblical perspective and negatively influenced the church.
My church is finally moving into its own building next month, (we have been meeting in a high school recently) something we have waited many years for. We have been talking a lot about how we shouldn’t focus on the building; the size, location, reputation, etc. because that really doesn’t matter. And our goal isn’t to get as many people as we can, to have the largest and most popular church ever, it is simply to, through love, bring others to Christ; something which is eternal, not temporary.
The first few verses of 1 Corinthians 13 say,
“If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate.2 If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing.3-7 If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.
That’s what Constantine missed. His influence was detrimental to the church because he missed out on the most important factor of Christianity, and that is love.
Even though Constantine may not have been the best influence on Christianity, he helped stop the persecution of Christianity and he made it the dominate religion it is today. Constantine did many great things for the Christian faith. He helped spread Christianity throughout Rome, he helped stop the persecution of Christians. When Constantine made Christianity a free religion in the Roman Empire, that meant Christians the were persecuted for their faith could now worship freely without persecution This gave Christianity a really good chance to grow. Of course Constantine could not get the Roman people to follow this religion or get used to the idea of not persecuting the Christians, so with time converted his people into the idea of Christianity. In doing this he had to make sure he would not get killed like past emperors, so he slowly pushed Christianity on them. It's because of Constantine that's Christianity is such the dominate religion it is today.
SORRY THIS IS LATE. I HAVE BEEN GONE ALL WEEK AT REGIONALS.
Overall, I think it is impossible to deny that Constantine brought benefits to the early church, but he also made some mistakes that would develop into problems for the church in years to come. Constantine’s conversion brought peace to a dangerous place for Christians. Whereas before missionary journeys were done in secret and churches met underground, the church was given the opportunity to flourish not under oppression, but in peace. This allowed the church to unify in ways impossible before and solidify things like doctrine and the biblical canon. Constantine was invaluable in aiding the process, organizing the first Christian council in Nicaea to tackle the false doctrine of Aryanism. Whereas before it was difficult to weed out false doctrines because doctrinal statements and practices differed region to region, the legality of Christianity stimulated the unification of doctrine and allowed the Church to take a united stance. However, Constantine never fully committed himself to Christianity and his tolerance allowed paganism to creep into the church. The idea of sainthood and the veneration of Mary came from pagan customs and superstitions. Relics of saints and martyrs became sacred in the way old tokens were honored in shrines. This set terrible precedent and rather than helping to purify the doctrine, Constantine took an apathetic stance and (while maintaining the power to weed out these practices at their inception) perpetuated the false practices. Finally, Constantine began the poor practice of meshing church and state. He tried to control the church and dictate what it did. Although a god-fearing state is important, a church-controlling state was a custom that led to the authoritarian regimes of the medieval ages whose poor actions were justified under the name of Christianity. In the end, Constantine certainly helped the unity and safety of the early church, but his universal acceptance led to false practices in the long run.
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When Constantine became a Christian and made it a legal religion in the Roman Empire, he ended an era of persecution and oppression that had been started by Nero, but the corruption of Christianity that lasted through the Middle Ages had begun. The legalization of Christianity assisted in its spread, yet it also caused some problems that had not existed within the church previously. Among these problems is the fact that when Christians were being persecuted and martyred, only those who were truly believers went under the title of Christianity, while after the conversion of the emperor many probably claimed to be saved because it was somewhat of a new ‘trend’. Constantine kept the title of Pontifex Maximus; however, signifying that he still was the official head of the pagan priesthood, and the conflicting religions that were being practiced in the Roman Empire during that period could have been mixed or confused with Christianity. The worship of the sun god still appeared to be in Constantine’s life, and his coins continued to have symbols of the sun god on them, perhaps causing even more confusion as to who the Christians really worshiped. Although there were some benefits for Christianity following Constantine’s so called conversion, the negative effects greatly outweigh the positive.
Before the battle of Milvian Bridge, according to Eusebius, Constantine was contemplating the gods of the Romans and how they never seem to protect the emperors (http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/conv-const.asp). Constantine thought to himself that if these gods did not help previous emperors, why would they help me? Constantine believed that there must be a god who is invincible and all-powerful, the question was where? At the battle of Milvian Bridge, he received his answer. At first, he saw the sign in the sky and a voice saying, “By this sign, you will conquer.” After this, he had a dream, which again urged him to use the sign to conquer. Constantine then had his attendants discover who this god is and what religion he is lord over. Christianity. Constantine then became a Christian and devoted his life to studying the Word of God. However, there is evidence that suggests that because he was successful at Milvian Bridge, he used Christianity as his way to receive what he wanted. He did not truly believe, and used Christianity, as is crutch. However, there is also evidence that suggests that Constantine was a true believer. No one knows for sure.
Once Constantine became the emperor of Rome, he had an incredible impact on Christianity. Constantine legalized Christianity and made the church a key element in Roman society. Previously Christians were persecuted and taken captive, but now they were free and the church began to grow and flourish. However, because Christianity was becoming so popular, some might say that they were Christians in order to be looked upon as a good citizen. During this time of church prosperity, the church began to drift away from the truth of the scriptures. The church began to struggle with structure, doctrine, and purity. There were a few incidents where pagan customs would creep into the church. Because of the diversity of people at the church, it was difficult for the leaders to disciple the people. Some wished to be discipled and others wanted to be in the popular group. In the end, Constantine’s legalization of Christianity led to more people interested in Christianity.
In my opinion, Constantine had a good influence on the church at first, but as time went on and the church became more like the popular thing to do, I think that that hurt the church. The larger the church, the harder it is to disciple each individual person. Overall Constantine was a great emperor, who at first helped the church grow, but then could not help it disciple the believers.
In 313 A.D., Constantine passed an edict, called “The Edict of Milan”, that legalized Christianity in the Roman Empire. This was a huge impact on the Christians and the early church for Constantine’s emperorship and the edict ended the reign of persecution on the Christians. Whether or not Constantine became a Christian is a subject that has been debated over without a concrete outcome. What is concrete is the fact that Constantine’s outward acts toward Christianity greatly affected the early church. But not all of them were in a positive way. I already mentioned the Edict of Milan, but Constantine made the Roman government the protector of the early church as well. He also “…made the priests of God his counselors…”* This, while good for Constantine in the fact that he was surrounding himself with Godly men, also started the rise of the Church being more political than Biblical. Many churches today are run more like a business than a place to go worship God and fellowship with other believers. Now, although Constantine’s actions caused the church to swell, this might not have been a result of people truly wanting to become Christians. As others have stated, some of the Romans might have claimed to be Christians or joined the ever-growing church because it was the popular thing to do. This would allow for some of these “Christians” to be able to rise in influence in the church and, as R.W. stated, cause the church to “struggle with structure, doctrine, and purity.” So all in all, I think that, initially, Constantine’s influence on the church was excellent for the church and the Christians. They were no longer being persecuted and could worship and exercise their faith freely. Yet I think that, eventually, Constantine’s influence hurt the church more than help it. Yes, he helped the church to sort through a doctrinal debate that resulted in the Council of Nicaea, but his decision to make Rome the patron and protector of the church could have caused the church to flourish in a negative way as a result of Romans not really becoming Christians, but saying they were to seem like “good people” or because it was the popular thing to do.
*Eusebius, http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/conv-const.asp
My pastor spoke yesterday about the eleventh chapter of Acts, in which the church at Antioch is formed. One of his main points was that God can overcome despite persecution. We have been going through Acts for quite a while, and one of the most important things I have learned is that persecution can actually be a good thing for the church. For some reason, by God's grace, when the church is persecuted, it grows exponentially. When the church was persecuted under the Roman emperors, Christians spread the gospel to many, much more than we do today, and more importantly, their faith was genuine. Why would you potentially throw your life away for something you do not really believe in? James 1:2-4 says “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” Thus under Roman persecution, Christians were genuine in their faith, and growing quickly.
However, when Constantine made Christianity legal, passing the Edict of Milan, things changed. The Edict says “in the case of the Christians... if it happens anyone heretofore has bought from our treasury from anyone whatsoever, those places where they were previously accustomed to assemble,... the same shall be restored to the Christians without payment or any claim of recompense and without any kind of fraud or deception.” (Constantine 1) Even in other things he made it perhaps preferable to be a Christian under this new government. Thus, some, many, would come to the church in order to take advantage of this Edict. This depleted the amount of genuine Christians in the church by percentage. So, in this way, the Edict of Milan and Constantine's conversion were bad for the church.
The same can be seen in our culture today. Because of our so-called “religious freedom,” we have become stagnant. Secure in our liberty, we have neglected to make disciples. Revelation 3:15-16 says “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.”
No one is entirely sure weather Constantine's conversion to Christianity was authentic or not. Constantine was curious, wondering what divinities were actually true. Upon seeing the sign at the battle of Milvian Bridge, Constantine heard a voice declare, "With this sign, you will conquer." He also had a similar dream, and after his success in the battle, converted to Christianity. His intentions could be sincere, or maybe just a route to more power, but the answer is unknown. However, this does not change the amount of impact he had on Christianity.
When the edict of Milan was passed in 313, Christianity was officially declared legal, ending the persecution of Christians in Rome. This brought many people to the church, believers and unbelievers alike. He popularized the church in many ways, and changed the environment by meeting in basilicas instead of homes or small rooms. Constantine took church, a place based on God, and turned it into a place focused more on the temporary than the eternal. This obviously strays from a biblical perspective and negatively influenced the church.
My church is finally moving into its own building next month, (we have been meeting in a high school recently) something we have waited many years for. We have been talking a lot about how we shouldn’t focus on the building; the size, location, reputation, etc. because that really doesn’t matter. And our goal isn’t to get as many people as we can, to have the largest and most popular church ever, it is simply to, through love, bring others to Christ; something which is eternal, not temporary.
The first few verses of 1 Corinthians 13 say,
“If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate.2 If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing.3-7 If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.
That’s what Constantine missed. His influence was detrimental to the church because he missed out on the most important factor of Christianity, and that is love.
Even though Constantine may not have been the best influence on Christianity, he helped stop the persecution of Christianity and he made it the dominate religion it is today. Constantine did many great things for the Christian faith. He helped spread Christianity throughout Rome, he helped stop the persecution of Christians. When Constantine made Christianity a free religion in the Roman Empire, that meant Christians the were persecuted for their faith could now worship freely without persecution This gave Christianity a really good chance to grow. Of course Constantine could not get the Roman people to follow this religion or get used to the idea of not persecuting the Christians, so with time converted his people into the idea of Christianity. In doing this he had to make sure he would not get killed like past emperors, so he slowly pushed Christianity on them. It's because of Constantine that's Christianity is such the dominate religion it is today.
SORRY THIS IS LATE. I HAVE BEEN GONE ALL WEEK AT REGIONALS.
Overall, I think it is impossible to deny that Constantine brought benefits to the early church, but he also made some mistakes that would develop into problems for the church in years to come. Constantine’s conversion brought peace to a dangerous place for Christians. Whereas before missionary journeys were done in secret and churches met underground, the church was given the opportunity to flourish not under oppression, but in peace. This allowed the church to unify in ways impossible before and solidify things like doctrine and the biblical canon. Constantine was invaluable in aiding the process, organizing the first Christian council in Nicaea to tackle the false doctrine of Aryanism. Whereas before it was difficult to weed out false doctrines because doctrinal statements and practices differed region to region, the legality of Christianity stimulated the unification of doctrine and allowed the Church to take a united stance. However, Constantine never fully committed himself to Christianity and his tolerance allowed paganism to creep into the church. The idea of sainthood and the veneration of Mary came from pagan customs and superstitions. Relics of saints and martyrs became sacred in the way old tokens were honored in shrines. This set terrible precedent and rather than helping to purify the doctrine, Constantine took an apathetic stance and (while maintaining the power to weed out these practices at their inception) perpetuated the false practices. Finally, Constantine began the poor practice of meshing church and state. He tried to control the church and dictate what it did. Although a god-fearing state is important, a church-controlling state was a custom that led to the authoritarian regimes of the medieval ages whose poor actions were justified under the name of Christianity. In the end, Constantine certainly helped the unity and safety of the early church, but his universal acceptance led to false practices in the long run.
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