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History Series: Constantine
History of Constantine the Great
The first “Christian” Roman Emperor?
The first “Christian” Emperor of Rome was Constantine I, also known as Constantine the Great, who ruled from AD 306 to 337. He ended the Empire-wide persecution of Christians and elevated the faith of Christianity in Rome.
Who was he, what did he do, why was he important to Imperial Rome and early Christianity, and was he himself a Christian?
Who Was Constantine?
Born in Serbia on February 27, probably in AD 272, to a Roman military officer named Flavius Constantius, who took the name of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, after his father ascended to the rank of caesar (regional ruler).
His lowborn mother, Helena, was reputedly credited with bringing to Rome, following a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, important relics. These included the True Cross and the Holy Stairs (Scala Sancta), from the Praetorium of Pontius Pilate in Jerusalem, where he condemned Jesus.
The stairs are now located across a narrow street from the ancient Archbasilica of St. John in Laterano (San Giovanni), as I describe in my article here. She was later canonized as Saint Helena. Her porphyry granite sarcophagus is in the Vatican Museum, as I describe…
