Constantine and Christian Civilisation

Imagine what could happen as the result of the conversion of a powerful, popular and capable president or prime minister.

A nation could be transformed. Laws could be enacted to curb immorality. Imagine how popular the Christian faith could become when a successful leader is themselves attributing all their success to Jesus. A Christian nation could extend its influence far and wide – perhaps an empire could be created with Christ as its head?

If this sounds appealing, history warns us to be careful what we wish for – and certainly thoughtful in what we pray for. We have an example from history, the Roman Empire during the Fourth Century shows one version of the creation of a Christian state. Was it a revival? Or, as some think, was it one of the greatest disasters of Christian history? Perhaps it was, as is often the case, somewhere between the two?

Constantine became Roman Emperor in AD 312 after defeating his rival, Maxentius, on the outskirts of Rome at the Milvian Bridge. The story is that Constantine had received a vision to go into battle with the sign of the cross and so he had the symbol painted on the shields of his soldiers. With victory under this sign, Constantine then began to reform the Roman Empire from paganism to Christianity. In the lifetime of one man, Christianity went from being a persecuted religion on the fringe of society to the religion of the Empire.

Temples became churches. Laws were enacted to abolish infanticide and crucifixion. Sunday became a rest day. Gladiator games were put to an end. Prisons were reformed for the better treatment of prisoners. The Church became the official religion and her head, the Bishop of Rome, took over the royal palace and attempted to unify the various churches under a common authority. So began a relationship of Church and State that would continue in many parts of Europe until modern times; we call it the Roman Catholic Church.

Sadly, when we take a closer look at these events, all is not quite as rosy as might first appear. We may want to question what was a work of God, and what was the political scheme of a powerful man.

By the time of Constantine, Christianity had spread, despite great persecution, to form about 10% of the population of the Roman empire. There is evidence for Christians as far apart as Britain and India. Constantine’s mother, Helena, may well have been a Christian. Rome itself was in great decline. It had over-extended itself, indulged in financially disastrous excess, and promoted immorality that undermined the authority of family and law. Rome was breaking down.

But Constantine was a master strategist. He knew how to fight a military battle. He also knew how to fight a political battle. His first action, on becoming Emperor, was to enact laws to unify Rome. The Edict of Milan, AD 313, decriminalised Christianity. In the years that followed he helped organise major Church councils that would define and reject heresy. These councils did not define Christian belief – the Bible would do that – but they did define what were unorthodox alternatives. Some great theologians rose to the challenge, such as Athanasius and Augustine, and the councils would provide some of the great statements of sound theology. However, Constantine’s attempt to use this to unify the Church was a failure. There would remain great divisions on matters of detail across the world. Later Emperors would vary in their sympathy to the Christian faith and the city of Rome would be in economic free-fall.

“Christianity is not a tool to be used. Jesus is not a slogan to be used as a campaign endorsement.”

Looking back on the events of the Fourth Century, we have to question Constantine’s motives. Did he ever really fight a battle under the symbol of the cross? It is unlikely. After the battle he had an enormous Triumphal arch built in the shadow of the Colosseum in Rome. It still stands today. Nowhere is a symbol of the cross to be seen, not even on the soldier’s shields. What we called the Edict of Milan was a law permitting tolerance of religion, not the promotion of Christianity. While the early church councils produced great works of theology, that was never the real intention of Constantine. All he wanted was unity and in many ways the councils were a disappointment to him. He would have preferred that they had arrived at more liberal and accommodating statements of faith than the orthodox ones they delivered.

Constantine supposedly had a death-bed conversion and was baptised by an Arian Bishop (the Arians did not believe Jesus was fully God) in AD 337. What did he leave behind? A powerful political Church-State relationship in western Europe. Many of the trappings of Roman government, its language and its wealth would be incorporated into the Church. Over 1200 years later one of its monks, Martin Luther, would challenge that relationship of Church and State. Luther could see that the Church was less like the Kingdom of God and more like a business corporation. In company with other Reformers across Europe, he sought to undo the damage that had been done by such compromise. Luther’s great crime was to be true to his conscience and the Word of God, against the worldly power of his day.

Was the time of Constantine a work of God? Like so much of history I think we have to say it was a murky time of good and bad. Good did come out of that period and God was certainly at work through it. But there is also a considerable warning. There are many celebrities and CEO’s, Presidents and personalities, who are happy to use Christianity when it suits them. If it can sell product or win votes, then why not? The Bible gives us only one Lord of Lords and King of Kings. Yes, we should seek the welfare of the city (Jeremiah 29:7) and bring salt and light to business and society. But the warning from Constantine is clear. Christianity is not a tool to be used. Jesus is not a slogan to be used as a campaign endorsement.

Be careful what we mean when we say we want a Christian state – there are plenty of powerful people about who would use that desire for their own self-serving ends. Paul asked, “Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (Galatians 1:10). Instead, we should keep our eyes fixed on Jesus – the only ultimate Lord of God’s people.

Chris Sinkinson

February 2024