493 Early Church History 11: The Constantinian Shift

This is part 11 of the Early Church History class.

Have you heard of the Roman emperor Constantine? He had a massive impact on Christianity. Not only did he end the brutal persecutions of his predecessors, but he also used the Roman government to actively support the Church. However, his involvement also resulted in significant changes that eventually led to the merger between Church and State called Christendom. In this episode you'll learn about the good and the bad effects of Constantine's involvement in Christianity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQDFaIh2SsY&list=PLN9jFDsS3QV2lk3B0I7Pa77hfwKJm1SRI&index=11

Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts

—— Links ——

• More podcasts about Constantine
• Get Kegan Chandler's book, Constantine and the Divine Mind
• Find out more about this summer's Family Camp here.
• More Restitutio resources on Christian history
• See other classes here
• Support Restitutio by donating here
• Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF
• Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air
• Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.
• Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here

—— Notes ——

Today, we’re looking at one of the most influential people in church history: Constantine (272-337).

• Also called Constantine the Great or Constantine I
• There would be 10 more emperors named Constantine.
• Constantine 11th was the last Roman emperor who died when the Muslims conquered Constantinople in 1453.

Constantine’s “Edict of Milan”[1]

• 303-313 - The Great Persecution
• 313 - Toleration granted to Christians and all religions
  • Restore confiscated property

Constantine’s Favoring of Christianity

• Exemption from public office
• Tax exemption
• Use of cursus publicus
• Printing of Christian scriptures
• Closing of law courts on Sundays
• Abolition of face-branding as a punishment

Constantine and Churches

• Donated 3,000 bags of money to church in African provinces
• Rebuilt and enlarged damaged churches
• Built new churches, especially through his mother, Helena
  • Helena also allegedly finds the true cross (relic).

Constantine’s Government

• Appointed government officials that were Christians
• Sought advice from Christian bishops on decisions
• Shared his table with Christians
• Had bishops accompany soldiers