Who Was Constantine and What Did He Do?
Constantine is an important person in the history of Christianity. He isnt a saint, but he certainly isnt the calculating dictator he is portrayed as by the DaVinci Code. Before Constantine, Christians suffered one of the most severe persecutions in history at the hands of Emperor Diocletian. This started in 303 when Diocletian issued an edict ordering that the meeting-places of Christians be demolished, their sacred books burned, and the Christians stripped of civil rights and honors. • Within this context, Constantine had a spiritual revelation of some sort at the Battle of Milvian Bridge in 312. He saw a cross in the sky and was told that this sign would lead him to victory. Constantine does worship the Invincible Sun and he is a religious person. Whether he truly had a vision is questionable, but it is important to what happens next. • Constantine, who is now emperor, ends the unfavorable attitude toward Christians and issued the Edict of Milan in 313 that legalized Christianity. N
