A Mother’s Influence?
Constantine the Great, Emperor of the Roman Empire from about 312 BC, converted to Christianity supposedly after his mother, a woman who came to be known for her acts of charity, became a Christian. The picture above is of Constantine’s mother, St. Helena, available for viewing at the Cincinnati Museum of Art.
Consequent on his conversion to Christianity, Constantine took upon himself the fight against persecutors of Christians, resulting in defeat and execution of the persecuting Emperor about 327 AD. Christianity subsequently became official religion of the Roman Empire, with caveat people who chose not to be Christians were, by edict of Constantine Himself, not to be persecuted. Christians chose the high road of accommodation, tolerance for people’s right to choose what to believe, a principle deeply embedded in teachings of Jesus Christ. Note tolerance was not for immorality, but for right to choose a god in whom to believe. In presence of some resistance to living of Christian lives by leading citizens of Rome, Constantine went on to found Constantinople, a city which would become seat of the Eastern Roman Empire, wonder of the world for about a thousand years, a civilization founded on principles of Christian morality.
Is it possible Constantine could have become a Christian if he did not witness any reality of same conversion in his mother? Is it possible Constantine’s…
