The Baptism of Constantineonstantine I, Constantine the Great, was the first Christian ruler of the Roman Empire. Constantine's full name was Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus. He was born in 200 C.E. in the Roman province of Moesia (Now part of Yugoslavia). His father, Constantius I, was a soldier and a proto-ruler of the Empire.
As a young boy, Constantine was educated in matters of religion under a set beliefs known as Solar Henotheism. Solar Henotheism held that the Roman god Sol was a physical manifestation the true god of the universe. Romans believed Sol to be the companion of the emperor. Also when he was still a youth Constantine was educated in the ways of war, fighting in both Egypt and Persia before joining his father's military campaign against the wild Picts of Britain. In 305 C.E. Constantius I became ruler of the Western Roman Empire, he died little more than a year later leaving Constantine as the new emperor of the Western empire.
Disputes soon arose concerning the validity of Constantine's claim to his father's former position as emperor. Although many rivals appeared to challenge Constantine, the foremost among them was a man head quartered in Rome named Maxentius. Constantine planned to march on Rome and crush Maxentius' forces, however, the eve before beginning his campaign Constantine had a dream that would forever change the course of history. Constantine dreamt of a flaming cross in the sky. Under this cross the words 'By this sign thou shall conquer' appeared. The next day he and his armies met the forces of Maxentius and emerged victorious. He recognized the cross as a symbol of Christianity; therefore, Constantine accepted the Christian faith and the Christian god as the benefactor of his victory.
Approximately one year later Constantine, led by his new found faith, issued the Edict of Milan, a document that not only ended the persecution of the Christians, but also made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire.
With the Milan Edict a new era in the history of the church began. The next few centuries were tumultuous times of great theological debate, and dispute. Men tried to express the truths of God and the Christian faith in exact and specific terms. People often expressed these beliefs in drastically opposing ways, and the disputes that arose were often accompanied by riots and fighting in the streets. The clergy and the public were often divided and the public disorder disturbed the Emperors.
A priest named Arius caused one of the greatest conflicts. Arius claimed that Christ was not God, but simply a man. This heresy became known as Arianism, it was condemned, and the council of Nicea in 325 C.E rejected Arius’ teachings. The Council of Nicea was only the first of many Ecumenical councils spawned by the Edict of Milan to debate matters of doctrine for the Christian church. The Council of Nicea drew up the statement of belief for the Roman Catholic (Universal) Church, known as the Nicean Creed. The creed is still in effect today as are many policies and decisions reached by these early Ecumenical Councils. The many and varied councils, the decisions they made, and the way these decisions have affected the Christian beliefs and the western world in general can all be attributed to Constantine and his Edict of Milan
