Encyclopedia of Church History

Constantine the Great: His Merits and His Faults

Constantine the Great: His Merits and His Faults

He assumed rule over the Roman Empire after a long period during which the Church had been subjected to various forms of persecution, torture, and killing by the emperors. And God permitted, by a miracle from Him, that Constantine be led to the Christian faith, and God granted him victory in his war against his rivals. The Church remembers this event in the Synaxarium and in the Feasts of the Cross.
And Constantine issued the Edict of Milan in the year A.D. 313, in which he allowed religious freedom. Christianity thus became able to practice its religious rites without obstruction from the state and without being exposed to death.
He did not grant victory to Christianity over paganism, nor did he persecute the remnants of paganism. Rather, all that happened was that he did not persecute Christians because of their Christianity. And Christianity became in his time one of the religions permitted by the state.
Christianity had been widespread before Constantine and had filled the ends of the earth. But that spread had been founded upon blood and martyrdom. Constantine spared it from this martyrdom. And that is all he did. Added to this is that he had a saintly mother named Helena, who cared about building churches, discovering the glorious Cross, restoring monasteries, and caring for the poor. And the Church did not forget that Constantine lifted persecution from it, so it placed his name in its prayers continually, as a just ruler who believed in Christianity, even though he did not receive the grace of baptism except at a late time.
And the Church mentioned him in some of its liturgical prayers (in the Psalmody) together with his mother Helena.
Constantine benefited from the fact that peace prevailed in his lands, and there was no longer persecution against anyone because of his religion. But in this peace the heresy of Arius spread, and the Church tried to treat it, but Arius did not respond to the Church’s call. And division began to creep into the regions of the empire because of the Arian heresy.
And Constantine intervened to restore unity and peace. But Constantine was not deeply rooted in matters of faith, so he sometimes caused trouble for the Church. He first intervened to reconcile Pope Alexander and Arius in an incorrect way that did not succeed, so he was compelled to call for the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325 for the bishops to decide the matter. And he showed very great respect toward the patriarchs and bishops who were members of the council, in a way that earned him the Church’s appreciation and love, which thought that the faith had been secured by the excommunication of Arius!
But matters became complicated, and Constantine erred for reasons:

1. Eusebius, bishop of Nicomedia—the capital at the time—leaned toward Arius and interceded for him before Emperor Constantine.

2. The confessor of the emperor’s sister was Arian, and this sister interceded for Arius.

3. Arius had opportunities to meet Constantine and complain to him that he was wronged and stir up his sympathy.

4. The Arians were spreading intrigues against Saint Athanasius and telling the emperor that Athanasius was against him, so the Council of Tyre was convened to try him. Thus Constantine took a position in favor of Arianism that almost threatened the faith and endangered the peace of the Church.For better translation support, please contact the center.