Description

Feast Day/Commemorated: May 21

The fourth century marked a pivotal period for Christianity, particularly in Greek-speaking lands, with events and figures directly linked to the First Ecumenical Council. This synopsis will explore the life of Emperor Constantine, commemorated on May 21 alongside his mother Helen, followed by a brief mention of the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council (commemorated the Sunday after Ascension), and finally, Saint Athanasios the Great (honored on May 2). While acknowledging the author's humility as a non-historian, this account draws significantly from Robert Payne's "The Holy Fire," a work that sheds light on these transformative times for the Eastern Church.

Constantine the Great, uniquely titled "Equal to the Apostles" by the Church, was not a saint in the traditional sense of being an ascetic, a brilliant theologian, or always morally exemplary, nor was he a miracle worker. He was formally baptized only on his deathbed. Born in 251 AD, he was the son of Emperor Constantius, ruler of the far west, and Helen, an innkeeper's daughter who profoundly influenced him towards Christianity. Trained in the court of Diocletian, a brutal persecutor of Christians, Constantine later joined his father in Britain. Upon Constantius's death in 306 in York, his troops acclaimed Constantine as emperor, setting him on an ambitious path to reunite the Roman Empire under his sole rule.

A transformative experience occurred in 312 as Constantine marched to confront Maxentius's superior forces near Rome. He recounted seeing a shining cross in the sky with the words "In this sign conquer" (either "En touto nika" or "In hoc signum vincit"). Though still a pagan sun-worshipper, his Christian sympathies, likely influenced by his mother, led him to have Christian priests explain the vision. Consequently, he ordered the Chi-Rho symbol painted on his army's banners. This divine sign preceded his decisive victory at the Milvian Bridge. As sole emperor of the West, Constantine then defied custom by refusing pagan sacrifices in Rome and, remarkably, issued the Edict of Milan in 313 with Licinius, declaring religious tolerance for all and granting special privileges to the Church, including property rights and the establishment of the Lord's Day as an imperial holiday.

Constantine's family life was complex, marked by political marriages and tragic executions, including his son Crispus and wife Fausta, after which his mother Helen was quickly proclaimed Augusta. When Emperor Licinius in the East resumed persecuting Christians, Constantine moved to reunite the empire under himself and the Christian God. His victory over Licinius in 324 made him sole emperor of both East and West. To his dismay, however, the Christian Church was deeply divided by the Arian heresy. In 325, Constantine convened the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea, presiding over 318 bishops. Though his primary goal was unity rather than theological understanding, the Council overwhelmingly condemned Arianism. Following this, Constantine moved the imperial capital from pagan Rome to Byzantium, establishing Constantinople in 330, a providential move that inaugurated the enduring Byzantine Empire.

Empress Helen's role re-emerged as she undertook a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, commissioning churches at the Nativity site in Bethlehem and the Church of the Resurrection (Anastasis) in Jerusalem. Constantine himself attended the dedication of the Anastasis in 336, a moment of immense joy for Christians, symbolizing a world renewed after years of persecution. Despite his profound impact, Constantine delayed his own baptism until shortly before his death in 337, possibly due to contemporary practices or political considerations. He died on Pentecost, May 21, 337, having abandoned imperial garments for his white baptismal robe. The Church honors both Constantine and Helen as "Equals to the Apostles" not for their personal perfection, but for Constantine's monumental act of ending the Great Persecution and ushering in an era where the Roman Empire became Christian, thereby enabling countless millions through the centuries to know Christ and attain eternal life.

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