ABSTRACT

The fact that only one chapter in this volume focuses on an individual reflects the fundamental importance of Constantine in the religious history of Late Antiquity. Even if one takes an optimistic view of the growth of Christian numbers during the second half of the third century, his decision to throw his support behind the church still had enormous ramifications which are reflected in much of the content of this volume (cf., e.g., 11.4, 12.5, 13.1). Although Constantine exhibited a tolerant attitude towards Christians from the time of his proclamation as emperor in 306, this did not mean he himself had embraced Christianity at this stage, as implied by his apparent encounter with the god Apollo in 310 (4.1). The formative event for Constantine was his victory, against the odds, over Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge outside Rome in 312 (4.2). Since the god of the Christians had evidently given him assurance of this outcome beforehand, his success persuaded Constantine of the power of that god and from this point onwards he began giving his support to the church. Whether ‘conversion’ is the appropriate term for what happened remains a moot point. There is no doubting his commitment to the Christian cause from 312, but his knowledge of what the Christian faith entailed must still have been sketchy and it is more realistic to think in terms of a gradual evolution of his understanding of the full implications of his decision (Cameron 1983). Meanwhile, the inscription placed by the senate on Constantine’s victory arch in Rome provides an intriguing glimpse of how this overwhelmingly pagan body coped with the novel situation of an emperor who supported Christianity (4.3).