ABSTRACT
Emperor Diocletian abdicated the throne in AD 305, leaving three rivals, Maxentius, Constantius Chlorus, and Galerius to vie for power. Constantius Chlorus died the next year and his son, Constantine, was hailed as his successor (Figure 3.1). Meanwhile, Maxentius had managed to secure Rome as his stronghold. In AD 312 Constantine prepared to do battle with Maxentius for control of Rome and the West. According to the account of Eusebius of Caesarea, who was an early historian and later a confidant of Constantine, the Emperor had a vision that changed the course of his life, the Roman Empire, and most importantly the Christian church. As he prepared for battle “he saw with his own eyes the trophy of a cross of light in the heavens, above the sun and an inscription, CONQUER BY THIS attached to it…. Then in his sleep, the Christ of God appeared to him with the sign which he had seen in the heavens and commanded him to make a likeness of that sign which he had seen in the heavens and to use it as a safeguard in all engagements with his enemies.” 1
