They may have helped Constantine to see in his experience the monogram of Christ as the Christian interpretation of what he saw.Īfter the vision, Constantine instructed his soldiers to put the Chi Rho monogram of Christ on their shields. Was the whole incident fabricated? Was it a figment of his imagination? And, if he dreamed something or saw something, what was it?Ī likely explanation is that he did indeed have some kind of experience-a dream, a vision, or both-but that the interpretation was provided by Christian advisers (notably Ossius, or Hosius, bishop of Cordoba, Spain). At this sight he himself was struck with amazement, and his whole army also, which followed him on this expedition, and witnessed the miracle. He said that about noon, when the day was already beginning to decline, he saw with his own eyes the trophy of a cross of light in the heavens, above the sun, and bearing the inscription, CONQUER BY THIS. And it wasn’t at the temple of Apollo, it was at the battle of Milvian Bridge.Ī most marvelous sign appeared to from heaven, the account of which it might have been hard to believe had it been related by any other person. In this vision, he was given 30 wreaths, symbolizing the 30 years he would reign as emperor.īut according to Christian sources, the vision that mattered wasn’t in 306, but in 312.
The first, according to pagan sources, was a vision of Apollo in the year 306. What do the sources say about Constantine’s conversion?Ĭonstantine had two visions. In the history of Christianity, Constantine is most remembered for bringing state-sanctioned persecution to an end. In addition to his successful military campaigns, Constantine made several administrative changes that established and extended his influence. His reign began in 306, and after a series of internal struggles, he consolidated his rule over the entire Roman Empire in 324. Who was Constantine?Ĭonstantine was the first Christian emperor.
Let’s take a deeper look at Constantine’s conversion-both the motives behind it and the effect it had on the church. And still others believe Constantine’s conversion was sincere-but that he also used Christianity for his own gain. Others treat him as a politician, who only used Christianity for political purposes. Some Christians consider Constantine a saint.
One of the major turning points in the history of the church was Constantine’s conversion to Christianity.
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