Constantine the Great and Christianity

Three Phases: the Historical, the Legendary, and the Spurious

Christopher Bush Coleman

• Publisher: Columbia University Press
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN:
  9780231907347
• eBook ISBN:
  9780231880220
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: History of Christianity

Looks at the history of Constantine and Christianity from three main focal points: on the historical facts of Constantine's attitude toward Christianity and the Church, on the process by which Constantine's actual position in religious matters was distorted and the way in which the distorted position influenced subsequent generations, and on the Donation of Constantine in which power over Rome was transferred to the Pope.

Table of contents

• Preface
• Table of Contents
• Introduction
• Part One. The Historical Facts
• Chapter I. The Problem
• Chapter II. The Imprint of Christianity Upon Constantine’s Laws, Inscriptions and Writings
• Chapter III. Imperial Patronage of Christianity; Attitude Toward Paganism
• Chapter IV. The “Conversion” of Constantine, and the Religious Revolution of His Time
• Part Two. The Legendary Constantine and Christianity
• Chapter I. The Legend-Makers
• Chapter II. Legends of Constantine’s Origin and Rise to Imperial Position, Legends About Helena
• Chapter III. The Hostile, Pagan Legend of Constantine
• Chapter IV. Early Legends of Divine Aid, Conversion, and Saintliness
• Chapter V. Later Legends of Constantine’s Conversion and Baptism
• Part Three. The Spurious Constantine: The Constitum Constantini
• Chapter I. History of the Constitutum Constantini
• Chapter II. Exposure of the Forgery
• Chapter III. The “Donation” in the Protestant Revolution. Modern Scientific Historical Criticism
• Appendix
• Bibliography
• Index