The True Story of Constantine.
Beautiful Letters| N° d'inventaire | 13479 |
| Format | 11 x 18 |
| Détails | 208 p., paperback. |
| Publication | Paris, 2010 |
| Etat | Nine |
| ISBN | 9782251040066 |
The diverse historiographical tradition considers Constantine's conversion to Christianity as a decisive moment both in the history of Western Christianity and Byzantium, and in that of the Roman Empire. His victory over Maxentius on October 28, 312, at the Milvian Bridge, is famous because it was on the eve of the battle that Constantine is said to have seen a luminous cross. The ideological consequences were immense, and the Empire thus gave the Christian Church an official position (Edict of Milan, 313). In 325, at his initiative, the first ecumenical council was convened in Nicaea to put an end to the Arian heresy that was tearing the Church apart. This long-reigning emperor (306-337), the all-powerful master of the Empire after several wars against his rivals, put an end to the tetrarchic system by reestablishing the hereditary monarchy. An exceptional politician, Constantine was also a great builder. Constantinople, the city that bears his name, was for eleven centuries the political, cultural, and artistic capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, the center of a brilliant civilization. At his death, after having promoted numerous political, monetary, fiscal, social, and religious reforms, Constantine left behind a pacified empire. What do the controversial sources, both pagan and Christian, say about this pragmatic and efficient figure? This book will recount the major stages of his life, through the favorable and unfavorable testimonies of Lactantius, Eusebius of Caesarea, Libanius, Zosimus, and many others.
The diverse historiographical tradition considers Constantine's conversion to Christianity as a decisive moment both in the history of Western Christianity and Byzantium, and in that of the Roman Empire. His victory over Maxentius on October 28, 312, at the Milvian Bridge, is famous because it was on the eve of the battle that Constantine is said to have seen a luminous cross. The ideological consequences were immense, and the Empire thus gave the Christian Church an official position (Edict of Milan, 313). In 325, at his initiative, the first ecumenical council was convened in Nicaea to put an end to the Arian heresy that was tearing the Church apart. This long-reigning emperor (306-337), the all-powerful master of the Empire after several wars against his rivals, put an end to the tetrarchic system by reestablishing the hereditary monarchy. An exceptional politician, Constantine was also a great builder. Constantinople, the city that bears his name, was for eleven centuries the political, cultural, and artistic capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, the center of a brilliant civilization. At his death, after having promoted numerous political, monetary, fiscal, social, and religious reforms, Constantine left behind a pacified empire. What do the controversial sources, both pagan and Christian, say about this pragmatic and efficient figure? This book will recount the major stages of his life, through the favorable and unfavorable testimonies of Lactantius, Eusebius of Caesarea, Libanius, Zosimus, and many others.