Constatine: Christian Hero Or Wise Diplomat

Constatine: Christian Hero or Wise Diplomat
When Constantine was proclaimed Emperor in 306 CE, Europe was in a state of disarray. Rome was in decline, and the very fashion in which Constatine came to power was "contrary to the plan which Emperor Diocletian had proposed for choosing new Roman emperors." (186) This, coupled with already high tensions with the Christian people, and the almostsudden appearance of a rival to the throne in Rome, Maxentius, stretched an already flailing empire even closer to its breaking point. It was during this time that the legend that is Saint Constatine was born. In the excerpts from The Life of Constantine by Eusebius, the reader is given a more personal look into the events that lead to Constantine's victory over Maxentius. In the piece, Constantineis portrayed as a pious, holy man, loved by Christians, and out to stop the pagan, cruel Maxentius. During Constantine's rule, he issued the edict of Milan, granting religious toleration to the Christians, gave land to the clergy, found the grave of St. Peter, and precided over the First Church Council at Nicaea (186), making him a favorite among early Christians. However, evidence shows that thispiece is less of an accurate biography about a Roman emperor and a war, than a bit of royal propaganda used to get the growing Christian population to become a peaceful part of the empire under Constantine.
The author Eusebius is a bishop, so to the Christian population, he is a reliable source. Most people of the time were fairly illiterate, so this piece would be read by the clergy, and theupper class, who probably passed the "miraculous" story down through word of mouth to the less educated general populace during sermons and Christian getherings. However, he is also "a friend and confidant, the emperor's biographer, and tutor to his children" (186), removing the usual, objective stance a historian should have. Not only did the author of this piece have personal ties with theemperor, this biography was most likely not authored for free. It is not the account of a soldier, or an eye witness, but of the very man who staged this campaign. Even Eusebius says of Constantine's vision of the cross in the sky, "a sign appeared to him from heaven, the account of which it might have been hard to believe had it been related by any other person."(187) By the time this biography wasbeing penned, Constantine was already considered near saintly because of all that he had done for the Christian population during the time of his rule. The bishop was "honored with [Constantine's] acquaintance and society"(187), and was being paid by, and allowed to tutor the children of the man that was a hero to his people, and was probably elated and willing to believe and write down anythingthis man told him.
Also the piece displays one of the typical trademarks of literature of a propagandic nature, and that is the demonization of the opposition. In this writing, Maxentius is descreibed as a Pagan, a tyrant, and a murderer, and Constantine the noble warrior sent by God to put the atrocities hi brings on the Roman people to an end. In the chapter concerning the wife of a prefect,who slays herself in a very Roman fashion for the sake of her chastity, Maxentius's army is referred to as "those who ministered to the tyrant" (188). This passage takes into account that Roman Christians were still very much Romans, with Roman values, and sends the message that good Roman citizens were Christians, and that Maxentius was against the very core values of Rome. In the next passage,"Massacre of the Roman People by Maxentius", he continues this argument as he tells of Maxentius's body guard attacking people in the streets. "...Countless Multitudes of the Roman people were slain in very midst of the city by the lances and weapons, not of Scytcians or barbarians, but of their own fellow citizens." Eusebius even goes as far as to accuse Maxentius of witch craft, telling of...