Constantine the Great

How to Navigate the Sources

on the First Christian Emperor
AIS NSW: Exploring New Horizons in History Extension
Thursday 1 June, 2017
AIS conference centre
Lvl 12, 99 York Street, Sydney

Dr Mario Baghos

https://sydney.academia.edu/MarioBaghos

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mario_Baghos?
ev=hdr_xprf
Constantine the Great 2

Content:
1.  Primary Sources
2.  Secondary Sources
3.  Timeline
Primary Sources 3
By Constantine:
§  Edict of Milan preserved in Lactanius and Eusebius (c. 313).

§  Letters and Decrees preserved in Eusebius’ Life of Constantine, trans. Averil Cameron and
Stuart G. Hall. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1999.

§  The Oration to the Saints in Constantine and Christendom, trans. with intro. Mark Edwards.
Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 2007 repr. (delivered c. 325)

Christian
§  Lactantius [c. 250-325], On the Manner in which the Persecutors Died in Fathers of the Third
and Fourth Centuries, trans. A Cleveland Coxe, ANF vol. 7. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm B.
Eerdmans Publishing Co., repr. (313-314)

§  Eusebius [260s-339], The History of the Church from Christ to Constantine, trans. G. A.
Williams. London: Penguin Books, 1989. (finished c. 325).

- In Praise of Constantine in In Praise of Constantine: A Historical Study and New Translation

of Eusebius’ Tricennial Orations, trans. H. A. Drake. California: University of California Press,
1975. (c. 335)

- Life of Constantine, trans. Averil Cameron and Stuart G. Hall (Oxford: Clarendon Press,
1999. (c. 339)
Primary Sources 4

Christian
•  St Jerome [c. 347-420], Chronicle, trans. Roger Pearse, http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/
jerome_chronicle_00_eintro.htm (c. 380)

•  Philostorgius: Church History, trans. Philip R. Amidon. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature,
2007 (c. 430)

§  The Ecclesiastical History of Socrates Scholasticus, trans. A. C. Zenos in Socrates,

Sozomenus: Church Histories, NPNF vol. 2. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans
Publishing Company, 1976. (c. 430s)

§  The Ecclesiastical History of Sozomen, trans. Chester D. Hartranft in Socrates, Sozomenus:

Church Histories, NPNF vol. 2. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Company, 1976. (c. 440s)

§  The Ecclesiastical History of Theodoret [c. 393-460], trans. Blomfeld Jackson, in Theodoret,
Jerome, Gennadius, Rufinus, NPNF vol. 2. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing
Company, 1979. (c. 450)
Primary Sources 5

Pagan

§  Panegyric of Constantine (n. VI) in In Praise of Later Roman Emperors: The Panegyrici
Latini, trans. C.E.V. Nixon and Barbara Saylor Rodgers. Berkeley, Los Angeles, Oxford:
University of California Press, 1994. (c. 310)

§  The Origin of Constantine, trans. Jane Stevenson in From Constantine to Julian: Pagan
and Byzantine Views, ed. Samuel N. C. Lieu and Dominic Montserrat (London and New
York: Routledge 1996) 43-62. (c. 337)

§  Aurelius Victor [c. 320-390], De Caesaribus, trans. H. W. Bird. Liverpool: Liverpool

University Press, 1994. (c. 361)

§  Eutropius: Breviarium, trans. H. W. Bird. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 1993. (latter
half of 4th century)

§  Zosimus, New History, trans. Ronald T. Ridley. Sydney: Australian Association for
Byzantine Studies, 1982. (c. 490s-510s)
Primary Sources 6

Pagan

§  Panegyric of Constantine (n. VI) in In Praise of Later Roman Emperors: The

Panegyrici Latini, trans. C.E.V. Nixon and Barbara Saylor Rodgers. Berkeley, Los
Angeles, Oxford: University of California Press, 1994. (c. 310)

§  The Origin of Constantine, trans. Jane Stevenson in From Constantine to Julian:

Pagan and Byzantine Views, ed. Samuel N. C. Lieu and Dominic Montserrat (London
and New York: Routledge 1996) 43-62. (c. 337)

§  Aurelius Victor [c. 320-390], De Caesaribus, trans. H. W. Bird. Liverpool: Liverpool

University Press, 1994. (c. 361)

§  Eutropius: Breviarium, trans. H. W. Bird. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 1993.

(latter half of 4th century)

§  Zosimus, New History, trans. Ronald T. Ridley. Sydney: Australian Association for
Byzantine Studies, 1982. (c. 490s-510s)
Secondary Sources 7

§  Barnes, Timothy D. Constantine and Eusebius. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press,
1981.
- Constantine: Dynasty, Religion and Power in the Later Roman Empire. Oxford: Wiley-
Blackwell, 2011.
§  Bardill, Jonathan. Constantine: Divine Emperor of the Christian Golden Age. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 2012.
§  Grant, Michael. The Emperor Constantine. London: Phoenix Giant, 1993.
§  Jones, A.H.M. Constantine and the Conversion of Europe. Toronto: University of Toronto
Press, 1989.
§  Leithart, Peter J. Defending Constantine: The Twilight of an Empire and the Dawn of
Christendom. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2010.
§  MacMullen, Ramsay. Constantine. Sydney: Croom Helm, 1987.
§  Odahl, Charles Matson. Constantine and the Christian Empire, Second Edition. Oxon, UK:
Routledge, 2010.
§  Pohlsander, Hans A. The Emperor Constantine. New York: Routledge, 1996.
§  Van Dam, Raymond. The Roman Revolution of Constantine. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 2009.
 (Flavius Valerius) Constantine the Great, 272 (276?) – 337 AD
•  Born is Naissus (Niš, modern day Serbia), to Flavius Valerius Constantius and Helena
8
•  284-5: Diocletian and Maximian take control of the Roman Empire; in 288, Maximian
chose Constantius to be his Caesar.

•  288: Establishment of the tetrarchy, four-ruler system of government; two Augusti

(Diocletian and Maximian) and two Caesars (Constantius and Galerius). Traditionalising
religious policies.

Timeline

Source: https://
commons.wikimedia.org/
wiki/
File:Tetrarchy_map3.jpg
•  Constantine educated in Latin, Greek, philosophy, and warfare.

9
•  290s: Constantine sent to eastern territories to fight for Diocletian and Galerius.
Initiated into military training, but more of a hostage in the court of Nicomedia.

•  303: initiation of the Great Persecution of the Christian Church by the emperor
Diocletian. Ended in the Western territories in 305, but Galerius, who had Maximian
as Augustus in the east, continued the persecutions (with ferocity via his Caesar
Maximinus Daia) until 311.

•  305: Abdication of Augusti. Constantius petitions for Constantine to join him in his
war against the Picts. Constantine escapes and either arrives to meet his father in
Gaul, or meets him in Britain, after which Constantius dies and Constantine is
declared Augustus by the military.

•  310: Constantine crushes a revolt by Maximian – purported vision of Apollo (Sol)

and Victory. From this date onwards Constantine represents himself as an adept of
either Apollo or Sol (or both) on coinage.

•  312: Battle of Pons Milvius. Constantine defeats Maxentius. Lactantius (313-14)

reports that Christ appeared to him in a dream the night before battle and ordered
him to place the Christogram on his shields and standards. Eusebius later reports in
his Life of the emperor (incomplete upon Eusebius’ death in 337) that Constantine
had a vision of the cross in the sky before the battle, with the words ‘By this
conquer.’
 10

Photos by Mario Baghos © 2015. See my

newspaper article on Constantinian
coinage:

https://www.academia.edu/19697776/
Fourth_Century_Coins_Discovered_at_St_
Andrews_Theological_College
 11

Constantine’s vision of the cross, Raphael rooms, Vatican museum. Photo by

Mario Baghos (2011).
 12

Constantine defeats Maxentius, Raphael rooms, Vatican museum. Photo by

Mario Baghos (2011).
Timeline 13

•  312 onwards: Becomes master of Western Roman empire. Initiation of Church building
projects in and around Rome including: St John Lateran (c. 324), Sts Marcellinus and Peter
(completed 324-326), St Lawrence (date uncertain), St Sebastian (c. 335), St Agnes (c. 335),
St Paul ‘outside the walls’ (date uncertain), old St Peter’s on what is now the hill of the Vatican
(c. 329), and various others such as Santa Croce in Gerusalemme (‘the Holy Cross in
Jerusalem,’ c. 325). Restores church property, confers benefits (emoluments) and exempts
Christian clergy from public service.

•  313: Issues the Edict of Milan along with his co-emperor Licinius.

•  312: Donatist controversy began in North Africa; they petitioned to Constantine for assistance.
314: Donatists condemned at council of Arles.

•  315: Celebrates decennalia in Rome; Roman senate erects arch of Constantine which is
inscribed with the following:

“Since through the instigation of the Divinity [quod instinctu divinitatis mentis] and the greatness
of his own mind he [Constantine] with his army revenged the state with just arms on one
occasion from the tyrant and all his faction.”
-The Latin has been reproduced by Cameron and Hall in their ‘Commentary’ to Life of
Constantine, 216.
 14

The Arch of Constantine in Rome (dedicated in

315). Photo © Mario Baghos (2011).
The remains of the Colossal
statue of Constantine that would 15
have been placed in the Basilica
Nova, now in Palazzo dei
Conservatori museum, under
which was written:

“By this saving sign, the true

proof of courage, I saved your
city from the yoke of the tyrant
and set her free; furthermore I
freed the senate and People of
Rome and restored to them their
ancient renown and splendour.”
Eusebius, The History of the
Church 9.9, trans. G. A.
Williamson (London: Penguin
Books, 1989) 294.

Photo by Mario Baghos

(2016)
Timeline 16

§  315-17: Battle breaks out between Constantine and Licinius. Constantine chases him
throughout the eastern territories, spotting Byzantium on the way. Licinius eventually sues
for peace.

§  317: Constantine appoints his son, Crispus, as Caesar.

§  320: Licinius initiates persecution against Christians in his territories.

§  324: Licinius finally defeated (executed in 325-6). Constantine sole ruler of empire.

§  325: Construction begins on Constantinople. Vicennalia and the council of Nicaea (first
ecumenical council). Convoked by Constantine yet presided by St Ossius of Cordova.

§  327: Pilgrimage of St Helen to the Holy Land; founding of church of the Nativity in
Bethlehem; church of the ascension at the Mount of Olives; church of the Holy Sepulchre
(encompassing Golgotha and the Lord’s tomb).

§  330: Founding of Constantinople as New Rome.

17
Saints Constantine and Helen 18

Mosaic of Saints
Constantine and
Helen in Hosios
Loukas. 11th
century.
Timeline 19

§  335: Council of Tyre; St Athanasius sent into exile. Tricennalia. Church of Holy
Sepulchre dedicated.

§  337: Constantine baptised at Nicomedia at the hands of Eusebius of Nicomedia, an

Arian. (Contention about baptism ensued: later tradition will ascribe it to St Sylvester of
Rome.) Death. Interment at Constantinople in church of the Holy Apostles.

§  Constantine succeeded by his sons, Constantine II, Constantius II, and Constans.

§  339: Eusebius of Caesarea died just before completing his Life of the emperor.