Message:

<p>[QUOTE=&quot;dougsmit, post: 1207634, member: 19463&quot;]Constantine may have been a Christian but recall he withheld baptism until his deathbed so he was not, technically when any coins were struck.&nbsp; What he was without doubt was an excellent politician who saw advantage in putting an end to disputes over things like religion.&nbsp; He called Christian councils like the big one that produced the Nicene Creed insisting that the bishops come to agreement on one answer and the minority give in (did not work real well).&nbsp; He did not force conversion on the empire and least of all on all the army.&nbsp; He tolerated Christians and Pagans.&nbsp; Earlier coins were more pagan while later ones were more secular (soldiers, campgates) but did not include overtly Christian coins.&nbsp; That came with his kids who had been raised as Christians.&nbsp; A lot of what we &#039;know&#039; of him comes from Christian writers like Eusebius who promoted his being a Christian while there are some students today who question at what point he ever considered the Christian God as a One and Only rather than another &quot;hedged&quot; bet.&nbsp; &nbsp; The coins suggest a man whose first interest was to be everyone&#039;s ruler.&nbsp; I&#039;m no scholar and I don&#039;t claim to know.</p><p><br /></p><p>I&#039;m sure there are more recent studies on the matter but I found considerable interest in a 1978 book by A.H.M. Jones, <b>Constantine an the Conversion of Europe</b>.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

Your name or email address:

Do you already have an account?

• No, create an account now.
• Yes, my password is:
• Forgot your password?

Stay logged in