Message:

<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Gavin Richardson, post: 4655054, member: 83956&quot;]I&#039;m glad these coins have sparked a real interest and curiosity. It’s lovely to see what a gesture of generosity can do.</p><p><br /></p><p>I think we mainly have Jacob Burckhardt (<i>Die Zeit Constantins des Grossen</i>, 1853) to thank for the persistent view that Constantine adopted Christianity only as a political measure and not out of genuine belief. I don’t think that view is widely held today among Constantinian scholars such as Timothy Barnes. Peter Leithart’s <i>Defending Constantine</i> sees him as very, very Christian indeed. Although Leithart may overstate his case, my sense is that scholars working today believe Constantine took his Christianity quite seriously, which does not preclude a political use of that religion as well. When the Roman Emperor had traditionally served as the <i>pontifex maximus</i> to the gods, such use might not be unexpected. It was certainly not peculiar to Christianity.</p><p><br /></p><p>Still, Burckhardt’s thesis persists, and I think the issue of Constantine’s Christianity often serves as a kind of Rorschach test for the person examining it. It results in the kind of reductive and unnuanced disparagement that prefaces Constantine’s coins on Wildwinds, which is unfortunate.[/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