Chapter 25: The Golden Age That Never Happened. I've talked quite a bit about the negative aspects of the Constantinian hybrid, but it would be a mistake to think that there were no beneficial aspects as well. The Church would never have gone for the baits if it had been all bad. So let's take a look at a few of these beneficial aspects. The most immediate and visible change that the new hybrid brought was the legalization of Christianity. The state favored Christianity, and it exempted Church property from taxes.
Furthermore, Constantine made Sunday a legal holiday, making it easier for the population to attend Sunday worship. He also outlawed all occult practices. The sudden rise of Christianity, particularly in the public sphere, was accompanied by the rapid decline and eventual extinguishment of classical paganism. Although he tolerated pagan worship and declared freedom of worship for all except heretics, Constantine prohibited state officers from making pagan offerings on behalf of the states.
He also withdrew funding for further construction of pagan temples, and he converted some temples into churches. In the social realm, Constantine promulgated a law that offered public financial assistance to poor families so that they would not follow the common practice of abandoning unwanted infants to die. He banned the cruel gladiator contests in many cities, shut down lewd theaters, and outlawed prostitution. Constantine also prohibited concubinage, punished adultery, and made divorce more difficult to obtain.
I believe that Constantine truly wanted to improve Roman society and to outlaw the things that were offensive to God. But he was not a reborn Christian. He was still a man of this world, so the only way he knew how to do things was through the world's methods, which were often cruel and brutal. For example, Constantine made sexual assault and seduction much more serious crimes than they previously had been.
That was good, but the penalties he attached to these crimes were unspeakable: burning the accused person alive, having him torn apart by wild beasts in the amphitheater, or pouring molten lead down his throat. Furthermore, Constantine and his officers continued to routinely practice torture, just as their pagan predecessors had done. In fact, over the years, Constantine degenerated into a cruel, autocratic ruler who spent public funds like a drunken sailor.
To pay for his profligate spending, Constantine burdened the people with some of the heaviest taxation the empire had ever experienced. As we have discussed, Jesus told us that we must let go, let go of every chain that keeps us bound to the earth. We have to let go of every possession that will cause us to be anxious, every treasure to which our hearts might become attached. And earthly power is just as much a possession as gold and silver. It's just as intoxicating as riches, if not more so.
Once people take their first drink of power, they usually want more. Before long, they will do virtually anything to hold on to the power they have. Not only that, if possible, they will try to increase their power. That's one reason why the Christians of the first three centuries required high governmental officials to step down from office if they wanted to become Christians. Constantine loved earthly power, and he was ruthless in his desire to protect this power.
For example, he instituted a system of spies throughout the empire to keep him posted of any criticism, any possible rivals, and any preparations for revolt. If his spies accused someone of disloyalty to Constantine, the authorities dragged the accused person to Milan or Constantinople to face the charges. If insufficient evidence was available, the jailers tortured the accused person until he confessed his crime. The fact that the accused person was a Christian made no difference.
As I have mentioned, Constantine and his brother-in-law, Licinius, had jointly issued the Edict of Milan in 313. Constantine ruled the Western Roman Empire, and Licinius ruled the Eastern. But Constantine had not really wanted a divided empire. His ambition was to rule the entire Roman Empire, and Constantine feared that Licinius might have the same ambition. So in 324, Constantine invaded the territory governed by Licinius.
He justified this to the Church on the grounds that Licinius had begun persecuting Christians again. Unlike all previous Roman wars, Christian soldiers actually participated in the killing during this war against Licinius. Constantine asked bishops from the Church to accompany his armies and to pray for them during the battle. He also had a huge cross constructed as a battle standard, which his soldiers carried as a talisman that would ensure a victory.
Indeed, Constantine's troops were victorious, and Constantine took Licinius captive. Now he was the sole ruler of the Roman Empire, and he proclaimed that God had brought all of this about. Surely, it cannot be deemed arrogance in one who has received benefits from God to acknowledge them in the loftiest terms of praise. I myself, then, was the instrument whose services he chose. I was the one he esteemed suited for the accomplishments of his will.
Through the aid of divine power, I banished and utterly removed every form of evil that prevailed. This was done in the hope that the human race, which had been enlightened through my instrumentality, might be recalled to a due observance of the holy laws of God, and also so that our most blessed faith might prosper under the guidance of his almighty hand.
After his victory over Licinius, Constantine made a solemn promise to his sister, Constantia, the wife of Licinius, that he would allow Licinius to pass the remainder of his life in peace and comfort. He even confirmed his promise with an oath. However, within a month, Constantine had Licinius executed. He couldn't afford to have any potential rival around. But there were potential rivals everywhere, so Constantine didn't stop with Licinius. Before long, Constantine murdered his own son, Crispus.
Later, he killed a nephew who he thought might be after his throne. Apparently, Constantine even murdered his second wife, Fausta, fearing she was plotting against him. Yet the Church looked the other way, never condemning Constantine or even criticizing him for any of these murders. On his deathbed, Constantine bequeathed the Roman Empire to his three surviving sons: Constantius, Constans, and Constantine II, and to his two oldest nephews. All five of these men were Christians.
Rome would continue to be a Christian empire. Yet, these five men all shared Constantine's lust for power. So shortly after Constantine died, his son Constantius slew the two nephews who were to be co-rulers, and he massacred virtually every male on their side of the family. With the two nephews out of the way, Constantine's three sons divided the empire among themselves. Surely, there could now be peace, for these men were blood brothers and Christians.
But the new Christianity didn't behave anything like genuine kingdom Christianity. None of the three brothers were satisfied with having only a third of the empire. Before long, Constantine II invaded Italy to grab the portion of the empire that had been given to his brother, Constans. However, Constantine II died in the attempt. This left only two rulers out of the original five. Constans ruled the Western Roman Empire, and Constantius ruled the East. But even this simple division of power didn't last long.
Soon, a general named Magnentius struck down Constans and seized the Western Empire. But he wasn't satisfied with just the Western Empire. Seeking the rulership of the whole empire, he and his armies attacked Constantius, the sole surviving son of Constantine. This time, Magnentius was defeated, and he fled to Gaul. This left Constantius as the sole emperor. But where was the golden age that Christianity was supposed to bring to the empire?
There had been more civil wars in the first fifty years of the new Christian Roman Empire than there had been in the first two hundred years of the pagan Roman Empire. The first pagan emperors had ushered in two hundred years of stability, prosperity, and peace, the Pax Romana. The first Christian emperors ushered in a period of endless civil wars, oppressive taxation, and rapid decay of the empire. After the death of Constantius, a nephew of Constantine named Julian became the new emperor.
He was one of the few members of his family who had escaped the massacre carried out by Constantine's son, Constantius. He had seen enough of Christianity in action and wanted no part of it. So although he was tolerant of Christians, he tried to revive classic paganism in the empire. But his efforts failed. A year after Julian's death, a churchgoing Christian named Valentinian was proclaimed as the new emperor. As a Catholic Christian, Valentinian lived a chaste life, and he initiated many praiseworthy laws.
For example, he established a public physician in each of the fourteen districts of Rome to care for the poor. He allowed freedom of religion for pagans, Jews, and Christians of all persuasions. Life under Valentinian should have been the golden age that Christians were expecting, but it wasn't. Like the Christian emperors before him, Valentinian never lived a day without fearing that someone would stage a coup and take away his precious throne.
So like Constantine, he used spies to try to detect any disloyalty, particularly from those who could become potential rivals. Valentinian measured the industriousness of his governors and magistrates by how many executions they carried out in their tribunals. Spies and political enemies often brought improbable charges against even respectable citizens. Confessions extracted by cruel torturers were treated as solid evidence against the accused.
Wealthy families were made destitute, and hundreds of senators, matrons, and philosophers died ignominious deaths in the holds of dank dungeons and torture chambers. Innocent citizens everywhere lived in fear lest somehow someone would accuse them of treason. Valentinian took the position that suspicion was equivalent to proof if the issue was disloyalty to his rule. A slight or imaginary offense could result in a citizen's tongue being cut out or his whole body being burned alive.
One historian made the observation that the words Valentinian used the most were: "Cut off his head, burn him alive, and beat him with clubs until he expires." He could calmly watch citizens writhe in agony under torture and yet feel no pity for them whatsoever. Nor did he feel this in any way violated his Christian beliefs. In the end, Valentinian's own uncontrolled temper proved to be his undoing.
One of his officers had invited a barbarian king to a banquet, but then treacherously murdered this king at the feast. In response, the murdered king's barbarian tribe retaliated against the Romans by plundering several Roman provinces. Rather than apologizing for the murder and working towards reconciliation, Valentinian led his Roman armies against the barbarians and extracted a bloody vengeance.
When ambassadors from the barbarians came to Valentinian's tent to beg for mercy, Valentinian became so enraged at them that his face became almost purple. He screamed at the envoys at the top of his lungs. However, in his rage, he burst a blood vessel in his brain and died instantly. One of the most enduring historical myths is that Rome fell because it was steeped in pagan vices, frequent Bacchanalian orgies, and bloodthirsty entertainment.
I've read many Christian writers who point to Rome as a lesson of what will happen to the United States if it doesn't restore biblical morality. But Rome didn't fall when it was ruled by pagans. When Rome fell, the gladiator games had been outlawed, and a strict Old Testament morality had been imposed on the population. What's more, nearly the entire population were Christians. And to whom did Rome fall?
The popular picture paints the scene of hordes of savage, half-naked, Thor-worshiping barbarians pouring over the walls of Rome and slaughtering everyone in sight. But this too is a myth. The Germanic peoples who conquered Rome were not savage and uncivilized. They were half-Roman in their culture, and many of them had been allies or even protectors of the empire. What's more, they too were professing Christians. The golden age that was supposed to blossom forth never materialized.
To be sure, the Roman Empire was already in decline when Christians inherited it. Still, the Christians proved to be no better rulers than their pagan predecessors. Rather than turning matters around, the Christian emperors only made it worse. Their oppressive taxes and endless infighting accelerated the decline that had begun under the third-century pagan emperors until finally the entire Western Empire collapsed.
The Christians of the early fourth century had essentially traded in the kingdom of God for the kingdom of this world. This has to rank as one of the worst bargains of all time, right alongside Esau's trading his birthright for a mess of stew. But at least Esau got to eat his stew. The Christians not only lost the kingdom of God, but they lost the Roman Empire as well.
The events from the accession of Constantine in 312 to the deposing of the last emperor of the Western Empire in 476 should have given Christians much to think about. The pagan Roman emperors had been victorious in most of their wars, but the Christian emperors weren't. Christ is the prince of peace. So why were pagan emperors, even wicked ones like Caligula and Nero, able to maintain the Pax Romana when the Christian emperors were not?
Why had the empire not only survived but flourished under the pagan emperors of the first and second centuries, whereas it collapsed under the Christian rulers of the fourth and fifth centuries? By 476, it should have been obvious that the Constantinian hybrid was not of God. But the fall of Rome didn't bring the Church to repentance, nor did it bring an end to the Constantinian hybrid. In fact, the Church became the dominant institution of the Middle Ages.
The societal pattern of the hybrid continued throughout the medieval period. Sexual sins, witchcraft, abortion, and lewd entertainment were condemned, although as to sexual immorality, a double standard was allowed to the nobility. Accumulating wealth, making oaths, and killing in war were considered acceptable. That was the pattern in Constantine's day. That was the pattern during the Middle Ages. And that has been the pattern in most Christian governments up through our day.