QA 6_4_3

Q: Why did Roman Emperor Constantine I convert to Christianity?

A: This is a very difficult question, which scholars are probably never going to be able to answer, because they cannot directly ask Emperor Constantine to clarify his reasons for converting to Christianity. However, there are several theories that may explain his actions.

Constantine’s mother, Helena, converted to Christianity after being repudiated by her husband and Constantine’s father, Roman Emperor Constantius I. According to tradition, Helena was a devoted Christian, who even carried out a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Constantine had a very close relationship with his mother; not only did he restore her imperial dignity after becoming emperor, but when she died, he renamed her native town “Helenopolis” ( The city of Helena) in her honor. Thus, some have argued that he adopted Christianity because of his mother’s influence. However, although Constantine was exposed to Christianity by his mother for a long period of time, he was more than 42 years old when he was baptized.

According to ancient Christian sources, Constantine’s conversion was the result of a miraculous vision he had during the Battle of Milvian Bridge (312 AD). During this battle, Constantine was said to have seen a cross in a sky before his victory. A year later, when he became the sole ruler of the Roman Empire, he issued the Edict of Milan, which legalized Christian worship.

Even though we will probably never know when and why exactly Constantine converted to Christianity, most scholars do agree that Constantine was a devoted Christian.