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Comparing Life Of Constantine's Conversion To Christianity

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In the Roman Empire, Christianity was not freely practiced until Constantine became emperor and converted to Christianity. Romans were polytheists, and Diocletian, who was emperor of the Roman Empire before Constantine, increased the persecution of Christians. In his Life of Constantine, Eusebius recorded Constantine’s conversion to Christianity after he heard God’s command, “Use in his Wars a Standard made in the Form of the Cross” (Eusebius Ch.XXVIII) before battle with Maxentius, and after he won that battle Constantine converted to Christianity. In Life of Constantine, Eusebius only portrays Constantine as a good Christian emperor. Therefore, some might think Eusebius’ Life of Constantine is unreliable and biased by the author’s religion. But, the archaeological evidence of the ancient writing of Eusebius, who lived during Constantine’s time, has proven that Constantine’s conversion led to the outlawing of persecution of Christians and abolition of polytheism, and Christianity becoming the official religion of the Roman Empire after his death. …show more content…

Some scholars counter Eusebius’ text on the basis that, as a surviving source depicting the history and development of Christianity, the arguments may be unreliable and inaccurate because of the bias of a Christian author and pagan symbolism that the Emperor used in his

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