![]() ![]() But he was obviously a devoted fan of Constantine, both personally and politically, which should caution us to watch for bias in his account. He also knew Constantine personally, so in many ways it is a thoroughly reliable account. ![]() He was a great historian, the first to make a significant contribution to church history, and his major work was The History of the Church which took him 25 years to prepare. This account is from a biography written by Eusebius, the Bishop of Caesarea in Palestine. In addition to what you’ll read below, he outlawed infanticide, the abuse of slaves and peasants, and crucifixion, and he made Sunday a day of rest. The text tells the story of Emperor Constantine’s conversion, and a little of how his new faith was reflected in his imperial policy. Within one person’s lifetime, the Empire went from the most savage of its several persecutions of Christians to embracing Christianity. So imagine what an extraordinary turn of events it was when the Roman Emperor himself became a Christian. Throughout its first three centuries, the church went through unimaginable persecution from the Roman Empire, though all the time growing and spreading. ![]()
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