Constantine and Licinius

This article considers a key moment in the history of European civilization. The agingRoman Empire, torn apart by civil strife and religious wars, dramatically changedthe course of its development, and affected the subsequent course of history for all ofEurope. The pagan world was passing away, violently fighting for its life in theface of the ever present and more powerful Christianity. The figure of EmperorConstantine the Great occupies a central role in this process. Who was this man: acalculating politician, a lucky adventurer, or a pagan who truly converted and decidedto place the Roman state at the service of the Christian religion? These questions arestill the subject of discussion and scholars often voice opposing opinions. In 2013,the world remembered the 1700th anniversary of the Edict of Milan, which put an endto bloody repressions of Christianity. This anniversary urges us to look back again atthat long-gone era and to reconsider the processes of change and their implications fora modern world in which Christianity is again subject to open or latent persecution.