THE CHAPTERS OF THE FOURTH BOOK
A 1. How he bestowed gifts and promotions upon the majority. 2. Forgiveness of the fourth part of the taxes. 3. Equalizations for those burdened by taxes. 4. That he himself paid out of his own funds for those who had been defeated in financial litigation. 5. The subjection of the Scythians—they were conquered through the sign of the cross of our Saviour. 6. The subjection of the Sauromatae, following a revolt of the slaves. 7. Embassies from various barbarians, and gifts from him. 8. That he also wrote concerning the Christians there to the king of the Persians, who had sent an embassy. 9. Constantine Augustus to Sapor, king of the Persians, expressing in a most devout manner his faith in God and Christ. 10. Concerning opposition to idols, and thanksgiving to God. 11. Concerning opposition to tyrants and persecutors, and concerning Valerian, who was taken captive. 12. That he observed the falls of the persecutors, but now rejoiced because of the peace of the Christians. 13. Exhortations that those around him should love the Christians. 14. Concerning the prayers of Constantine. 15. That he depicted himself praying, both on coins and in paintings. 16. That he prohibited by law the placing of his images in idol temples. 17. Prayers in the palace, and readings of the divine Scriptures. 18. Legislation to honor the Lord’s Day and Friday. 19. How he ordered even the pagan soldiers to pray on the Lord’s Day. B 20. The form of prayer given to the soldiers by Constantine. 21. The signs of the cross of the Saviour on the soldiers’ weaponry. 22. Devotion to prayer, and honor for the feast of Easter. 23. How he prohibited idolatry, but honored martyrs and festivals. 24. That he declared himself, as it were, a bishop of external affairs. 25. Concerning the prohibition of sacrifices and rites, and gladiatorial combat, and the unrestrained practices of the Nile of old. 26. The correction of the law concerning the childless, and likewise the correction regarding wills. 27. That he ordained that a Christian should not serve Jews, and that the definitions of synods should be considered valid, and other matters. 28. Gifts to churches, and distributions to virgins and the poor. 524 29. Discourses and public addresses by Constantine. C 30. That he showed the standard of a monument to those who were greedy, in order to shame them. 31. That he was mocked for his excessive philanthropy. 32. Concerning the writing that Constantine addressed to the assembly of the saints. 33. How he stood and listened to the demonstrations of Eusebius concerning the Saviour’s monument. 34. That he wrote to Eusebius regarding the holy books. 35. Constantine to Eusebius, praising his discourse on the Passover. 36. Constantine to Eusebius regarding the construction of divine books. 37. How the books were prepared. 38. How the emporium of the Gazaeans was made a city because of Christianity and named Constantia. 39. That in other cities there was a destruction of idols, but a construction of churches. 40. That in three decades he proclaimed his three sons as Emperors and set the dedication of the Martyrium at Jerusalem. 41. That he ordered a synod to be held at Tyre in the meantime because of the questions concerning Egypt. 42. Constantine to the synod at Tyre. D 43. That for the dedication of the monument in Jerusalem, there were bishops from every province for the feast. 44. Concerning the reception of them by Marianus the notary, and the distribution to the poor, and the offerings to the Church. 45. The various sermons of the bishops in the assemblies, and of Eusebius who wrote these things. 46. That he also styled the description of the Saviour’s monument and the thirty-year anniversary address as being, later on, those of Constantine himself. 47. That the synod at Nicaea occurred at the twenty-year anniversary; but the dedication at Jerusalem at the thirty-year anniversary of Constantine. 48. How Constantine would not bear with someone who praised him excessively. 49. The marriage of his son, Constantius Caesar. 50. Embassy and gifts from the Indians. 51. How Constantine, having divided the empire among his three sons, regulated the imperial affairs with piety. 52. How he brought them up to piety when they were grown. 53. That having reigned about thirty-two years, and having lived over sixty years, he remained sound in body. 54. Concerning those who abused his excessive philanthropy for the sake of greed and hypocrisy. 55. How Constantine occupied himself with composition until his death. 56. How, setting out against the Persians, he took bishops with him, and a tent in the form of a church. 57. How, having received the Persian embassies, he kept vigil with the others on the feast of Easter. 58. Concerning the construction of the monument called that of the Apostles in Constantinople. 59. A further description of the same monument. 60. That in this place he also built a monument for his own burial. 61. Illness of body at Helenopolis, and prayers concerning baptism. 62. Constantine’s exhortation to the bishops regarding the reception of the washing. 63. How, having received the washing, he praised God. 525 64. Constantine’s death on the feast of Pentecost, at midday. 65. The lamentations of the soldiers and the commanders.
66. The transfer of the body from Nicomedia to Constantinople, into the palace. 67. How, even after his death, he was honored by the counts and others, just as he had been while he was alive. 68. How the army judged that his sons should henceforth be the Augusti. 69. The mourning of Rome for Constantine; and the honor shown him after death through images. 70. The interment of the body by his son Constantius in Constantinople. 71. The assembly in the so-called Martyrium of the Apostles at the death of Constantine. 72. Concerning the fabled phoenix. 73. How they inscribed Constantine upon coins as ascending into heaven. 74. That God, having been honored by him, justly honored him in return. 75. That Constantine was more pious than the Roman emperors who preceded him.
CHAPTERS OF THE FOURTH BOOK
A I. In what way he honored many with gifts and promotions. II. The remission of the fourth part of the tribute. III. The equalization and relief of the tribute. IV. How in monetary causes he would pay from his own wealth for those who had lost their case. V. The subduing of the Scythians through the sign of the cross. VI. The subduing of the Sarmatians, when the slaves had rebelled against their masters. VII. The embassies of various barbarians, and the gifts bestowed upon them by the emperor. VIII. That he wrote to the king of the Persians, who had sent envoys to him, on behalf of the Christians living there. IX. Constantine’s letter to Sapor, king of the Persians, in which he confesses God and Christ with the highest piety. X. Against idols, and concerning the glorification of God. XI. Against tyrants and persecutors, and concerning the captivity of Valerian. XII. How he mocked the ruin of the persecutors, and rejoiced that there was now peace for the Christians. XIII. An exhortation that he should embrace the Christians living in Persia. XIV. How through Constantine’s constant prayers peace was given to the Christians. XV. That he ordered himself to be depicted on coins and in images in the attitude of one praying. XVI. That he prohibited, by a law enacted, his images from being placed in the temples of idols. XVII. Prayers in the palace, and the reading of the Holy Scriptures. XVIII. That he commanded the Lord’s day and the sixth day of the week to be honored. XIX. How he also taught the gentile soldiers to pray on the Lord’s days. XX. The form of prayer delivered by Constantine to the soldiers. XXI. He orders the sign of the Lord’s cross to be imprinted on the arms of the soldiers. XXII. His zeal for prayer and the observance of the Easter festival. XXIII. How he prohibited the worship of idols, but honored the festivals of the martyrs. XXIV. That he said he had been appointed by God as a sort of bishop over external matters. B XXV. Concerning the prohibition of sacrifices and initiations, and the abolition of gladiatorial games and the impure priests of the Nile. XXVI. Correction of the law against the childless, and of the law concerning wills. XXVII. That he passed a law that Jews should not have Christian slaves, and that the decrees of the councils should be valid, and other things. XXVIII. Gifts bestowed upon the churches, and money distributed to the virgins and the poor. XXIX. Constantine’s night vigils and his declamations. XXX. That he sketched the dimensions of a tomb for a certain miser, to instill shame in him. XXXI. That he was mocked for his excessive clemency. XXXII. Concerning the discourse which Constantine wrote to the assembly of the saints. XXXIII. How he stood and listened to Eusebius’s panegyric orations concerning the Savior’s sepulcher. XXXIV. That he wrote to Eusebius concerning Easter and the sacred codices. XXXV. A letter of Constantine to Eusebius, in which he praises the oration on Easter. XXXVI. Constantine’s letter to Eusebius concerning the preparation of sacred codices. XXXVII. How the codices were finished. XXXVIII. How the emporium of the Gazaeans, on account of their Christianity, was made a city and named Constantia. XXXIX. That in Phoenicia a city was made Constantina, and in other cities idols were torn down and churches built. XL. That having created his three sons Caesars upon his tricentennial, he celebrated the dedication of the Martyrium in Jerusalem. XLI. That meanwhile he decided that a synod should be held at Tyre on account of certain controversies in Egypt. C XLII. Constantine’s letter to the synod gathered at Tyre. XLIII. How bishops from all provinces gathered for the dedication of the church in Jerusalem. XLIV. How they were received by Marianus the notary, and money was distributed to the poor, and concerning the gifts to the church. XLV. The sermons of the bishops in the assemblies, and of Eusebius himself, who wrote these things. XLVI. That he afterward recited the description of the Martyrium and the oration on his tricennalia in the presence of the emperor himself. XLVII. That the Nicene synod occurred during Constantine’s vicennalia, but the dedication of the Jerusalem basilica occurred during his tricennalia. XLVIII. How he bore with difficulty the excessive praises of a certain man. XLIX. The marriage of Constantius Caesar, his son. L. An embassy and gifts sent by the Indians. LI. How Constantine, having divided the empire among his three sons, instructed them in the art of reigning and in the duties of piety. LII. How he taught them piety once they had entered into manhood. LIII. That though he reigned for thirty-two years and lived for more than sixty, he was always in perfect health. LIV. Concerning those who abused his extraordinary humanity for greed and the simulation of piety. LV. How he wrote prayers until the last day of his life. LVI. How, setting out for the Persian war, he took bishops with him and prepared a tent in the form of a church. D LVII. How, having received the Persian envoys, he spent the night of the Lord’s day on the feast of Easter with them. LVIII. Concerning the construction of the Martyrium of the Apostles in Constantinople. LIX. A description of the same Martyrium. LX. That he built a tomb for himself in that temple as well. LXI. The emperor’s illness and prayers at Helenopolis; likewise concerning his baptism.
LXII. By what words Constantine requested the bishops to confer baptism upon him. LXIII. How he praised God after baptism. LXIV. The death of Constantine on the feast of Pentecost about midday. LXV. The lamentation of the soldiers and tribunes. LXVI. How the funeral was conveyed from Nicomedia to Constantinople to the palace. LXVII. How, even after his death, he was honored by the counts and the rest just as if he were alive. LXVIII. How, by the judgment of the army, his sons were proclaimed Augusti. A LXIX. Rome's mourning for the death of Constantine, and the images decreed for him. LXX. How the funeral was deposited in Constantinople by Constantius. LXXI. Mass celebrated at the martyrium of the apostles at the funeral of Constantine. LXXII. Concerning the Phoenix bird. LXXIII. How, on coins, they represented Constantine as ascending into heaven. LXXIV. That, having worshipped God, he was deservedly honored by God. LXXV. That he surpassed all previous emperors in piety.
OF EUSEBIUS PAMPHILI: ON THE LIFE OF THE BLESSED EMPEROR CONSTANTINE. BOOK FOUR
CHAPTER I.
How he honored most men with gifts and promotions.
While the emperor was doing so much for the building up and the glory of the Church of God, and carrying out everything with the intention that the teaching of our Savior might be received with the highest praises of all, he by no means neglected civil matters B in the meantime. Indeed, in this respect also he never ceased to affect the inhabitants of all the provinces with various and continuous benefits, now showing a certain paternal solicitude publicly toward all, now honoring individuals among his own acquaintances privately with various dignities, and granting all things to all men with a greatness of mind. And it never happened that he who asked for a favor from the emperor missed his mark, nor did anyone who hoped to obtain some good thing from him fall short of what he expected. But some obtained money, others the abundance of estates, C others received the offices of prefects.
A Some were deemed worthy of the first rank of counts, others of the second, others of the third, and myriads of others partook of the most illustrious and many other such titles; for the emperor, in order to honor more people, devised various dignities. Some received senatorial rank, others consular, and more B
Chapter II. The remission of the fourth part of the taxes.
How greatly he strove to ensure a cheerful and tranquil life for the entire human race may be perceived from this one example, which is especially useful to human life, generally beneficial to all, and is still celebrated even now in the common speech of all. From the annual tributes which were contributed in the name of the land, he deducted a fourth part and bestowed it upon the owners of the fields; so that if you calculate the logic of this annual deduction, it results that every fourth year the masters of the produce were exempt from the tax levy. This, having been ratified by law and confirmed for the future, provided a lasting and eternal royal favor, not only for those present but also for their children and their descendants, never to be erased by oblivion. C
Chapter III. The equalization and relief of taxes.
But since others complained of the land surveys and assessments made by previous rulers, and lamented that their fields were too heavily burdened, this prince also, obeying the laws of justice, sent out equalizers who might ward off the damage from the petitioners. D
Chapter IV. How in pecuniary cases he bestowed gifts from his own purse upon those who had lost their suit.
Furthermore, as often as he had pronounced judgment between two litigants—lest by chance he who had lost the case should depart sorrowful—
A he would bestow upon the vanquished gifts from his own private wealth, now estates, now money, causing the man who had lost the suit to be just as glad as he who had won it, as being worthy of the sight of himself. For he deemed it not right that any man who had stood before so great an emperor should depart downcast and grieving. Thus, therefore, both men would return from the judgment with bright and smiling faces, and the greatness of the emperor’s mind was an object of admiration to all.
CHAPTER V.
The subjection of the Scythians, defeated through the sign of our Savior.
What need is there for me to mention here, as if in passing, how he brought the barbarian tribes under the Roman sway? How he was the first to bring under the yoke B the Scythian and Sarmatian nations, which had never before learned to serve, compelling them to acknowledge the Romans as their masters, even against their will? For the rulers who preceded him were accustomed to pay tax to the Scythians, and the Romans were actually serving the barbarians by paying them an annual tribute. But this state of affairs was not endurable to the emperor, nor did he deem it honorable for a victor to offer the same things that former emperors had paid. Relying, therefore, upon his Savior, and raising up against them the victorious C trophy, he subdued them all within a short time, tempering such of them as were rebellious with military force, and taming the rest with prudent embassies, translating them from a wild and beast-like life to a rational and lawful one. In this way, then, the Scythians at last learned to obey the Romans.
CHAPTER VI.
The Sarmatians subdued, when their slaves had rebelled against their masters.
God himself brought the Sarmatians to the feet of Constantine, and he subdued these men, who were puffed up with barbarian pride, in this way. For when the Scythians had made war upon them, D the masters armed their own servants to resist the enemy. But after the servants had won a victory over the enemy, they began to turn their weapons against their own masters, [all]
all of whom they drove from their ancestral lands. But they found no other harbor of safety than Constantine alone. Since he was accustomed to saving men, he received them all into the territory of the Romans, and enrolled the capable men into his own armies, while for the others, for the sake of the necessities of life, he distributed land for cultivation; so that they admitted that their misfortune had turned out for their benefit, as they enjoyed Roman liberty instead of barbarian bestiality. In this way did God bring many different barbarian tribes under his empire.
Chapter VII. Embassies of various barbarians, and gifts bestowed by him.
For ambassadors were continually approaching him from every quarter, bringing with them the most precious gifts to be found among their own peoples; to such an extent that we ourselves have sometimes seen, before the palace B gates, various forms and appearances of barbarians standing in order: their dress and adornment were different, their hair and beards were quite unlike, their aspect was grim and barbarian, striking terror; their bodies were of enormous height; and the complexions of some were ruddy, while others were whiter than snow, and in others there was a middle temperament of color. For even the tribes of the Blemmyes, and Indians, and Ethiopians, who, as Homer says, are divided in two and live at the ends of the earth, were to be seen among those barbarians whom I have mentioned. Each of them, just as we are accustomed to see in paintings, brought separately to the emperor those things that were held in high value among themselves. C Some brought golden crowns, others diadems interwoven with precious stones, others boys distinguished by their blond hair; some brought barbarian garments interwoven with gold and flowers, while others brought horses, or shields, and long spears, and arrows, and bows, making it known by these gifts that they offered their obedience and alliance in arms to the emperor, if he were so willing. And he, receiving and setting aside the offerings from each, would in return give them so many and such great gifts, that in a moment of time he rendered those who had brought the gifts most wealthy. And he even honored the noblest among them with Roman dignities, D so that most of them, forgetting their return to their homeland, chose to remain here among us.
CHAPTER VIII
AThat he also wrote on behalf of the Christians living there when the King of the Persians sent an embassy.Now when the King of the Persians also sought to become known to Constantine through an embassy, and sent symbols of peaceful treaties and gifts, he was acting to initiate a pact with him. The Emperor, employing an excellent greatness of mind, surpassed in the magnificence of his counter-gifts the one who had first honored him. And having learned that the Churches of God were numerous among the Persian people, and that countless multitudes of peoples were being gathered into the flocks of Christ, he rejoiced at hearing this; and, as a common guardian of all those dwelling everywhere, he again brought to bear his providence for the sake of all of them here as well.
CHAPTER IX
BConstantine Augustus to Sapor, King of the Persians, professing most piously in God and Christ.Copy of the letter to the King of the Persians.
I, guarding the divine faith, partake of the light of truth; and guided by the light of truth, I recognize the divine faith. Therefore, as things confirm these truths, I acknowledge the most holy religion, and I profess this worship to be the teacher of the knowledge of the holy God. Having the power of this God as my ally, beginning from the ends of the Ocean, I have raised up the whole inhabited world in succession to a firm hope of salvation, so that all things that had been enslaved under so many tyrants and had yielded to daily calamities had faded away; these, by a change for the better through me, have been restored. I profess to honor this God with immortal memory, and I greatly rejoice that He exists in the highest, with a pure and clean mind.
CHAPTER X
CThat it is against idols, and concerning the glorification of God.I call upon Him, bending my knee, fleeing from all abominable blood, and unpleasant or detestable odors, and shunning every earthy radiance; these things D I reject.
A For the lawless and unspeakable error, creeping in and causing destruction, cast down many of the nations, handing them over to the nethermost regions. For God, the Lord of all, out of His own love for humanity, brought forth into the light for the common use of mankind those things which He provided by His providence; He by no means suffers these to be dragged toward the pleasure of each individual, but demands from men a pure mind and a soul unstained, weighing the deeds of virtue and piety in this balance. For He takes pleasure in works of gentleness and meekness; He loves the mild, hates the turbulent, loves faith, and punishes unbelief. He shatters every dominion joined with arrogance and avenges the insolence of the proud. He uproots from their foundations those lifted up by vanity, bestowing due honor upon the humble and the long-suffering. Thus, also holding a just kingdom in high regard, He strengthens it with help from Himself, and preserves royal wisdom in the serenity of peace.
532 CHAPTER XI.
Against tyrants and persecutors, and concerning the captivity of Valerian.
B It does not seem to me that I am mistaken, my brother, in confessing this one God as the author and father of all; whom many of those who have held imperial power among us, driven by insane error, have indeed attempted to deny. But such an end as this, like an avenger, has consumed them all, so that now the entire human race proposes the calamities of those princes as an example to those who might desire to imitate them. I consider one of them to have been he whom divine vengeance C cast down, destroying many of the nations.
[Note omitted: commentary on the reading of the text]
[Regarding the ritual of the mysteries]: B The suffering of the passion is like what those who are initiated in the great mysteries undergo; therefore, phrase for phrase, and deed for deed, the end and the initiation are similar: wanderings, the first and tiresome runnings to and fro, and certain suspect, unfinished journeyings through darkness: then, before the end itself, all the terrible things: trembling and horror, and sweat and amazement. But from out of this, a wondrous light met them, or pure places and meadows received them, having sounds and dances and the dignity of holy utterances and holy visions; D among which the one who is now perfect and initiated, having become free and walking about uncontrolled, crowned, holds an orgy, the end being an initiation.
[Note omitted: explanation of the Greek terms]
CHAPTER XI.
That against tyrants and persecutors, and concerning Valerian who was taken captive.
B It does not seem to me that I am mistaken, my brother, in confessing this one God as the author and father of all; whom many of those who have reigned here, being led astray by maniacal errors, have attempted to deny. But a punishment of such a kind consumed them all, that the entire human race now sets forth the calamities of those C as an example for those among them who might zealously desire to imitate the same. I consider one of those to have been he whom, like a thunderbolt, divine vengeance...
[Note: explanation of the textual variations omitted]
drove out from our regions and transported to your lands, for he has indeed established that trophy so boasted of by you through his own disgrace and ignominy. A
CHAPTER XII
That he saw the ruin of the persecutors, and that he rejoices at the peace of the Christians.
For it seems a fortunate circumstance that in our own age also, men of this kind have so clearly paid the penalty. For I myself was a spectator of the end of those who, with most iniquitous commands, had lately harassed the people dedicated to God. Therefore, I render the greatest thanks to God, by whose singular providence all mortals who observe the divine law, now that peace has been restored to them, rejoice and exult. From this I am fully persuaded that all things are in the most excellent and safest state, since God deigns to gather all men unto Himself through the pure and sincere religion of those people and through their concordant sentiment regarding the divine Name. B
CHAPTER XIII
An exhortation to treat the Christians in Persia with benevolence.
With what pleasure, moreover, do you suppose I am affected when I hear that which is most in my prayers, namely, that the noblest places of Persia are decorated far and wide by a multitude of these men—the Christians, that is (for of these I now speak). I pray, therefore, that your affairs may be as flourishing as possible, and that theirs may likewise be as flourishing; that is, as are your affairs, so may theirs be. For in this way you will have the Lord and Parent of all, God, propitious and placated. These men, therefore, since you are such as you are and so great, I commend to you; these same men, because you are also eminent in piety, I entrust to you; these treat with a kindness appropriate to your own philanthropy, for by this you will bestow an immeasurable benefit both upon Him and upon us through this faith. C
CHAPTER XIV
How peace was given to the Christians through the assiduous prayers of Constantine.
In such manner, then, when all the nations everywhere in the world were being governed as if by a single pilot, and D
no one any longer harassed the Roman Empire, all men lived in a state of peace and calm. The Emperor, judging that the prayers of the pious contributed in large measure to the preservation of all, felt it necessary to secure these for himself. And so he himself became a suppliant to God, and commanded the leaders A of the Churches to offer up prayers in his behalf.
Chapter XV. That he commanded himself to be depicted on coins and in images in the posture of one praying.
How great was the power of divine faith firmly rooted in his soul, one might learn even from this one fact: that he commanded himself to be depicted on gold coins with his countenance raised toward heaven and his hands spread out in the manner of one praying. And, indeed, coins of this form traversed the entire Roman world. In the palace itself, moreover, near certain entrances, he was depicted in images placed at the very pinnacle of the vestibule, standing with his eyes fixed upon heaven and his hands spread out B in the manner of one praying.
Chapter XVI. That he prohibited by law the placing of his images in the temples of idols.
Thus, then, he displayed himself as a suppliant to God even in painted icons. Furthermore, he forbade by law that his own images be dedicated in the temples of idols, lest through such an error of forbidden superstition or by a hollow outward show, the [sacred] character might be defiled.
Chapter XVII. Prayers in the palace, and the reading of the sacred Scriptures.
Whoever might wish to pay heed to what is far more august than these things will perceive how, within the very C imperial palace, he followed the custom of the Church of God, diligently presiding himself over those who were gathered for worship.
Taking the books into his hands, he would direct his mind to the contemplation of the God-inspired oracles, and then, with those who filled the imperial house, he would offer up the established prayers.
CHAPTER XVIII.
That he commanded the Lord’s Day and Friday to be honored.
He further established that the day which is truly the Lord’s, and indeed the first, the day of our Savior, should be regarded as a day appropriate for prayer. A He appointed as guardians of his entire house deacons and ministers consecrated to God, men who were adorned with gravity of life and every virtue. Moreover, his trusted protectors and bodyguards, armed with the weapons of loyalty and faith, acknowledged the emperor himself as their teacher in piety, and honored no less than he the day of our Savior and Lord, offering up on those days prayers that are dear to the emperor. The blessed prince likewise urged all men to do the same, as if he had made it a vow to gradually render all humanity pious. B For this reason, he advised all those living under the Roman empire to take rest on the days named after our Savior, and likewise to honor the days of the Sabbath, for the sake, as it seems to me, of the memory of those things which were accomplished on those days by the common Savior of all. And since he taught all the military to honor the saving day—which happens to be called the day of light and the sun—with diligence, he granted those who shared in the divine faith leisure so that they might persevere in the Church of God without hindrance, to the end that they might perform their prayers with no one standing in their way. C
CHAPTER XIX.
How he also commanded the gentile soldiers to pray on the Lord’s Days.
As for those who had not yet shared in the divine word, D
he commanded them by a second law to go forth on the Lord's days onto the open plain, where, at a given signal, they were all together to pour forth to God a prayer which they had previously learned. For he believed they ought not to place their confidence in spears or armor, nor in the strength of their bodies, but should recognize the supreme God as the author of all good things and of victory itself; and that to Him they ought to render solemn prayers, lifting their hands toward heaven, their minds' eyes raised yet higher toward the King of heaven Himself, invoking Him in their petitions as the author of victory, their Savior, guardian, and helper. He himself, moreover, taught all the soldiers the form of this prayer, commanding them all to speak it in the Latin tongue in this manner:
CHAPTER XX. The form of prayer given by Constantine to the soldiers.
"We acknowledge Thee as the only God; we proclaim Thee as our King; we call upon Thee as our helper. It is through Thy gift that we have gained victories; it is through Thee that we have become stronger than our enemies. We offer to Thee our thanks for the blessings past, and from Thee we hope for those to come. To Thee we all make supplication, and we pray that Thou wouldst keep our Emperor Constantine, together with his most pious sons, safe and victorious for us for a very long time." These things he commanded the military divisions to perform on the Lord's day, and he taught them to utter such words as these in their prayers to God.
CHAPTER XXI. He commands the sign of the Lord’s cross to be imprinted upon the soldiers’ arms.
Furthermore, he ordered the sign of the salutary trophy to be imprinted upon the very arms of the soldiers. And he commanded that before the armed body of troops, there should be carried no longer golden standards or images, as was the former custom, but only the trophy of the cross.
CHAPTER XXII. The zeal for prayer, and the honoring of the Paschal festival.
He himself, as one who was a partaker in the sacred mysteries, was in a secret manner... B C D
A within the inner chambers of his palace, shutting himself away at set times each day, that he might converse alone with God alone, and with suppliant prayers, falling upon his knees, he would entreat for those things which he stood in need of. But in the days of the saving festival, he would increase the rigor of his discipline, and gathering all the powers of soul and body, he would perform the office of a pontiff and hierophant, and he himself would lead the way for all others toward the celebration of the festival. He had indeed converted the sacred night-long vigil into daylight splendor, by the setting up of most lofty columns of wax all through the city by those who were assigned to this task; and there were lamps B of fire that lit up every place, so that the mystical vigil was made more brightly shining than even in the brilliance of day. As soon as dawn had broken, imitating the saving acts of beneficence, he would stretch out his bountiful right hand to all nations, peoples, and crowds, bestowing rich gifts upon all.
CHAPTER XXIII. How he forbade the worship of idols, and honored the feasts of the martyrs.
In this way, therefore, he performed sacred rites to his own God. But throughout the whole of the Roman empire, for every people and for the soldiers, the gates of idol worship were closed,
and a law was issued to the presidents of the provinces that they should likewise honor the Lord's Day. They also observed the festival days of the martyrs by the command of the prince, and they carried out the observances of ecclesiastical festivals with due honor. All these things were performed to the supreme joy of the Emperor. A
CHAPTER XXIV
That he said he was as it were a bishop of things outside.
Wherefore, when at some time he was entertaining bishops at a banquet, it was not absurdly that he let fall a remark that he himself also was a bishop, using almost these words in our presence: "You, indeed," he said, "are bishops of those things which are inside the Church, but I have been constituted by God as bishop of those things which are outside." B Accordingly, meditating on things consistent with this speech, he kept watch over all his subjects, and encouraged them, as much as lay in his power, to pursue a pious life.
CHAPTER XXV
That he forbade sacrifices and initiations, and abolished gladatorial games and the impious priests of the Nile.
Hence it is that by frequent laws and constitutions he forbade all men to sacrifice to idols, to consult soothsayers with curiosity, C to erect statues, to perform secret rites, and finally to pollute the cities with the bloody spectacles of gladiators. And since the Egyptians and the inhabitants of Alexandria had been accustomed to honor their river D through the ministry of certain effeminate men, a law was also issued to them to cease from this. A
It was not, therefore, in Rome alone that sacrificing was restrained, but also in that great and populous city of Serapis, abounding in a multitude of temples, through whose assistance it renders the fertility of Egypt common to all men. Moreover, this fertility is a gift of the Nile, and they receive the Nile with a banquet and invite it to ascend to the fields with sacred rites, which, unless they are performed at the stated and accustomed time and by those who have been appointed for this purpose, the Nile itself would never be willing to rise and overflow. B Since those who would most gladly have abolished these sacred rites as well understood this clearly, they yet did not consult to abolish them, but allowed them to receive the river with a banquet according to the custom and institution of their ancestors, since it rendered a great reward, namely, the fertility of the crops. C From this passage of Libanius it is manifest that these androgynous priests of the Nile were not abolished by Constantine; or certainly if they were abolished, they were restored a little later. D
A The entire race of androgynous people was to be removed from the midst of life as if it were a kind of counterfeit, nor was it permitted that those who were afflicted with this disease of lewdness should be seen anywhere. But since superstitious men imagined that the river would no longer flow for them as it was accustomed, God, favoring the emperor's law, brought about the complete opposite of what they had expected; for on the one hand, those who were polluting the cities with their abominations were no more, and on the other hand, the river itself, as if the whole region had been purified and cleansed by him, flowed more bountifully than it ever had before and, overflowing with a larger abundance of water, irrigated all their fields, in practice teaching the foolish and admonishing them that it is necessary to shun the impure, but to attribute the causes of good things solely to the Giver of all good. B
CHAPTER XXVI. The correction of the law against childless men, and likewise the correction of the law concerning wills.
But since countless such things were done by the emperor in every province, there would be a great abundance of material for those who might set themselves to write them down; just as he also renewed the laws which he transformed from ancient ones to a holier standard. And it is easy to explain the manner of these in a few words. The ancient laws used to punish childless men by deprivation of the succession of their offspring; and this was a harsh law against those without children, punishing them as if they had committed a crime. Having done away with this, he permitted their rightful heirs to inherit. The emperor changed this to a holy standard, saying that those who transgress voluntarily ought to be corrected with a fitting punishment. For nature has shown many to be childless—some who have prayed to be blessed with many children but have been deprived by the weakness of nature; while others have become childless, not by the rejection of the succession of children, but by the avoidance of female intercourse, which they chose out of a most vehement love of philosophy. Moreover, many women, consecrated to the divine service of God, embraced chastity and total virginity, and dedicated themselves—soul and body—to a pure and most holy life. What then? Should this have been deemed worthy of punishment, or rather of wonder and approval? For the intention itself is worth much, and the achievement is superior to nature. It is fitting that those who are deprived of the desire for children through the weakness of nature should be pitied, but not punished; and that the lover of the higher good, C is worthy of being deeply admired, but not punished. Thus the emperor, with upright reason, reformed the law. D And furthermore, in the same way, concerning those who pass from this life, the ancient laws, at the very latest dying breath,
required them to compose their wills scrupulously using certain specific terms; and formulas, solemnities, and words were prescribed which had to be added. From this, many frauds were admitted in order to circumvent the will of the dying. When the emperor noticed this, he amended this law as well, decreeing that it was permitted for the dying to draw up a testament with plain words and in any kind of language, and to declare their final will in any writing; or, if they preferred to testify without writing, they could do so by employing only suitable witnesses who were able to keep faith without falsehood.
CHAPTER XXVII. That he made a law that Jews should not own a Christian slave, and that the decrees of councils should be valid, and other things.
B Furthermore, he also enacted a law that no Christian should serve the Jews; for it was not right, he said, that those who had been redeemed by the Lord should be subjected to the yoke of slavery to the murderers of the prophets and of the Lord. And if any person of the Christian religion were found as a slave in the possession of a Jew, he ordered that the slave be set free, and the Jew punished with a fine. He also confirmed by his own authority the decrees of the bishops which had been promulgated in councils, so that it was not permitted for the governors of the provinces to rescind the decrees of the bishops; for the priests of God, he argued, were to be preferred to any judge. He promulgated almost innumerable laws of this kind for his subjects; and it would be a greater task to set these forth in a separate volume, in order to perceive the prudence of the emperor in this respect as well. What need is there now to recount how he, committing himself to the supreme God of all, from early dawn until evening, would solicitously inquire whom among all human beings he might benefit, and would show himself equal and approachable toward everyone, doing good to all?
CHAPTER XXVIII. Gifts bestowed upon the Churches, and distributions to virgins and the poor.
But he bestowed most abundantly upon the Churches of God C he permitted those who were litigating to choose the judgment of the bishops if they wished to decline the civil magistrates; and that their vote should be final and better than that of other judges, as if it had been pronounced by the emperor himself; and that the magistrates and the soldiers serving them should carry the judgments into effect; and that the decrees of the synods should be unalterable.
A granting now fields, now grain for the sustenance of the poor, the widows, and the orphans; and he even provided with great care for the naked and the destitute, in terms of abundant clothing. Moreover, he honored with greater distinction those who had devoted their lives to the philosophy according to God. Indeed, he all but worshipped the most holy company of the perpetual virgins of God, convinced as he was that God, to whom they had consecrated themselves, dwelt in their souls.
CHAPTER XXIX.
The lucubrations and declamations of Constantine.
Indeed, he B would even spend whole nights in watchfulness, instructing his own mind through the meditation of divine matters. And having leisure for the writing of orations, he would hold frequent assemblies; for he deemed it his duty to govern the peoples subject to him by the precepts of reason, and to render his principate an empire of reason. Therefore, he himself would issue the call to the assembly, and countless mulitudes would hasten to hear the emperor philosophizing. If, in the course of his speaking, any occasion arose to discourse on theology, he would stand, with composed countenance and subdued voice, and with singular reverence and modesty, appear to initiate his hearers into the mysteries of divine doctrine. And when all would applaud him with auspicious cries, he would signal to them to raise their eyes upward, and to follow only that supreme King of all with special worship and admiration. Furthermore, he would divide his discourses C in such a way that he would first lay, as it were, a foundation, by a refutation of the error of the Gentiles in worshipping many gods, demonstrating by certain proofs that their superstition was mere fraud and a bulwark of impiety. After this, he would discourse on the singular sovereignty of God. Then he would make a speech on providence, by which both the universe and individual things are governed. From there, proceeding to the saving dispensation, he would show that this too had been brought about in a necessary and appropriate manner. Then, advancing the course of his oration, he would address the discourse to the subject of divine judgment. In this place, he would most gravely strike at the souls of his auditors, convicting the rapacious and the covetous, and those who had surrendered themselves to an insatiable greed for wealth. D Striking and, as it were, lashing with his word some of the prominent men who were standing about, he made them, struck in their conscience, to look downward; and by his own clear voice he testified to these things.
A For as for him, the God of all had granted to him the empire of the earth, while he himself, in imitation of the Supreme One, entrusted the administration of its several parts to them; nevertheless, all would in due time render an account of their actions to the great King. These things he constantly testified, these he brought to their remembrance, and of these he was the teacher. But while he, relying with genuine faith, pondered and declared such things as these, they were unteachable, and as if growing deaf to the most excellent instructions, persisted, indeed commending the things said with their tongues and with applause and laudatory cries, but in their deeds neglecting them because of their insatiableness.
CHAPTER XXX. That he delineated the measure of a sepulcher for a certain miser, in order to strike him with shame.
B
ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ Λ'. Ὅτι τῶν πλεονεκτῶν ἑνὶ μνημεῖον μέτρον ὑπέδειξε πρὸς δυσώπησιν.
Wherefore, having once taken hold of one of his companions, he addressed him with these words: "How long, pray, sir, shall we extend our greed?" Then, with the spear which he happened to have in his hands, he traced the stature of a human body on the ground: "If," he said, "you could acquire all the riches of this world, and even the whole earth, you would carry away no more than this space of ground which I have described, if indeed you should even happen upon this." C Yet, when saying and doing these things, the blessed prince did not turn anyone from their former depravity; but by the very outcome of events it was most clearly proven that the emperor’s admonitions were like divine oracles rather than mere words.
CHAPTER XXXI. That he was mocked because of excessive clemency.
ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΛΑ'. Ὅτι διὰ τὴν πλείονα φιλανθρωπίαν ἐχλευάζετο.
Furthermore, since there was no fear of the extreme penalty to deter evil men from wickedness—the emperor being wholly inclined toward clemency, and none of the provincial governors restraining crimes—it came about that the public administration incurred no small reproach; whether justly, or