Tomorrow is the Feast of Sts. Constantine and Helen in the Orthodox Church. I have a few thoughts on the complex issues surrounding Constantine’s legacy in the Orthodox Church (which is dominated by the influence of his biographer, Eusebius).

I believe that there are three issues that stand above all others when thinking about Constantine’s legacy: (1) why did he legalize Christianity? (2) his efforts to legislate “orthodoxy” and (3) the ways in which Eusebius’ account has infected Orthodox political theology.

1. Why did Constantine legalize Christianity shortly after his defeat of Maxentius in 312? It's complicated.

1a.The Eusebian answer would be that he did so b/c he came to believe in the Christian God, after a series of miraculous encounters. Subsequently, Constantine proved to be an agent of God, spreading the faith through war and enacting legislation that reflected Christian values.

1b. But there are a number of problems with that answer. For starters, Eusebius’ account is little more than political propaganda. Moreover, Constantine did many things after 312 that hardly show him to be acting as a Christian.

1c. Among other things, Constantine executed his wife, his son, and his brother in law (Eusebius omits the first two). He also commissioned a statue of himself in Constantinople that presented him an Apollo, the Sun God.

1d. Then again, there are a number of things that Constantine did that clearly demonstrate a commitment to Christianity, beyond just its legalization. Some of his actions are continued by governments today, including:

1e. He ended taxation on church property, he established a Christian chaplaincy in the army, he ended gladiatorial events, and he used imperial funds to build churches and pay episcopal salaries.

1f. Even if we don’t believe the exaggerated/legendary account provided by Eusebius, it is clear that Constantine privileged Christianity even if he did not, himself, become a member through baptism until near death in the mid 330s.

2. Then there is the issue of his involvement in the doctrinal debates around the Council of Nicaea, his financial support of the council, and his subsequent efforts to undermine it and those who supported it (like St. Athanasius).

2a. It is generally well known that shortly after his legalization of Christianity, Constantine was dismayed to learn that Christians could disagree about something so fundamental as the divinity of Jesus Christ (i.e. the Arian question).