Ancient Rome The Rise And Fall Of An Empire: Constantine 5

[artofcorfu]

pagan Babylonian religion found its way to the Roman Empire, and this is how it spread to the modern world?

[ImEternalWanderer]

The point of Constantine pragmatism is even further. During his reign, there's the ascendancy of Arianism, which is heretical by today's standard. Arianism basically assert that Jesus was not fully divine and thus inferior to the Father.

What did Constantine do? Burn Arius? Well, he switched back and forth between the 2 camps, changing sides depending on who was winning.

Constantine was no more Christian than Caesar. He was a pragmatist Roman to the core. What he cared was a stable empire.

[leegeorgeson]

The Christian-Right made it clear that they do not tolerate other religions. Same with Islam.

[MrGilles1990]

@leegeorgeson which Christian right? We tolerate them, but we do not accept them.

[17antonios]

what bullshit is this? although the actor who plays Constantine is brilliant, this is no true history!! i am Greek and Constantine never worshipped Jesus!! he was baptised on his deathbed!! plus, most of the roman soldiers, especially those who came from eastern territories, had already converted to Christianity and this is why he was forced to change too!!! and since he wanted East, which means basically Greece, and the new testament was first written in greek, then he had no other choice!!!

[TheFaceofWisdom]

@17antonios He did, his religion reflected in his policies, and he got baptized on his deathbed because he believed that if he got baptized as he was about to die then he would go into heaven completely pure, and to be honest with you, I don't mean this in an offensive way, the Greek provinces were the least important in the east and they were always peaceful so he didn't really care about them, Constantine did use his religion as a political tool but even in the east Christians were a minority.

[alexzanderxx]

@17antonios there are many different versions of historical stories neither yours or this one could be entirely correct but Constantine did play a huge part in converting Rome to Christianity

[SwordWatchman]

This Scribe is not what I would consider a true Christian. This Scribe had power trips all he thinks about is "power". Jesus never commanded us to create a "Christian Empire" through government edicts or wars. Instead this scribe should have been happy with the new acceptance of all religious and used that as an opportunity to preach and evangelize the lost. But no instead he acted no different the an emperor by thinking it was about forcing an empire into Christianity.

[Assyrianland2]

Indeed there were many Christians in the east, and they were Assyrians, what was Assyria (Syria/Iraq)

[gtsgtsgt]

Constantine > Jesus 

[kc768]

Great acting. Whoever played Constatine is brilliant.

[Brillan8]

i dont like christianty, its too many rules.

[deriter64]

Sorry but I don't believe this bullshit. Constantine was a great soldier who found himself a politician and he could have cared less about god or gods. If he was ever a Christian he would have behaved as one not murdered his wife and his son. True, small c, Christians do not do such things.

[MrTerryKay]

I feel this docu-drama has incorporated too much religious belief into Constantine's decisions. Christianity was growing. Paganism was fragmented. A new pagan god was seemingly born every minute at that time. 'Why are we feasting and spending again?' 'We're celebrating a new god.' A unified monotheistic empire was the practical way to go.

[Deadman1709]

And different from Rome or Jerusalem, Constantinople attracts people not because of Biblical, historical or historical importance (as by Jerusalem) but by sheer bling bling.

Hagia Sophia can be considered as one of the most pimpingest churches ever built until it was converted to a mosque. The magnificence of the church made one Kievan Rus envoy wrote: "if God was among men, he must be among these imperial Roman" (The Byzantine called themselves Roman).

[Deadman1709]

I read a book recently about the role of Christianity in the Byzantine empire, and it's quite interesting.

Byzantine were incredibly devout Christian. Partially, because of that, they were able to linger around for over 800 years.

The Byzantine converted a hell lot of people, in order to recruit potential allies. Russians might have become Muslims, but they became Christians instead.

All of this done because Constantinople was a city on par with Rome, Jerusalem or Bethlehem.

[melbingkoy]

@Deadman1709 actually they were existent for 1,123 years one of the top longest reigning empires, they protected Europe from Persian, Arab, Turkish, Barbarian invasions, converted Russia, the only empire to successfully merge both religion and politics, saved Greco-Roman, Egyptian and Persian texts from obscurity, Inspired the Arabs to create their own heavy cavalry unit which in turn inspired Europe to create the "knight" and made significant contributions in science,war, tech, architecture etc

[Deadman1709]

@melbingkoy The length depends on how you count it. The book I read put the end as the Fourth Crusade. After that, the "Roman Emperor" ruled less an empire and more of a Greek kingdom.

On heavy cavalry, may be they had an influence on the Arabs; but the Arabs on the Europeans? perhaps not. Byzantine generals do noted in their manuals that the "light haired people" or "Franks" have very formidable heavy cavalry. These Franks love freedom and were incredibly bold and courageous.

[Deadman1709]

@melbingkoy The advice is not to engage those people on frontal attacks. The Franks (Europeans) though courageous and skillful in battles wasn't cunning and do not employ reconnaissance or scouting. Ambush, sneak attacks, night attacks, cut off their foraging and supplies.

And incidentally, the "knights" on Crusade was called "Iron people" by the Turks and Saracen.

[Strefanash]

IF Lactantius actually said to Constantine "One God, One Emperor, One Empire" then that shows how corrupt the church has already become in a mere 3 centuries.

The thing is christianity was not a majority movement at this time, it numbered only about 10 %, and historians still debate his conversion. I suspect that he genuinely believed whatever it was ghe saw at milvan bridge, but this "christian thinking" was anything but christian, a tragedy for the Church which got in bed with the world

[Dodo251]

So much hatred towards Christians.

[HectorAchilles777]

the christianity of this time was nothing more than what catholic doctrine is today

[lalitdabas]

why not correct the name

[Migzril]

think of the powah! ...

[Dryst0404]

i order you to tell me what it is you want

[carrollwoolery87]

whether this documentary is accurate or not, it proves one thing. religion is a tool of propoganda for control and power. no matter what

[myowngenesis]

lies. Constantine never became christian until on hsi deathbed. This story of him entering christian districts is absolutely false. Yet another thievery, this time of historical events, that cements the domination of Christianity.

Christianity is like a poisonous cancerous fume that contaminates absolutely everything in it's path. Where christianity couldn't change things to it's favour, it simply stole the traditions and beliefs, claiming that they were originally christian, an absolute lie!

[kalemarefrite]

@myowngenesis stop hating so much dude

[MetusSatan]

"Think of the power!" :D How christian

[Zeruel3]

4:30 I'll never understand why Emperors didn't just execute politicians who pissed them off, it must've been a very tempting thought a lot of the time

[OBkid100]

The amount of ignorance found on these comments is truly mind-boggling.

As for me, I regard myself as a liberal Christian, nor do I regard my faith as a religion, rather as a relationship. Thus, I'm not like Pat Robertson of pope urban II.

Btw bringing up the crusades is bogus as it's as it's outdated as a legit. argument. It'd be like trying to use knowledge of IBM computers from the 60s to build a iPhone. It won't work.

[613bo]

crusaders=jihad=muslim extremeists=sameshit LOL

you=moron

date has fuckall to do with this

[fah369]

@613bo And that my friend is also part of the history during the crusades that the Europeans had viewed Islam and Muslims as enemies although at that time it was just a political agenda.Truly the muslims were spreading there empire in the south of mediterrenian but didn't every nation had done the same too? European scholars tried to understand the Muslims by sending scholars to Arabs but all the translations about muslim texts were forged to make them look like enemies of the west.

[Wedumgoodblkfolk]

There is a Usurper in the Rome of the Americas Nov 2012 we throw the Usurper out with his agents of the devil

[sreynauch]

One God? One world.... yeah as if that can be true.

[CDspartan21]

lol at the triumphal arch

[FearAcademy]

His policy is a sound one, toleration in an age of intolerance. People will like him

[8lsatyq]

what do all men with power want? more power

[tjvistan85waver]

this is the origin of Roman Catholics.. the root of Christianity...

[Slovjan]

well not exactly but this is the begining of downfall of Christianity, people from that point on massively started to convert to Christianity because of personal use and not because of belief, and papacy starts also in these times, about first 300 years there was no Pope, as it should be.

[8lsatyq]

strange to think that christianity started as a taboo, looked down upon root cellar religion in Rome-still it reminds us again that the mightiest of empires or men can be brought down with the smallest of things. After rome there was christianity; a religion they persecuted in blood. one thing always replaces another

[ReaperEmpireProphecy]

people creates there own Ideas of God, They create there own God, Their own beliefs and make their own rules.. They do not fallow then word of God and fallow the bible..those popes at there time were corrupt dictators and deceivers..

preachers and parents do not even practice what they preach.. I ask.. DO THEY EVEN KNOW JESUS?..

Its not about leading people and telling them how to live.. Its about living through the word of the lord..

[8lsatyq]

thats one thing about religion that will always be; its open to interpretation and we're all human

[ReaperEmpireProphecy]

The fatal error if Christianity comes not from his followers, Especially not of the period of Christ and not on A.D century.. The fatal errors of Christianity comes mostly from the catholic Church and the Dictating hypocrites know as the popes..(Well not all popes) The one I am referring to are the ones that came out in the medieval period.. (do not know his name) The pope he had lunch an attack on the Muslims to regain Jerusalem.. And so as people with people and influence grew. So did grid

[8lsatyq]

our 'fatal flaw' comes not from titles or religion but of being human and human choice. Also remember things were different back then, people thought differently. Your thinking of Pope Innocent, hell of a name huh? this is the guy who ordered his people to slaughter, rape and pillage their way to the holy land, but like i said before things were defferent then and also not so different. history repeats itself again and again

[Ashren13]

the birth of humans was the worlds fatal flaw

[IvanBeSerious]

In theory, Christianity was the best religion I think, Jesus was the symbol of Christianity, "Peace and Love", brilliant ideas..but of course, his apprentices and followers somehow (how the hell why?!) managed to change the original ideology to "Everyone who isnt a christian will burn in the fires of hell, they must be purged".

Thats why I view christianity as one of the Worlds most fatal errors.

[billyboyjennings]

All religions are crap.

[8lsatyq]

every religion or at least one person or persons in that religion will always say think that, we christians are not alone in this theory. Unfortunately NO SIDE IS BLAMELESS

[avzett]

@IvanBeSerious yes there is nothing wrong with the actual message of Christ, what has happened was that evil, corrupt human beings twisted it. as they did Judaism, as they did Islam and even Hinduism.

[janjust]

those god damn sleazy Christians :@

[sturnfield7783]

Machiavelli

[vtc1389]

omg is that how he convertred him think of the power

[Domzdream]

You have to stare in awe of how christians fist fuck their faith into the desperate. They keep shoving it over and over at verbatim.

[italobambino43]

Dude, your an idiot!

[Domzdream]

Wow. Profound. No...deep. It touched me deeply.

[Domzdream]

Zeus is the one true god. He'd kick jesus in his little knads and shove a lightning bolt up his arse.

HAIL ZEUS THE GREAT!

[Domzdream]

Nah, it's Morpheus, the dream god that keeps visiting my a-hole every night. That damn butt-strangler. Zeus is fully straight though. A bit of a pervert actually, for an old guy.

[VinnyBloo]

Zeus raped males, though, in a few of the myths...

Partly why Catholics are so vehemently opposed to homosexuals is because they were accepted by their rivals, the Greek and Roman religions. That, and a certain book in the Old Testament that also warns against fish on Friday, shellfish, and pork... oh and it says circumcision's necessary, too. Funny stuff. XD

[CDspartan21]

where was zeus in the christianisation of rome? or the world for that matter?

[HasMoCarr]

Zeus is a greak god ... not a roman one ...

[CDspartan21]

zeus=jupiter

[cartier117]

Jupiter and zeus are the same god.

[lapislazuli248]

@HasMoCarr But he was adopted by the Romans as were all Greek gods...

[BroadwayRonMexico]

@HasMoCarr He was worshiped by the Romans under the name Jupiter/Jove

[Deadman1709]

Christian or not, I would say that Constantine was a freaking pragmatist. Allowing and following the religion of the mass ensure him the support of the backbone of the Empire.

Should the mass follow a different religion, I think that Constantine would approve that one as well. As for why people believe in a certain religion, there are many possibilities, but as willberb said, perhaps, Christianity appealed to the people of the time.

[GajusJuliusCezaris]

Well the Romans were pragmatic!!

[Colleptic]

Which is why Constantine passed a law during this time that allowed masters to beat their slaves to death...

[walterbathwater]

you are totally correct christianity was on the rise and he choose the winning side. he remained a pagan till his death.

[Oldcartoons571]

Nu um..at the time of his death around the time of his death he converted... And the battle wasnt the only reason he had a family member who worship God.

[PiperFreeze06]

@Deadman1709 i agree with you

[drnogood59]

@Deadman1709 Yes Christianity appealed to everyone. The pagan religion of the time was drink blood, sacrifice, and pray to Zues or he blows your brains out. Christianity was one of the few reigions that offered a relationship with a god. It offered eternal life and forgiveness for sins. This was completely diiferent from 'kill the cow and burn it or he strikes you dead!'

[leegeorgeson]

@Deadman1709 That is what religion is for lol

[Feerulace]

@Deadman1709: (PART 1)Christians, and other people who follow other religions, also follow their own religion because of "accident of birth" as John Hick mentioned in "An Interpretation of Religion" and also stated in "Why I Became an Atheist" by John Loftus. For example, if babies are born in the Middle East, there is a big chance the baby will grow up to be a Muslim. If born in India, the baby will grow up to be a Hindu. It also depends on the year people were born.

[frewerage]

@Feerulace it doesnt apply any more, "accident of birth" lol give me a break

[Feerulace]

@Deadman1709 : (PART 2) "If we were Christians in Europe during the Middle Ages, we would probably see nothing much wrong with killing witches, torturing heretics, and conquering Jerusalem from the 'infidels' in the Crusades." (John Loftus)

[americanpolitic1]

at 7:50 I remember a similar idea being given to Jesus during the forty days. Except it was to worship the devil, not God. Since Jesus was God he refused-This video shows what can happen when the church is more interested with worldly power than God's commands.

[mowriter]

americanpolitic: you hit the nail so much on the head with that comment. Constantine's a fascinating character...but from the perspective of the purity of the original Way, the path of power spelled the end of the original Way.

I believe the original Way is making a comeback, however, and applaud this new direction, this return to original intent.

[AquaPhoenix2006]

1:27

Lol

[iguire]

My imaginary friend is better than your imaginary friend!!!!!

You gotta love religon.

[3ch056]

WTF? The scribe is like turning Constantine into the dark side.. XD

[skullwolf13]

that scribe sounds like satan

[skullwolf13]

the scribe seems to believe in the crusader way believe in god or die kinda way

[willberb]

I remember being taught that Christianity was already popular among the Roman Legion before Constantine took power. The soldiers liked the ideas of forgiveness and heaven in the after life. They really were the main ones who spread the religion at that time. He just rode it like a giant wave.

[Kovan2007]

the scribe reminds me of the emporer from star wars

[aeriepeak]

That Christian guy.. brainwashing and manipulating people with hope and dreams... really powerful.

[MrKevMan]

As it was, it will always be. Religion is a tool to control the weak minded and superstitious.

[onesevenfiveone]

It gives hope to others, and gives mankind exactly what it wants; a purpose, something to work towards in an existence that would otherwise be meaningless.

[1989dman]

if you noticed that this "christian" said the same thing Satan said to Christ when Christ was in the desert that if He bowed to him all of the world would be His but Christ stood with God. Unforunately no one ever reads the bible to know God for themselves, but then possibly none of this would have happened lol

[skullwolf13]

well i believe in god and heaven and hell etc but i dont think people would go to hell for not believing in god cause they did nothing wrong if i were wrong how would i care if i dont exsist after i die and religion doesnt control weak minded if u use ur mind so much in religion and no religion the mind is not weak it has to be strong to believe in such a being or strong to believe in no after life

[SpecialKit]

You could say the same about any powerful Christian. Bush anybody?

[Ludendorf]

FUCK CHRISTIANITY

[deepcolt]

I bless you Ludendorf

[danny88101]

7:37; (unimpressed) 'what does that mean?' lol

[Mercury515]

O_O Hi ST. CLARE!!!

[GajusJuliusCezaris]

1.16 that guys boiling witk energy ! Silence!! NO!

[JayCKat]

looks like Constanine has become more paranoid. much like what happened to the first emperor of China.

Lastly

'Think of the power'..... 'In the Name of God conquer'.... very creepy indeed.

[totalwar57]

"think of the power"

[Dharma2012]

That symbol. That... Chiroh. Is it really Christian? How? It doesn't look like anything I would associate as being Christian like a Cross or a fish.

[Khyron56]

The PX is a Christian symbol, The PX are the first two letters of the name Jesus Christ, in the Greek alphabet.

[nationalist19]

i read that some of the first christian converts in the west were greeks. more a less slaves, but greek. thats where it comes from. alot of christian churches still use it even mine. in west ireland

[Khyron56]

Yeah, Christianity had been aroujnd longer than the Romans, but the Christianity most in America follow didn't come around until Constantine.

[nslonka]

Dumb comment = fail. Christianity wasn't around before christ's birth, and wasnt a powerful religion until it converted a major jewish sect in the 1st century AD ("Christianity began as a Jewish sect in the eastern Mediterranean in the mid-first century"). Unfortunately for you, Romans trace their roots back to as far as 8th/9th century BC.

[Khyron56]

True, but the idea of their being one god, began long before Christ's birth, I admit I was wrong that Christianity had existed before Rome, but the idea of one god had been around for centuries before Rome.

[SirBrianCabrera]

@nslonka stfu. all relgion share one main point. peace. harmony and not over indulging.

God doesnt care what relgion you are in the end. BUt only if you have done right.

[stephantom1]

Rome had been around longer than Christianity. And just like we think the Gods of Ancient societies are false, I'm sure in around a few thousand years time people will look back at our time and think how misled we were for believing in Christ.

Christianity is a cancer and, according to Edward Gibbon, was one of the main reasons of the Empire's downfall.

[1989dman]

Christianity is a cancer? no... man's own pride, greed and selfishness is the cancer... our sin is the cancer, not christianity. Christianity is true but that don't mean people who claim they follow it is.

[admiralamadras]

So true Christianty means peace, but powerhungery Kings, Bishops and Priests use the relgion as a means for power, that is why people have doubts of it. Because it has been abused for so long. Same with Islam, Mohohammad preached against Slavery. Yet they still allow it.

[1989dman]

if that was only true

[nukarr]

the X P are two rune symbols the X is gefu means gift the p is WUNJO means joy the J and N are silent it is a phoentic symbol pronouced WOOOOO like the howl of a wolf the meaning is the gift of joy... sex actually when the two symbols are superimposed it makes the CALC symbol an upside down fork the symbol of DEATH it becomes the DEATH OF JOY. ancient scribes were trained in the far north by druid priests this the the origin of the roman alphabet and sold as slaves

[Tarapsa]

Regarding the XP symbol on the Roman shields.

Chi Rho (XP) symbol, the first two letters of the Greek spelling for word Christos (messiah). This is the language that the New Testament was originally written.

Rune symbols are not in the New Testament in its original writing.

[yapxingguan]

think of teh power!! join the darkside lol

[WolfInExile]

Man, that struck me as he said it too. Creepily reminiscient of that scene.

[jemmer100]

Pretty arch.

[chris2I40]

lol lyctantius is the Sith lord

and constantine is Darth VAder

:)

[JulianGardna]

So true!

[tokyohenrymax]

lol yea

[coldicedrat]

lol @ 1:15 @ that guy in tha background. "SIlENCE!!" "No!!"

[APRS]

Lol at that guy too, must have been desperate for a line or at least it was a dare haha!

[coldicedrat]

Haha yeah!! Good point, actually. Lol if it was a dare :P.

[aurcityrep]

LOL! Constantine is gonna ORDER God!!!