Sunday Law: Difference between revisions
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Some Christians insist that Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and had a sincere faith in God. However, he delayed being baptized until the end of his life<ref>[https://www.thecollector.com/constantine-the-great-christian-religion-or-pragmatist/ Constantine the Great: Pious Christian or Clever Pragmatist?], ''The Collector'', January 29, 2021</ref> and deliberately identified his favorite sun-god with Christian [[Christ]]. | Some Christians insist that Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and had a sincere faith in God. However, he delayed being baptized until the end of his life<ref>[https://www.thecollector.com/constantine-the-great-christian-religion-or-pragmatist/ Constantine the Great: Pious Christian or Clever Pragmatist?], ''The Collector'', January 29, 2021</ref> and deliberately identified his favorite sun-god with Christian [[Christ]]. | ||
{{quote|Constantine did, indeed, retain the pagan high priest’s title of '''Pontifex Maximus''', and for a decade '''his coins continued to feature some of the pagan gods, notably his own favorite deity, the Unconquered Sun''' . . . It is important to understand Constantine’s previous religion, the worship of the Unconquered Sun . . . '''Constantine continued to identify the sun with the Christian God in some way'''—a belief made easier by the tendency of Christian writers and artists to use sun imagery in portraying Christ. For them Christ is the source of light and salvation, and a mosaic from a third-century tomb found under St Peter's, Rome, even shows him as the sun god in his chariot. When in 321 Constantine made the first day of the week a holiday, he called it ‘the '''venerable day of the Sun’ (Sunday)'''.|Tim Dowley, ''The History of Christianity (A Lion Handbook)'', Lion Publishing, 1994, p. 140}} | {{quote|Constantine did, indeed, retain the pagan high priest’s title of '''Pontifex Maximus''', and for a decade '''his coins continued to feature some of the pagan gods, notably his own favorite deity, the Unconquered Sun''' . . . It is important to understand Constantine’s previous religion, the worship of the Unconquered Sun . . . '''Constantine continued to identify the sun with the Christian God in some way'''—a belief made easier by the tendency of Christian writers and artists to use sun imagery in portraying Christ. For them Christ is the source of light and salvation, and a mosaic from a third-century tomb found under St Peter's, Rome, even shows him as the sun god in his chariot. When in 321 Constantine made the first day of the week a holiday, he called it ‘the '''venerable day of the Sun’ (Sunday)'''.|Tim Dowley, ''The History of Christianity (A Lion Handbook)'', Lion Publishing, 1994, p. 140}} | ||
''[https://www.livius.org/articles/concept/pontifex-maximus/ Pontifex Maximus]'' is a Latin name for the highest priest who belongs to the | ''[https://www.livius.org/articles/concept/pontifex-maximus/ Pontifex Maximus]'' is a Latin name for the highest priest who belongs to the College of Pontifices. Constantine retained this title until the end of his life. He also circulated solidus, a gold coin of the Roman Empire, on which the image of the sun god was engraved. | ||
===Means for Unifying the Empire=== | ===Means for Unifying the Empire=== | ||