M
Mankney
Guest
Hi, I have some confusion about Constantine and when he was baptized.
avemich.org/saint_of_the_day.php has a saint of the day in which today (Dec. 31st) they talked about St. Sylvester. In it they said.
St. Sylvester This pope dates back to early Christian times, to the reign of Constantine, in fact. Sylvester I became pope in 314 and he reigned until his death in 335-twenty-one years. The story is told that Constantine had at first persecuted Pope Sylvester. The emperor contracted leprosy and was going to have a pagan ritual of some kind performed. He was desperate for a cure. It seems that Constantine had a dream in which St. Peter and St. Paul spoke to him. They told the emperor to go to Pope Sylvester for a cure.* Constantine asked the pope to be baptized and he was, in the basilica of St. John Lateran. It was during the reception of Baptism that Constantine was completely cured. From then on, Constantine not only permitted the Christian religion to exist, but encouraged it. ***
I have heard and read that he was baptized on his deathbed and NewAdvent.Org seems to back this up.
*Constantine was sole master of the Roman Empire. Shortly after the defeat of Licinius, Constantine determined to make Constantinople the future capital of the empire, and with his usual energy he took every measure to enlarge, strengthen, and beautify it. For the next ten years of his reign he devoted himself to promoting the moral, political, and economical welfare of his possessions and made dispositions for the future government of the empire. While he placed his nephews, Dalmatius and Hannibalianus in charge of lesser provinces, he designated his sons Constantius, Constantine, and Constans as the future rulers of the empire. Not long before his end, the hostile movement of the Persian king, Shâpûr, again summoned him into the field. **When he was about to march against the enemy he was seized with an illness of which he died in May, 337, after receiving baptism. ***
Am I simply misunderstanding something? Can someone clear it up? One says he was baptized and then encouraged christianity (which points to the fact that he lived after he was baptized) and the other says he was baptized on his deathbed.
Thanks so much for any help.
avemich.org/saint_of_the_day.php has a saint of the day in which today (Dec. 31st) they talked about St. Sylvester. In it they said.
St. Sylvester This pope dates back to early Christian times, to the reign of Constantine, in fact. Sylvester I became pope in 314 and he reigned until his death in 335-twenty-one years. The story is told that Constantine had at first persecuted Pope Sylvester. The emperor contracted leprosy and was going to have a pagan ritual of some kind performed. He was desperate for a cure. It seems that Constantine had a dream in which St. Peter and St. Paul spoke to him. They told the emperor to go to Pope Sylvester for a cure.* Constantine asked the pope to be baptized and he was, in the basilica of St. John Lateran. It was during the reception of Baptism that Constantine was completely cured. From then on, Constantine not only permitted the Christian religion to exist, but encouraged it. ***
I have heard and read that he was baptized on his deathbed and NewAdvent.Org seems to back this up.
*Constantine was sole master of the Roman Empire. Shortly after the defeat of Licinius, Constantine determined to make Constantinople the future capital of the empire, and with his usual energy he took every measure to enlarge, strengthen, and beautify it. For the next ten years of his reign he devoted himself to promoting the moral, political, and economical welfare of his possessions and made dispositions for the future government of the empire. While he placed his nephews, Dalmatius and Hannibalianus in charge of lesser provinces, he designated his sons Constantius, Constantine, and Constans as the future rulers of the empire. Not long before his end, the hostile movement of the Persian king, Shâpûr, again summoned him into the field. **When he was about to march against the enemy he was seized with an illness of which he died in May, 337, after receiving baptism. ***
Am I simply misunderstanding something? Can someone clear it up? One says he was baptized and then encouraged christianity (which points to the fact that he lived after he was baptized) and the other says he was baptized on his deathbed.
Thanks so much for any help.