Saint Constantine the Great, the emperor who made the Christian faith the foundation of European civilization

2023-05-20 22:55:00, Kulturë CNA

Saint Constantine the Great, the emperor who made the Christian faith the

On May 21, the Orthodox Church celebrates the royal saints, Saint Constantine and his mother Saint Helena.

Constantine the Great was born on February 27 of the year (272 AD), from a noble family from Illyria in Naissus of Dardania (today's Nishi in Serbia).

His parents were Constantine Chlorus, a pagan, and Elena, his mother, who was provincial from the city of Drepanum. Constantine's father, at the time of Emperor Diocletian, was one of the two Caesars who ruled Gaul, Great Britain and Spain.

In the year (293 BC) Diocletian, also of Illyrian descent, appointed Constant Chlorus to the post of Caesar and forced him to divorce Elena, under the pretext that the marriage of high officers with provincial women was not allowed.

Constantine marries Theodora, daughter of Maximilian, and Constantine is sent to be educated at Diocletian's court. In fact, he was sent there as a hostage so that Constantine would not rebel against Diocletian, because otherwise they would kill his son (Constantine).

After the death of Diocletian and Maximilian, the two Caesars, Galerius and Constant Chlorus, were raised to the rank of Augustus. In 305 Constantine returns to his father. After a year, on July 25 (306 AD), his father died and Constantine was proclaimed Augustus (emperor) by the army, which consisted mainly of Illyrians.

Meanwhile, Galerius, who considered himself the first emperor, had appointed two Caesars: Maximilian Daian for the East and Servenus for the West, with Rome as his capital. Severus was overthrown by a mutiny of the praetorian guard and replaced by Maxentus, son of Maximilian. Maxent quickly came into conflict with his father, and Maximilian found refuge with Constantine, giving him his beautiful daughter Fausta as his wife.

Their marriage took place in Arles, Gaul. Maximilian, collaborating with his daughter, hatched a plot against Constantine. The plot was discovered and Maximilian was sentenced to death in (310 AD). Galeri, informed of the events that were disturbing the empire of the West, appointed Emperor Lichin. Constantine in the year (311 BC) joins Lichin in the war against Maxentius and sets out for Rome.

After crossing the Alps, in September of the year (312 BC), he easily conquered the cities of Northern Italy and arrived in the vicinity of Rome, where Masket had concentrated large military forces.

Before the battle, while watching the enemy hordes, at the bridge of Miliviu, although it was noon, Constantine saw a vision. A cross appeared in the sky, around which was written Å ô ï ý ï ô ï í é ê Ü (with this you will win).

Eusebius of Caesarea tells us that the same night the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to him in a dream and ordered him to make a cross similar to the one he had seen in the vision and to place it on the flags that preceded the army, instead of the imperial flag. The sign of victory shone again in the sky and Constantine believed with all his soul in the Lord Jesus Christ.

In the decisive battle of Milvius, on October 28 (312 BC), it was the Cross that gave him the victory. Constantine made a triumphal entry into Rome giving thanks to the Christian God. He ordered that the sign of the Cross be placed on the main monuments of the city.

A statue of the emperor was also erected, which represented him holding the cross in his hand, as a sign of victory and an emblem of his authority, which he had received from Christ, the Lord. From that time he was called equal to the apostles, because of the spread of Christianity throughout the Roman Empire.

Emperor Constantine helped the church in various ways and took care of its unity. During the reign of Constantine the Great, Christians began to practice their faith. Constantine met Licinius in Milan and in 313 AD the two emperors issued a decree giving Christians the right to freely practice their faith throughout the empire.

In (321 BC) he designated Sunday as a day of rest and a day of celebration for the entire empire and in (325 BC), he stopped death by crucifixion, convened the first Ecumenical Synod in the city of Nicaea that condemned the heretic Arios who denied the Divinity of the Son .

Saint Constantine, after taking power, took Elena, his legal mother, who had been abandoned by her husband Cloroi. Constantine deeply respected his mother and proclaimed her Agusta (queen) and minted coins with her face.

St. Helena who believed in Christ greatly influenced her son, and even severely reprimanded Constantine when he made the mistake of ordering the murder of his son with his first wife Minervina, after being deceived by the intrigues of the beautiful but evil-hearted Fausta. After the intrigue was discovered Constantine ordered the elimination of Fausta and ordered the honor of the unjustly killed.

In (326 BC) the Empress Elena, who had just been baptized, undertook a trip to Palestine, during which she discovered from a Divine revelation, the Cross where Christ had been crucified. Under these circumstances, after excavations were made and the cross was not being found At that time, they forced a Jew who knew where Golgotha ??was but did not tell Christ. After he pointed and the place where he pointed was dug, the cross of God and the four nails were found.

This event is celebrated on September 14 in the Orthodox Church.
Two of the nails of the Cross were placed in Constantine's coat of arms so that he would always have the power of Christ with him. Constantine ordered that a magnificent basilica dedicated to the Resurrection be erected in that place, which was inaugurated in the year (355 AD) on the occasion of 30th anniversary of his reign.
Also, Elena visited many holy places and built basilicas in Bethlehem, Mount of Olives, etc.

After this trip, she fell asleep at the age of 80. Her burial took place in Constantinople and then her body was taken to Rome.

Emperor Constantine spent the rest of his life in peace and was busy strengthening the institutions of the Christian empire. He encouraged by all means the spread of Christianity and completely transformed the Roman laws, putting them under the spirit of mercy and generosity of the Gospel.

Between the years (324 – 11.5.330 AD) St. Constantine built the new Christian capital, Constantinople (City of Constantine) or the new Rome, the borders of which had been shown to him by an angel during a vision, a city built in honor of Blessed Virgin Mary. Eastern Christianity flourished for 1000 years in this country, or as it was later named for the effect of the study: "Byzantine Empire".

The Byzantines who were subjected to the papal heresy and because of their sins became the reason that on May 29, with the permission of God in the year 1453, Constantinople (New Rome) was conquered by the Turks under the leadership of Mehmet II and was called Istanbul by the Turks ( Istanbul today).

The flag of Byzantium with the double-headed eagle was held high for 25 years by Arbëria, with the great national hero, the king of Epirus, the athlete of Christianity, the terror of the Turks, Gjergj Kastriot Skënderbeu at the head.

Pas 30-vjetorit të mbretërimit të Kostandinit në (335 ps K ), mbreti i Persisë Sapori II, filloi të persekutonte të krishterët e mbretërisë së tij. Më pas Sapori prishi aleancën me Kostandinin dhe pushtoi Armeninë. Perandori menjëherë u ngrit në krye të një ushtrie të fuqishme pë t’u ardhur në mbrojtje të krishterëve, por gjatë rrugës u sëmur në Helenopolis dhe u transportua me nxitim në rrethinat e Nikomidis, ku edhe u pagëzua nga prifti Silvan.

Perandori Kostandin e kishte vonuar pagëzimin nga respekti i madh, që kishte për këtë mister të krishterë dhe kishte dëshirë të pagëzohjej në lumin Jordan, në vendin ku u pagëzua Krishti, por nuk mundi dot.
Duke refuzuar të vishte përsëri rrobën e purpurt perandorake, pas pagëzimit që i fali mëkatet e jetës së tij të vrullshme, ai dha shpirtin të shejntëruar tek Perëndia Zoti Jisu Krisht, në ditën e Rrushajeve të vitit 337, duke pasur të veshur akoma tunikën e bardhë të të sapo pagëzuarit(neofitit).

Para se të jepte shpirtin Shën Kostandini pati një shfaqe të dy kryeapostujve Petro dhe Pavlin, të cilët e ftuan në mbretërinë e Zotit që të gëzohet dhe nderohet si i barabartë me Apostujt, për shëbimit që i bëri Kishës Apostolike. Trupin e tij e shpunë në Kostandinopojë, ku pas një ceremonie madhështore varrimi, e varrosën në Kishën e Apostujve të Shenjtë.

Kostandin Flavius Valerius, ky perandor i parë i krishterë për kontributin e tij të madh për kishën dhe popullin e Perëndisë, u nderua më shumë se çdo tjetër mbret dhe ju dha titulli : “i madh dhe i barabartë me Apostujt”.

Jeta dhe vepra e mbretit të parë të krishterë, Shën Kostandinit, i cili e pranoi pushtetin qiellor dhe tokësor të Zotit Jisu Krisht dhe ja nështroi atij gjithë Perandorin Romake, duke e bërë krishtërimin fe zyrtare të perandoris, duke e qeverisur me ligje sipas moralit të krishter dhe duke mbrojtur Kishën Apostolike nga herezitë dhe popullin e krishter nga paganët dhe dyndjet e barbarëve, i bëri një të mirë shumë të madhe të gjithë njerëzimit duke sjellë paqen midi popujve të ndryshë që përbënin Perandorinë Romake.

E gjithë kjo vepër i një burri shteti është sot në antitezë me ata udhëheqësa europian, që vetëm emrin e kanë të krishterë, sepse po i ndryshojnë ligjet morale të krishtera me ato amorale dhe perverse dhe po rikthejnë paganizmin dhe praktikat okulte të Europës, duke i bërë kështu një të keqe të madhe, jo vetëm Europës me traditë të krishterë, që nga koha e Shën Kostandinit, por gjthë botës duke rrezikuar paqen, sepse duke vepruar kështu nxitin zëmërimin e Perëndisë mbi bijtë e mos bindjes.

Kisha Orthodhokse i këndon këtë himn shenjtorit:
"Kryqit tënd të çmuar, të pikturuar në qiell e pa dhe si Shën Pavli e mori, fitimin e shenjtë që lartazi dhe u tregua i pari apostull dhe mbret edhe tërë Mbretërinë të krishterë ta dorzoj; pra na ruaj përherë në paqe ,me lutjet e Shën Marisë ti njeridashës"(Përlëshorja e shenjtorit).