www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall How would you react? What would you do?

I've been thinking of this for a long time. I'm going to skip some historical stuff for the sake of brevity but I think this would make a wonderful short story or novel. Who knows, maybe I'll write it yet?

Here's the scene--it's the morning of October 29 of the year 312. The weather in Rome at that time of year can be anywhere from sunny with high's in the sixties to cloudy, rainy with highs in the 40's. What was it that day? Who knows. Your name is Militiades. Or perhaps Melchiades or even Miltiadea. No one knows for sure. You were born somewhere in Africa and were elected Vicar of Peter and Bishop of Rome on July 2, 311.

You're old enough to remember the persecutions under Maximian and Diocletian. In 303 Bishops and Priests were arrested (were you?) and releasd only after offering sacrifices to the Gods, which includes the Emperor. In the spring of 304 ALL Christians were ordered to offer sacrifices to the Gods or face persecution. An estimated 3,000 to 3,500 people were killed just for being Christians and refusing to offer sacrifices. Untold numbers were imprisoned and tortured. Were you one of them?

Things have been quiet lately--since the Emperor Maxentius, who took over when his father Galerius abdicated, released prisoners and even returned all ecclesiastical buildings and possessions which had previously been confiscated. So it's been "safe" to be a Christian for a few years. You were elected Vicar of Peter after a period of unkown time when there was no Bishop of Rome. Two rival Christian leaders, Eusebius and Heraclius have been banished by the Emperor Maxentius, just to restore peace in Rome among the rival Christian groups. But that peace could change overnight. And it just might have happened. Rome is abuzz with news that the Emperor Constantine has just defeated the Emperor Maxentius at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, just outside of Rome. Unbelievable--it never should have happened! Maxentius had more men and a better strategic position. But now Maxentius is dead, drowned in the Tiber.

Will there be new persecutions? Will you, the Bishop of Rome, find youself in prison, along with your flock? There are rumors that Contstantine attributes his unexpected victory to a sign from your Lord and Saviour, Jesus. But those could just be rumors. Some say it was a sign from the Sun God Sol Invictus, a pagan God. What if that rumor is true? Could it mean more persecutions?

Suddenly, a group of soldiers march up. Maybe some are on horseback, commanded by a Centurion or two. They demand to see you, Melitiades. What goes through your mind? Do you run and hide? Do you deny you are the Bishop of Rome and the Vicar of Peter? What do you do? What goes through your mind?

What would YOU do if you were in his place?

Tim

I'd tell them who I was and ask what they wanted from me.

Well, from the outside I am reminded of a movie and a book. Have you read John Cardinal Newman's Calista, or seen The Prisoner with Alec Guinness?

I would, in his place, walk to the soldiers and ask them their purpose and tell them that "I am he." Where could I hide that they could not find me? I assume I have a command of the language and would hope that the commander would be educated, so as to potentially control the temper of the meeting.

Terry

I don't know what I'd do....

But, you seem to have a good "hook" there; write the book and I'll read it (and buy it).

I would like to say that I am the Bishop of Rome and await the possibility Holy Martyrdom.... but the real me is a coward and a sinner so I have no idea what I would of done...

Oh, I hate to ruin your story, but wasn't the pope also the chaplain to Constantine's army?

"Oh, I hate to ruin your story, but wasn't the pope also the chaplain to Constantine's army?"

In all of my readings, I've never run across that. I'm not saying it's not true. But I have not heard that. Constantine came down from Gaul and entered from Northern Italy and took over the entire northern part of the country. It was only on the night before the battle, or the morning of the battle, that he saw his "vision" of the Chi-Rho in the air and had the sign put on his soldier's shields. So I don't think so. Again, I'm not saying you are wrong.

Constantine had a history of tolerance, but even after winning and becoming sole Emperor and moving the capital from Rome to Byzantium (and in a moment of supreme humility re-naming the city after himself) he was still not baptized a Christian. In fact, he was not baptized until on his deathbed.

The reason? That's still open to debate. Some say it's because he was never really a believer in Jesus. Some interpret all of his stories of the "God" and the sign to Sol Invictus, the Sun God (think Apollo). They point to coinage that is available for sale today that does not show Jesus on the coins, but something that could be Jesus. Or Sol Invcitus. Or a few other things, depending on your interpretation or imagination. All of these coins were minted after his victory and consolidation of the Empire. If he owed it all to Jesus--woldn't he make a big deal of it and spread the story as widely as possible, even put it down in cold, hard coins and designs on official buildings? If the Chi-Rho was good enough for him to win the Milvian Bridge and become Emperor, wouldn't he use it all of the time, everywhere? That's their line of reasoning.

Others say he knew that as a Christian he would not be able to indiscriminately kill whomever got in his way. Which he did, with great efficiency and without apparent regard to religion and feelings or how it impacted families. (Children left orphaned, money and property taken away from his "enemies.") No one knows for sure why he did not become baptized until right before his death. But it is a fact.

Nor did he make Christianity the sole religion of the Empire. That happened years after his death. He did show great tolerance to Christianity and even showed it favor--pagans were taxed at higher rates than Christians. Only Christians could get certain jobs and positions at court and in other areas of the Empire. So he did show great favor to Christians. But he never officially embraced the religion until he knew he was going to die soon.

And why not? Once baptized, all sins are forgiven. He had a clean slate. He was a pragmatist and knew that if his plan was to succeed, people had to die. Unpleasant things had to happen. So the killings and other things necessary to consolidate an Empire were null and void. They were forgiven. All he had to do now was behave himself a few more days.....

I don't mean to sound cynical, but it is the best explanation. But it is also only my opinion. I am not stating this as historical fact. Simply my opinion. I am not an historical expert, nor do I claim to be. I just read alot and try to put two and two together.

Tim

Tim,


I don't know if this is accurate or not either, but I suspect Constantine showed "favor" to the Church partly because he feared the consequences if he didn't make restitution for all the expropriations that had enriched the Emperor's treasury, and partly because he had the attitude of General Patton: "Where is that chaplain? He's in good with the Lord, and I'm gonna decorate him!"

I like the line from Gen Patton. I don't remember that. But it fits perfectly. He certainly did give lots of things to the church--not just money and land, but the Lateran Palace among other things. Melitiades became an advisor. Then we have the entire story of his mother Helena and her search for the places in the Gospels in Jerusalem and the surrounding areas. He showed more than just "favor" to Christians. LOTS of money was spent.

But if you read about how he basically wanted the controversy of the Donatists settled and even ordered the get together at Arles and later the big get together at his palace in Nicea, he seems pretty intent on getting things straight and getting them straight NOW! Whether it was sheer pragmatism or religious feelings, he was insistent on settling differences in the Church. One Empire, one religion. And solve the problems as quickly as you can.

And he did settle on a compromise on the Donatists and the African Bishop problems--he didn't like it, but it allowed him to move forward, which was his main concern. Once again, pragmatism I guess. You can't consolidate an Empire if you get bogged down in minor details. (Minor details to him, at least. Not minor details to those Bishops in Africa who lost their sees!) And if you read what the controversy was about, it is pretty interesting. How quickly do you forgive those who gave in to the orders of Diocletian to offer sacrifices? Do we accept them back into the fold right away? Or do we make them do penance first? What would Jesus have done? Interesting questions.

Hospodi Pomiluj, how I love this forum!

Tim

The line about Patton may be apocryphal, but it was in the movie with George C. Scott, after he ordered the chaplain to pray to God for good weather, so that he could relieve the paratroopers at the battle of the Bulge. The next day dawned bright and clear!