The Encyclopedia of World Religions

102 S Constantine, Emperor

battles and political maneuvers, Constantine managed to keep his position. In 324 he became sole emperor of the Roman empire. He ruled until his death in 337. Constantine attributed his success to C HRISTI ANITY , to which he converted around the year 310. In 312 he defeated a rival at the Milvian Bridge, which is near Rome. In the battle his troops fought with a sign of Christianity painted on their shields. The next year Constantine and his cor uler issued the Edict of Milan, which removed all laws against the practice of Christianity, making Christianity fully legal in the Roman empire for the first time. Constantine also tried to mediate disputes between Christians. One concerned Don atism, or the idea that PRIESTS and bishops who abandon Christianity under persecution should not be allowed to resume their positions later. Even more important was the dispute about Ari anism. It concerned whether J ESUS , as Son of God, was uncreated or the first-born of all creation. To try to resolve this dispute, Constantine called bishops together at the Council of Nicaea in 325 ( see COUNCILS , C HRISTIAN ). The Council’s decision became the basis for the later Nicene Creed ( see CREEDS ). Constantine built a new capital for the empire and named it Constantinople after himself (now Istanbul, Turkey). He also sponsored the building of many churches. He was not baptized until he was on his deathbed. Because of all that he had done for Christianity, he thought of himself as the Thirteenth Apostle ( see APOSTLES ). Coptic Church The predominant form of C HRIS TIANITY in Egypt. Egypt was an important center of Christianity in the ancient world. Tradition says that Mark, who wrote one of the GOSPELS , fi rst brought Christianity there. Leading early Christian thinkers such as Origen ( c. 185– c. 254) lived and taught in Alexandria, the cultural center of Egypt. Bishops of Alexandria such as Athanasius ( c. 295– 373) guided the development of Christian doctrine. Other Egyptians became the first Christian MONKS AND NUNS .

Awakening.” This was a time of increased religious emotion. Around 1800 the Congregationalists in New England experienced a split. Many Congre gational churches abandoned the teaching that G OD was a TRINITY —Father (or Creator), Son, and Holy Spirit—and became U NITARIAN . That is, they affirmed that God was a unity and thus denied that J ESUS was divine. Later in the 19th century, Con gregationalists moved to positions then considered liberal. In 1931 they merged with another group to form the Congregational Christian Church. In 1961 they merged with the Evangelical and Reformed Churches to form the U NITED C HURCH OF C HRIST . In the 20th century Congregationalism modi fied some of its earlier emphases. The indepen dence of local churches is no longer a burning issue, and most congregations accept some direc tion from larger associations. For example, the gen eral church usually has a role in certifying persons as fit to be ministers. In addition, Congregational ists have begun to use set prayers and worship ser vices, which they had traditionally avoided. Wor ship services center on the sermon ( see PREACHING ). Congregationalists also recognize two sacraments: BAPTISM and the E UCHARIST . They generally baptize infants. They have also tended to be among the most liberal of the Protestant denominations. For example, in 1917 Congregationalists in England ordained their first woman minister. Congregationalism is by no means the larg est Protestant denomination in the United States or the world. But its cultural contributions have been large. In England the poet John Milton and the hymn-writer Isaac Watts were committed Con gregationalists. In the United States, Congregation alists have founded a number of colleges and uni versities, beginning with Harvard (1636) and Yale (1701). Constantine, Emperor ( c. 285–337 C . E .) Roman emperor who supported Christianity Constantine’s father Constantius was emperor of the western half of the Roman empire. When he died in 306, his troops declared Constantine emperor in his place. Constantine was then about 20 years old. Through