Житие святого равноапостольного царя Константина и святой матери его Елены

While the pagan world, arming itself against Christianity with fire and sword, thought at the end of the 3rd and beginning of the 4th centuries to completely wipe out the very name of Christians from the face of the earth 3344, the Providence of God prepared for the Church of Christ, among the Caesars themselves, the persecutors of Christianity, its royal patron in the person of Constantine - a king who, during his lifetime, received a name that would forever be established for him in Christian history, Equal to the Apostles, but Great in world history. Born in 274 to parents who, although not Christians, were familiar with Christianity and patronized it, from childhood Constantine shunned pagan superstitions and drew closer to Christ the true God. The Right Hand of the Lord itself gradually prepared him and in many different ways purified him, as a chosen vessel of the glory of God. Constantine's father Constantius Chlorus, Caesar in the Western half of the empire 3345, being in appearance - officially - an idolater, in his soul was far from pagan superstition; internally, he renounced serving many false gods and recognized the One True God - He worshiped Him alone and dedicated his entire house, together with his children and household, to one King - God 3346. How far Constantius was from superstitious worship of idols is evidenced by the following remarkable incident from his life. Constantius, who refused to serve idols with sacrifices and incense, wished one day to test the true dispositions of his courtiers; he pretended that he wanted to perform superstitious pagan rituals, and said to his courtiers: “Whoever wants to enjoy my favor and love and remain in honor must make sacrifices to idols, and whoever refuses this, let him remove himself from my sight and no longer count on my favor, for I cannot remain in communion with those who are not of the same faith.” Having accepted Caesar’s words as truth, the courtiers immediately divided into two parties: some, hypocritical people, without real religious convictions, with a flexible conscience that can bend to the right and to the left, immediately expressed consent to the king’s proposal, although until that time, according to base calculations, they had followed his good example in denying idolatry; others, who from a sincere heart neglected pagan superstition and now remained true to their convictions, as true servants of Christ, renouncing earthly and perishable honors, began to leave the royal retinue. Seeing this, Constantius brought back the true Christians who had left the royal palace and said to them: “Since I see you faithfully serving your God, then I want to have you as my servants, friends and advisers, for I hope that you will be faithful to me just as you are faithful to your God.” Addressing those who were inclined to excommunicate Christianity and worship idols, the king said: “I cannot tolerate you at my court; if you are not faithful to your God, then how will you be faithful to me!” And having thus shamed them, he removed these hypocrites from his presence; and he brought God’s faithful servants closer to himself and made them leaders in his area 3347. And thus, at a time when in all other parts of the vast Roman Empire the persecution of Diocletian was in full swing, in the region of Constantia Christians lived in peace and prosperity 3348. However, not being able to disobey the will of Diocletian, the eldest of the emperors, Constantius allowed one thing - to destroy some of the Christian churches 3349. Such was the father of Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine, Constantius Chlorus. – His disposition towards Christians and preference for their pagans; the appeal to Christ of his wife, Saint Helena, the mother of Constantine, and the daughter of Constantine 3350, Constantine’s sister, from an early age instilled in the latter’s soul true love for God and His law and laid a solid foundation for the education and strengthening of his moral character. And this small seed sown in the child’s soul subsequently grew into a great tree. Constantine was to spend the years of his youth not among his own family, but at the court of Diocletian in Nicomedia, where he was taken almost as a hostage, albeit an honorable one, to ensure the loyalty of his father Constantius to the elder emperor Diocletian. Court life in the capital then represented in a small form all the moral and religious corruption to which humanity can reach, enslaved by unclean, passionate lusts of the heart and falling into a “perverse mind” (Rom. 1:28). Vain pomp and luxury, drunkenness and gluttony, unbridled debauchery of thought and life, intrigue and sedition, embitterment against true worship of God and hypocritical, deceitful respect for imaginary gods - this is the gloomy picture in which Providence presented Constantine with all the insignificance and ignominy of paganism. But right there, at the same time, and therefore all the more strikingly, the life of another society loomed before the gaze of Constantine - a Christian community, where elders and elders, young men and virgins, simpletons and learned sages, even children proved the truth of their faith, the purity and height of its content not only with words, but also with their deeds, by confessing it with their virtuous life, by suffering for it even to the point of death. For at that time a most terrible persecution flared up against the Church of Christ, surpassing all other persecutions in the anger of the persecutors, in the variety of torments, in the number of martyrs, and in the triumph, the victorious triumph of the faith of Christ over all pagan intrigues. Constantine, placed by Providence at the very center of pagan malice, could not help but see the futility of all its efforts to overcome the insurmountable; directly, with his own eyes, he contemplated the power of God in weaknesses, perfecting and subjugating everything to itself. In every Christian confessor, in every feat of martyrdom, Constantine saw an indisputable witness to the correctness of the faith of Christ, its superiority over paganism, its Divine origin. And Constantine retained in his soul the guarantee of the good sown in childhood - he retained the purity and innocence of his heart and respect for the law of God, although he moved in a morally corrupt environment. But this internal alienation of Constantine from the corrupt court life, his inquisitive mind and spiritual well-being, covered by modesty, naturally aroused the anger of the courtiers around him against him; and his majestic, beautiful posture coupled with his tall stature and outstanding physical strength, which attracted the eyes of the people to him and won the love of the entire army in his favor, was the cause of the envy of many, especially Caesar Galerius. The latter plotted to destroy him and even conspired to prevent Constantine from achieving the royal dignity to which he was entitled by birth. Constantine's life was in danger, but the hand of Providence saved its chosen one and gave him what unbridled, insidious envy wanted to take away from him. Constantine retired to Gaul to his father, whom he found on his deathbed and who soon died. After the death of Constantius Chlorus, the army that was with him proclaimed (in 306) Constantine, who was then thirty-second year old, emperor of Gaul and Britain, as the beloved son of the respected Caesar. Under the vivid impression of seeing the terrible persecution of Christians in the East, Constantine, having inherited power from his father, considered his first task to be to confirm all his orders for the benefit of Christians - he declared freedom to profess Christianity in his regions. Thus the hour of victory of the faith of Christ over pagan superstition has approached! But the onset of better times for the Church was preceded by the time of God's Judgment over its persecutors. - The Emperors Diocletian and Maximian, tired of their own malice against the unshakable sufferers for the holy truth, decided to seek peace in removing themselves from the royal thrones; but their refusal of power, not giving peace to the fierce persecutors themselves, also served as a reason for social unrest. Galerius, who reigned in the East instead of Diocletian and was dissatisfied with the accession of Constantine in the north-west, did not recognize him as emperor, but recognized Severus, who ruled Italy and Africa; Meanwhile, in Italy, Maxentius, the son of Maximian, was proclaimed emperor. Supporting Severus, Galerius went to war against Maxentius, who asked for protection from his father - the latter again took control. Severus surrendered to Maximian and was killed. Then Galerius proclaimed his commander Licinius emperor, and the army - Caesar Maximian. It turned out that six emperors reigned in the Roman Empire at once and they were all at enmity with each other. Peace and prosperity were enjoyed only by the subjects of Constantine, who was content with the lot inherited from his father and did not want to take part in the mutual struggle of other co-rulers, who completely devoted himself to governing the country according to the desire of his pure heart and sound mind in submission to Divine Providence. “I alienated myself,” Constantine said about himself, “from the hitherto rulers, because I saw the savagery of their morals 3351.” In relation to Christians, he adhered, following the example of his father, to a policy of peace, for he valued them as zealous and faithful subjects. Constantine understood that Christianity is a great force that can recreate the world. However, he was not yet a Christian; with all his deep respect for the servants of Christ, he could not easily, without internal struggle, renounce the old pagan covenants. And only the formidable and difficult circumstances that arose prompted him to openly bow before the greatness of the “Crucified God,” who miraculously brought him out of his wavering state and confirmed him in his decision to become a Christian. After Galerius, who died (in 311) from a terribly severe illness, and Maximian - the ruler of Syria - who died (in 313) a shameful death - suicide, in the Eastern half of the empire Licinius remained the sole ruler, who later married Constantine's sister. In the western half, in the Italian region, after the second reign of Maximian, Maxentius reigned again, contrary to the wishes of the Roman people. Constantine recognized him as king in Rome and even sent a peace embassy to him. But Maxentius not only did not want to have peaceful relations with Constantine, but did not even want to call him king, wanting to be the sole autocrat of all the lands and countries of the Roman region. Having established himself on the throne, he showed in its entirety his inherent insidious cruelty and greed, not only in relation to Christians, but also in relation to his pagan co-religionists. Having seduced, upon his accession, the people he needed with gifts and promises, he began to pursue and torture honorary senators, plundering their property, kidnapping their wives and daughters to satisfy his animal passions, as well as the passions of his favorites. And he was very difficult and disgusting for all of Rome in his cruelty and bad life. The Romans, suffering under his heavy yoke, decided to secretly seek protection from Constantine, asking him to come and deliver them from this tormentor. Constantine first of all sent a letter to Maxentius on this occasion, amicably urging him to stop his violent actions. But Maxentius not only did not heed his good advice and did not correct himself, but became even more embittered. He extended his bitterness to the point that he began to prepare for war against Constantine. Hearing about this, Constantine in 312 decided to undertake a military campaign against the Roman Emperor: he wanted to snatch Rome from the hands of the evil tyrant. But this campaign presented insurmountable difficulties. – It was not easy for the most courageous commander, beloved by the troops, to force the army to enter with a sword into the heart of Italy, to bring war to the soil of great Rome, sacred to the peoples of that time: such an enterprise should have had a stunning effect on the imperial army and a deep murmur of displeasure. And Constantine himself could not be free from a feeling of involuntary fear when undertaking this campaign, especially since he himself had never seen Rome, which could seem to him a formidable giant. At the same time, Constantine knew that the army of his enemy was more numerous than his army and that Maxentius firmly hoped for the help of his national gods, whom he tried to appease with generous sacrifices, even the slaughter of boys and girls - that Maxentius protected himself and his troops with all sorts of enchantments and sorceries and had great demonic power on his side. Relying on human strength and resources alone was not enough for Constantine, and he had a sincere desire to have help from above. Reflecting on the unhappy state of the empire, which vainly sought protection from soulless idols, on the help of God repeatedly shown to his father and to him, on the political revolutions that took place before his eyes, on the shameful death in a short time of three persons who shared with him the supreme power in the empire, he recognized it as madness to vainly hold on to non-existent gods and, after so much evidence, to remain in error 3352. In the midst of such anxious thoughts, Constantine began to offer a prayer to the God of his father, began to ask Him to enlighten him about Himself, give him courage and stretch out his right hand in the task ahead 3353. And this prayer of his, like once the prayer of the prison guard (Acts 16.) was heard - the Lord soon consoled him with a direct appearance and showed him what he should do. Eusebius, a contemporary of the event, who heard about it personally from the king, narrates: “One afternoon, when the sun began to decline to the west,” said the king, “I saw with my own eyes the sign of the cross made of light and lying in the sun with the inscription: “By this conquer.” This sight struck with horror both the king himself and the army around him, for the cross, as a shameful instrument of execution, was considered a bad omen by the pagans. Konstantin was at a loss and said to himself: what does such a phenomenon mean? But while he was thinking, night fell. Then Christ appeared to him in a dream with a sign seen in heaven and commanded him to make a banner similar to the one seen in heaven and use it for protection when attacked by enemies. Rising from sleep, Constantine told his friends the secret of his dream vision, and then called experienced craftsmen to him and, having described to them the image of a wonderful banner, ordered them to build, in the likeness of this, a banner made of gold and precious stones; He ordered his soldiers to depict a cross on their shields and helmets. Struck by the wondrous vision, Constantine at the same time decided not to honor any other God except Christ who appeared to him; Having invited to himself the mysteries of His word - Christian priests - he asked them: who is God and what is the meaning of the sign that he saw? Having heard their answer about the one God, about the mystery of the incarnation of His Only Begotten Son for the salvation of men, about the death on the cross of the Lord Jesus, who defeated the mortal power, about the sign of the cross that appeared to him that it was a sign of victory, Constantine fully and consciously became a Christian in his soul. From that time on, he began to diligently read the Holy Scriptures and constantly had priests with him, although he had not yet received holy baptism 3354. “Having called on the God of all and His Christ as an assistant and protector, also placing a victorious banner with a saving sign in front of his warriors, Constantine set out with his entire army from the borders of Gaul on a campaign against Maxentius in the Italian region.” 3355 The campaign undertaken by Constantine to liberate Rome from the cruel tyrant did not bring the latter to his senses. - The evil Maxentius, having made abundant sacrifices to the gods with solemn ceremonies, having listened to the predictions of fortune-tellers based on the entrails of pregnant women, marched against Constantine with a large army; but he did not avert worthy retribution for his wickedness. Constantine, covered with the saving sign of the Cross, after three oncoming clashes with the enemy, approached the eternal city itself and here inflicted a decisive defeat on it. Maxentius, fleeing across the Tiber River, died when the bridge was destroyed, like an ancient pharaoh, with his chosen horsemen in the abyss of the water. The winner triumphantly entered Rome and was greeted by the people with great joy. Realizing that this victory was granted by Divine help, Constantine erected a sacred banner in the most crowded place of the city, and then, when the grateful Romans erected a statue in honor of the new emperor, he ordered a high spear in the form of a cross to be placed in the hand of his image and the following inscription to be inscribed: “With this saving sign I freed your city from the yoke of the tyrant and returned the Roman people and the Senate to their former splendor and celebrity" 3356. Having thus become the ruler of the entire western half of the Roman Empire, Constantine, the first of the Caesars, by decree (in 313) declared complete religious tolerance to the peoples under his control: he left the pagans the right to perform the rites of their worship, and allowed Christians to freely worship the One True God. This decree was followed by a whole series of decrees 3357 favorable to the Church of Christ: execution on the cross was prohibited, bloody games in the circus were abolished; pagan sacrifices and incense on solemn days were stopped, the celebration of Sunday was established with the prohibition of legal proceedings on this day and the cessation of work of both free citizens and slaves; orphans and children abandoned by their parents, the poor and wretched, whom paganism left without help and charity, were accepted under royal protection; celebrations of renovation and consecration of churches began in all cities; songs of praise and prayers of thanksgiving to God were heard everywhere; bishops met freely to discuss the needs of the Church. Constantine himself sometimes attended these meetings, delved into issues relating to faith and readily did everything that was required for the benefit of Christian society. He freed the clergy from all extraneous positions and from taxes, just as the pagan priests were free from taxes, so that they could completely devote themselves to serving God; he not only returned to the Church the tombs and all the places taken away by the persecutors, but also granted several large buildings for worship, called basilicas, in which judges sat and which, according to their internal structure, could be easily converted into churches; – gave pastors the right to resolve disputes and mutual disagreements between Christians. Wearing on his helmet, as a visible sign of reverent veneration of Christ God, the monogram “Christ” 3358, Constantine gave his soldiers a prayer, which they had to read on Sundays and which, being a confession of the heartfelt faith of the emperor himself, disposed everyone to recognize the One Almighty Giver of blessings and to seek His help in all matters 3359. The favor of the emperor caused delight among Christians: their hearts were filled with great spiritual joy from tasting the sweetness of life under the new government. Contemporary Eusebius depicts that time as follows: – Now a bright and clear day, not darkened by any cloud, illuminated the Church of Christ with rays of heavenly light. We must admit that our happiness is higher than our merits; we are brought into the greatest amazement by the grace of the Author of such great gifts: we worthily marvel at Him and say with the prophet: “Come and see the works of the Lord, what devastation He has made on earth” (Ps. 45:9). People of all ages, male and female, rejoicing with all the strength of their souls, send prayers and thanksgiving to God with their minds and hearts 3360. But while in the West Christians thus prospered under the rule of Constantine, it was completely different in the East, where Licinius reigned: raised at the court of Diocletian, a commander under Galerius, he, having achieved the dignity of Caesar, hated Christians in his soul. Having become related to Constantine, Licinius at first did not dare to oppose his powerful brother-in-law 3361 - he even signed the decree (Milan) issued by the latter on religious tolerance; but soon, having become the sovereign ruler of the entire East after the death of Emperor Maximian, he began to oppress and humiliate Christians. Fearing the loss of his royal power and listening to slander from representatives of idolatry, he closed and destroyed Christian churches under the pretext that they were praying in them for betrayal of Constantine and demanded from everyone, and especially from his troops, a pagan oath and sacrifices to idols; He subjected those who disobeyed his will to imprisonment and terrible torture, leading them to martyrdom. At this time, by the way, a courageous squad suffered - 40 martyrs. - Licinius, however, was cruel not only to Christians: and all the peoples subject to him suffered a lot from his greed and malice. His suspicion and cruelty is sufficiently evidenced by the fact that he put to death the wife and daughter of his former patron, Diocletian, and exterminated all the children of the emperors - Maximian, Severus and Galerius. The Roman Empire, according to Eusebius, divided into two halves, represented two opposites of day and night: the inhabitants of the East were enveloped in the darkness of the night, and the inhabitants of the West were illuminated by the light of the brightest day. Licinius's relationship with Constantine could not and was not friendly. Licinius showed in them deceit and double-mindedness; he assured Konstantin of friendship, but secretly hated him, tried to do him all kinds of harm; His intrigues did not succeed, and more than once discord began between them, ending in wars. Constantine remained the winner, but deceived by the false assurances of his son-in-law, he made peace with him. However, over time, relations between the emperors became more and more strained. The oppressed subjects of Licinius and the Christians persecuted by him saw no end to their suffering. Licinius finally stopped hiding his plans against Constantine and entered into open struggle. In 323, a brutal war broke out between them. This war was to finally decide the fate of Christianity in the Roman Empire, which embraced “the entire universe.” Both emperors gathered significant forces and prepared for a decisive battle, each in accordance with his own faith: it seemed that decrepit paganism had taken up arms against Christianity, which had come into the world to renew humanity. - On the eve of the battle, Licinius, surrounded by priests and fortune-tellers, gathered selected warriors and his best friends into a shady grove in which the idols stood, performed a solemn sacrifice and, addressing everyone who was here, said: - Friends! - these are our public gods, before whom we need to revere, as our ancestors taught us. The commander of the army hostile to us, rejecting his fatherly customs, accepted false opinions and glorified some foreign, unknown God. With his shameful banner (the Cross) he disgraces his army; having trusted him, he raises weapons not so much against us as against the gods. The matter itself will reveal who is right and who is wrong - if we win, then it is clear that our gods are true gods; if the God of Constantine, the foreign god we ridicule, prevails, then let them honor him. But it is certain that our gods will win, so let us boldly rush with weapons in our hands against the atheists! 3362 On the contrary, Constantine, before the battle, retired to his tent and there, through prayer and fasting, prepared for battle; in these decisive moments of his life, he turned to his past, went over in his memory the events of his life, the dangers to which he was exposed and which passed safely for him - he recalled the shameful death of the persecutors of Christianity and the courageously peaceful death of the disciples of Christ, and, in all this, seeing the wondrous dispensation of the Almighty, he entrusted himself and all his work to the highest heavenly guidance and intercession. Christians prayed earnestly for the emperor, their patron; the sacred banner stood among the regiments of Constantine and inspired the hope of heavenly help. His troops looked at this victorious banner with reverence, while his enemies looked at him with fear; in many cities of the Licinian kingdom, in the middle of the day, they saw the ghosts of Constantine’s troops marching victoriously with this banner. Licinius himself urged his soldiers not to look at the enemy banner, “for,” he said, “it is terrible in its strength and hostile to us.” Pagan priests and fortune-tellers predicted victory for Licinius, but God granted it to Constantine. Licinius repeatedly attacked the approaching enemy, but each time he was defeated and fled; pretending to repent, he asked for peace, but secretly he gathered new militias and sought help from the barbarians. Finally, the naval victory of Crispus, son of Konstantinov, near Byzantium, and the battle of Adrianople finally decided the success of the war. Licinius submitted, and after some time was executed in Thessalonica, since, having surrendered to the winner, he had formed a conspiracy against Constantine. In 323, Constantine became the sole sovereign of the entire Roman Empire. This victory over Licinius once again and so tangibly and clearly convinced Constantine that earthly blessings and successes are bestowed on the worshipers of the true God. And this is how he, presenting himself as a submissive instrument in the hands of the Almighty, humbly gives glory to God alone for his successes: “Of course there will be no pride,” he says in one of the decrees, “to boast of one who realizes that he has received benefits from the Most High Being. God found and judged my ministry fit to fulfill His will. Starting from the British sea, I, with the help of some highest power, drove before me all the horrors encountered, so that the human race, educated under my influence, could be called to the service of the most sacred law and, under the guidance of the highest Being, grow the most blessed faith. “I firmly believed,” he adds, “that my whole soul, everything I breathe, everything that exists in the depths of my mind—I must offer everything to the great God.” So determined in his soul, Constantine, after the victory, hastened to extend to the Christians of the Eastern Empire the same rights that they enjoyed in the West. And in the East he forbade offering sacrifices to idols in the name of the emperor; he elected predominantly Christians as regional leaders; took care of the renovation and construction of churches; returned to the faithful property taken away during the persecution. “Whoever lost property,” said one decree, “passing fearlessly and fearlessly through the glorious and Divine field of martyrdom, or becoming a confessor and acquiring eternal hopes for himself, who lost them, being forced to emigrate, because he did not agree to yield to the persecutors who demanded the betrayal of the faith, we command that all such property be given up.” In cases where there were no close relatives, property taken from Christians was transferred to local churches; private individuals from whom the martyr's property was taken away received rewards from the royal treasury. Constantine’s Christian feelings were especially fully and characteristically expressed in his rescript to the regional commanders: “Now,” this is how he addresses God here, “I pray to You, great God!” Be merciful and favorable to Your eastern peoples; and through me, Your servant, grant healing to all regional rulers.... Under Your leadership I began and completed the work of salvation; presenting Your banner everywhere, I led a victorious army; and wherever some social necessity called me, I followed that sign of Your power and went against the enemies. That is why I gave You my soul, well tested in love and fear, for I sincerely love Your name and am in awe of the power that You have shown through many experiences and with which you strengthen my faith.... I want Your people to enjoy peace and serenity; I want those who are mistaken to taste the pleasures of peace and silence, just like believers, for such a restoration of communication can lead them too to the path of truth. Let no one bother anyone else.... Sane people should know that only those who will live holy and pure will be those whom You Yourself call to rest under Your holy laws; and let those who turn away, if it pleases them, take possession of the lot of their false teaching... Let no one harm another; what one has learned and understood, let him use it, if possible, for the benefit of his neighbor; and when this is impossible, he must leave him, for it is another thing to voluntarily accept the struggle for immortality, and another thing to be forced into it through execution... Removing our conscience from everything contrary, we will all take advantage of the lot of the bestowed good, that is, the good of the world 3363. Having become the sole ruler of the entire Roman Empire and declaring religious tolerance “throughout the entire universe” (Luke 2:1), Constantine, however, was not “lukewarm” (Apoc.3:15) in his royal life. Having abandoned paganism and become the head of Christian society, he saw in Christianity the most important support of the empire, the main guarantee of the power and success of the state, which, in his opinion, should pave the way for the free, non-violent establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth - indicate and provide means for the education and improvement of the human race in the spirit of Christ. Constantine, as an obvious patron of Christians, was little loved in Rome, where many pagan customs and morals still remained. And he himself did not like Rome with its Pantheon, where, so to speak mechanically, the pagan gods of all conquered peoples were gathered, and he rarely and reluctantly visited the old capital. And the Romans, grateful to the liberator for getting rid of the tyrant (Maxentius), did not understand and could not appreciate the activities of the emperor; They saw in him a violator of their old folk orders, an enemy of their religion, closely connected with the political greatness of Rome. Their displeasure and murmur, even conspiracies and sometimes obvious indignations were the reason that the idea arose and matured in the mind of Constantine to create a new capital for himself, a Christian city, which would not be in any way connected with paganism. Constantine fell in love with the position of Byzantium, an ancient small town on the shores of the Bosphorus, which was also marked by a naval victory over Licinius, and he chose it and made it the new capital of the empire; He himself, with a solemn move, marked out the distant boundaries of the new city and began to furnish it with magnificent buildings. Vast palaces, aqueducts, baths, and theaters decorated the capital; it was filled with art treasures brought from Greece, Italy and Asia. But temples dedicated to pagan gods were no longer built there, and instead of the Colosseum, where gladiator fights took place, a circus was set up for horse racing. The main decoration of the new city were churches dedicated to the true God, in the construction of which the royal patron of Christians himself took an active part. His guardianship this time extended not only to the splendor of the houses of prayer, but even, for example, to such insignificances - according to his high rank: with the construction of new churches in the capital, a shortage of liturgical books was felt, and the king was concerned with their production as quickly as possible - a deliberate embassy was sent to Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea with the order that “excellent scribes write on trimmed parchments fifty copies of books” and that these scrolls be delivered to him, and “he retained the reward of anyone for his work” 3364. By his order, liturgical books in the capital's churches were to be kept in decently rich bindings. Imbued with a deep religious feeling, Constantine in the new capital organized his everyday life in accordance with the requirements of piety and holiness. The palace itself was a clear reflection of his Christian mood. “In the royal palaces a semblance of the Church of God was built, and the emperor, with his zeal for pious exercises, set an example for others; Every day at certain hours he was confined to inaccessible chambers and there he talked privately with God, kneeling in prayer, and asked for what he needed, and sometimes he invited his courtiers to participate in the prayers. With special reverence he spent Sunday and Friday - the day of the death of the Lord Jesus on the cross; on these days he stopped his usual activities and devoted himself to serving God. The palace of Constantine was thus completely different from the palaces of the former Roman Caesars: there was no idle talk or treacherous intrigue, no noisy, vain and often bloody amusements; “hymns of praise to God” were heard here. The king’s interlocutors were the “secrets of God’s Word” - bishops and priests - his servants and guardians of the whole house were men adorned with purity of life and virtue; the very spearmen and bodyguards were guided by the example of the pious king. The Christian owner of the palace put a Christian stamp on everything. In the main hall, in a gilded recess in the ceiling, there was an image of the Cross made of precious stones in a gold frame. Above the door leading to the royal chambers, “in full view of everyone,” was a painted painting made of wax. This picture represented the following: the face of the emperor, a cross above his head, and under his feet a dragon being cast into the abyss; The meaning of this picture is this: Constantine, in the person of the persecutors of Christianity - the pagan emperors, cast the dragon - the enemy of the human race - into the abyss of destruction by the saving power of the Cross. This picture inspired everyone that its owner was an admirer of the true God, who through the death of His Son on the cross gave new life to humanity. The new Christian capital, named after its founder, “the city of King Constantine,” Constantinople, which occupied a middle place between the former capitals of the empire - Rome and Nicomedia, like Jerusalem once did - “the city of King David,” which did not belong exclusively to any tribe of Israel 3365, due to its fortunate geographical position, and entrusted to the patronage of the Mother of God, quickly blossomed and eclipsed its glory and the grandeur not only of the magnificent Nicomedia, but also of the great Rome itself. And just as in ancient times David, having settled in Zion, was embarrassed by the fact that he “lives in a house of cedars,” “and the Ark of the Covenant remains under skins” (2 Samuel 5:9–11, 7:2; 1 Chronicles 17ff.), so now Constantine, having settled in beautiful Byzantium, could not remain indifferent to the desecrated “cradle of Christianity” - the place of the earthly life of the Lord Jesus, His suffering, death and resurrection. Reverent before the sign of the Cross, he wished to glorify the very “life-giving Tree, on which the King and Lord was crucified.” But, as a warrior and, moreover, one who had shed a lot of blood, he considered himself unworthy to do it himself. This pious intention of the emperor was carried out by his equally honorable mother, Queen Helena, whom he sent to Jerusalem, providing her with authority and rich gifts. Helen, as Eusebius narrates 3367, this old woman with youthful speed rushed to the East in order to perform due worship of the feet of the Lord - according to the word of the prophet, “let us worship at the footstool of His feet” (Ps. 132:7). In a sacred country, marked by wondrous events, where everything reminds of “the great Mystery of piety - the appearance of God in the flesh,” the greatness of the humble soul of the royal old woman was clearly manifested; there Saint Helena did not dress in the attire characteristic of her rank, but in the most modest clothes she moved among the crowd of people, trying to be unrecognized, distributing generous alms; Imitating the Lord Jesus, she extended her self-abasement to the point that she gathered virgins in her house, treated them, and herself served at the table in the form of a simple slave 3368. The example of the queen's sincere piety made a deep impression not only on believers in Christ, but also on non-believers. The stay of the Queen Mother in the “cradle of Christianity” was also marked by the fulfillment of the plans of her royal son. In Palestine, all the places consecrated by the gospel events have long been devastated. The pagans, out of hatred for Christianity, tried to erase the very memory of them; the most dear place for a believing Christian heart - the Cave of the Holy Sepulcher was covered with garbage and thus hidden from reverent gaze; Moreover, as if in mockery of the “Crucified God” and His admirers, on a hill built on top of the holy cave, a temple was built for the “voluptuous demon of love” (Venus). According to Elena's instructions, the idol churches, erected in places sacred to Christians, were destroyed and holy churches were built in their place. So beautiful churches were built, at the request and at the expense of the queen, in Bethlehem above the cave of the Nativity of Christ, on the Mount of Olives - the place of the Ascension of the Lord; Gethsemane was decorated with churches - the place of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the place of God's appearance to Abraham at the Oak of Mamre. But the main concern of the royal old lady was to realize the thought of her great son, to find the very Tree on which the Savior of the world was crucified. The place where the Cross of the Lord was hidden was unknown; To find him, the pious Helen used all means and her royal influence. And after much intense questioning and searching, this place was indicated by a certain Judas, a Jew, an old man of advanced years, the son of a Jewish teacher, indicated under a pagan temple built on a hill covering the cave of the Holy Sepulcher. By order of the queen, the vile Venus was overthrown, her church was immediately destroyed; Saint Macarius of Jerusalem prayed at the desecrated place; began clearing the hill. And pious zeal received wondrous reinforcement: the faithful who worked and dug the earth smelled the stench of fragrance emanating from under the ground. Zeal for the glory of the name of Christ prompted the workers, in accordance with the desire of Blessed Helena, to carry the materials of the destroyed pagan temple and all the rubbish from under it as far as possible from the burial place of the Lord Jesus, so that in this way nothing defiled by idolatry would touch the great Christian shrine. The Cave of the Holy Sepulcher was found and cleansed; Near it, on the eastern side, three crosses were found and next to them a board with an inscription and honest nails. – But how was it possible to find out which of the three crosses was the cross of the Savior? - The general bewilderment regarding this matter was resolved, according to the arrangement of Providence, through such a miraculous event: it happened that at that time a dead man was being carried past this place for burial; Saint Macarius ordered those carrying the deceased to stop; They began to believe, on the advice of the bishop, that the found crosses were one per deceased; and when the Cross of Christ was laid, the dead were resurrected. Everyone, seeing this miracle, rejoiced and glorified the wondrous power of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord. The Elder Queen reverently bowed to the honest Tree and kissed it. And since with the multitude of people it was not possible, following the example of the queen, to each individually pay due respect to the found cross, Saint Macarius, satisfying the general desire to see the shrine at least from afar, piously lifting it up and standing on an elevated place, created the erection of the Cross of the Lord before the gaze of the multitude of the faithful, who at that time loudly exclaimed: “Lord, have mercy!” This was the first Exaltation of the honest and Life-giving Cross; it happened in 326. The Orthodox Church celebrates this event annually on September 14, 3369. Many of the pagans and Jews then turned to Christ; Among those who converted was Judas, to whom he pointed out the place where the Holy Cross was kept 3370. The Holy Cross was then placed in a silver ark for preservation; on Good Friday it was taken to Golgotha ​​(in the soon-built church where it was kept) for worship. But Saint Helena, leaving Jerusalem, took a piece of the life-giving Tree with her as a gift to her son Constantine. After living for a short time, the blessed queen-mother died and was honestly buried. Having received from his mother, Blessed Helena, a priceless treasure - a particle of the Holy Cross, Constantine decided to decorate the Cave of the Holy Sepulcher and near it to build a church that would be “more magnificent than all the churches that exist anywhere”... “The cave, as the head of everything, according to Eusebius, was decorated by the Christ-loving generosity of the king with excellent columns and numerous decorations. From the cave there was an exit to a vast open-air area. This square is lined with shiny stone and is surrounded on three sides by continuous porticoes.” And with what amazing care the Christian king treated the construction of the church on the eastern side of the cave, the following lines from Constantine’s letter to the Jerusalem Saint Macarius best give an idea of ​​this: “As for the construction and elegant decoration of the walls of the church, know that I entrusted the care of this to the rulers of Palestine. I took care that through their care, artists, craftsmen, and everything necessary for construction would be immediately delivered to you. As for the columns and marbles, which ones you recognize as the most precious and useful, consider them in detail, and write to me without any delay, so that from your letter I can see how many materials are required and deliver them from everywhere. Moreover, I want to know what kind of church vault you like - mosaic or decorated differently. If it is mosaic, then everything else in it can be decorated with gold. Let Your Reverence inform the said rulers as soon as possible how many craftsmen and artists will be needed and how much the costs will be. Try also to immediately inform me not only about the marbles and columns, but also about the mosaic, which you consider to be the best.” By the way, Constantine himself came up with the idea that it would be good to decorate the church with twelve - according to the number of Apostles - columns, on top of which there would be vases cast from silver. It is not surprising, therefore, that this church was a miracle of beauty and its appearance delighted its contemporaries. Eusebius the historian, among other things, describes this monument to the pious zeal of the first Christian emperor: “The basilica (church) is an extraordinary building, immeasurable in height, extraordinary in breadth and length. Its inner side is covered with multi-colored marbles, and the outer appearance of the walls, shining with polished and one-to-one stones, seems extremely beautiful and is in no way inferior to marble. The domed ceiling is decorated with marvelous carvings, which, spreading like a great sea over the entire basilica in mutually connected arcs and everywhere shining with gold, illuminate the entire church as if with rays of light. The main object of the whole thing is a semicircle located at the very edge of the basilica (on the eastern side), according to the number of twelve Apostles, crowned with twelve columns, the tops of which are decorated with large vases cast from silver - a wonderful offering to God from the king himself.” But the pious king did not limit his attitude towards Christianity only to concern for its external exaltation; he was also concerned about the inner life of Christ’s Church. The Church, according to Constantine, should serve as the most important support for the life of the state; religious unity must be a powerful guarantee of the success of the empire. The Church, shining with greatness and external splendor, with its inner world must attract the pagan population to itself, gradually turning the entire state into one internally cohesive organism, revived by the One Spirit of Christ. Such unity and prosperity of the Church “gave the caring king peaceful days and good nights,” in which he saw happiness for himself and all the peoples of the world under his control.” However, these “peaceful days and good nights” were not always easy for the great emperor. In his time, the Church of Christ, already crowned with the victorious crown of martyrdom and receiving the right of civil existence even with advantages over paganism, was outraged by internal disorders that arose and matured during the difficult time of persecution. As soon as Constantine reigned in Rome, he learned with surprise and sorrow that an entire region of his empire was overwhelmed by civil strife among the children of the One Father. – A struggle broke out among Christians in Africa over the appointment of Caecilian, the “traitor” 3371, as bishop of Carthaginia; his opponents elected Majorinus as bishop, and soon - after the death of Majorinus - they elevated Donatus 3372, the main instigator of their opposition, to his place. The adherents of the latter - the "Donatists", having become close to the "Novatians" 3373, argued that only they constituted the Church of Christ and, in frenzied fanaticism, did not hesitate to slander their opponents, even forcibly take away churches from them; it often came to bloodshed between the warring parties. To reconcile them and consider their mutual complaints, Constantine first sent his “beloved and respected” Bishop Hosea 3374 to Carthage, instructing him at the same time to distribute financial assistance to the poor Christians there 3375; then, by order of the emperor, two councils were assembled on the Donatist cause - a small one in Rome and “from many bishops of different places” in Arelate 3376. The judgment pronounced on the troubled schismatics by these councils was finally confirmed in Milan in 316 under the personal presidency of Constantine, and the matter was apparently settled. But the more pious the king became acquainted with the current situation of Christianity, the less it justified his ideal idea of ​​​​the holy unity of the children of Christ's Church. The Donatist cause, which worried Constantine in the first steps of his reign, was significant not so much in its essence as in the passion of the fighters. In 323, after the victory over Licinius, having become the autocrat of the entire empire, Constantine went to the East, imbued with a sincere desire to rebuild the entire state anew, on better, more solid principles. In his plans, he gave first place to the Christian Church, which, in his opinion, was supposed to spiritually unite a politically united world empire. But there, in the East, he suffered a more severe disappointment than in the West. He arrived here at a time when the disputes aroused by the heresy of Arius 3377, unrestrained by anything, had reached their extreme development. Eusebius depicts this time as follows: “not only did the heads of the churches enter into debate with each other, but the people were also divided; the course of events reached such indecency that the Divine teaching was subjected to insulting ridicule even in pagan theaters.” This time was favorable for the activities of the blasphemers of the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. Licinius, Constantine’s brother-in-law, who was then living out the last years of his reign, who had once signed the Milan Decree on Tolerance with Constantine, was suspicious of Christians in general, as people who were unreliable towards him, hated and even cruelly persecuted them. In their mutual discord caused by the Arian heresy, he could see a desirable phenomenon, useful for himself. These disputes, weakening the strength of the Church, could give rise to his hope of support in his plans against his powerful brother-in-law. And such calculations of Licinius were not in vain. Constantine himself, for example, spoke of Bishop Eusebius of Nicomedia as follows: “he even sent spies to me and gave the tyrant (Licinius) almost armed assistance” 3378. Arriving in Nicomedia, Constantine was deeply struck by the discord excited by Arianism. However, he did not immediately understand the importance of these events. And he himself and the mysteries of Divine teaching who arrived with him from the West received here one-sided coverage of the case of Arius from the Nicomedians, who saw dogmatic questions not as an object of pious faith of vital importance, but as an area of ​​scientific research, and even empty verbal debate. Nevertheless, Constantine did not ignore the Arian cause; At first, he sent an extensive conciliatory message to Alexandria with a convincing request to Bishop Alexander and Arius to stop mutual discord. According to the king, the bishop was also wrong due to his carelessness and harsh questioning, and Arius was also to blame for breaking the communion without submitting to the bishop; he recommends that both take an example from philosophers, who, although they argue with each other, get along peacefully. Moreover, both of them stand on common ground: both recognize Divine Providence, and therefore it is easy for them to reconcile 3379... Along with this message, Constantine sent his “beloved” bishop Hosea to Alexandria, who was supposed to investigate this matter on the spot and contribute to the pacification of the Alexandrians. Hosea fulfilled the emperor's instructions. – True, he did not reconcile the opponents, but from the investigation of the disputes he came to the conclusion that the heresy of Arius is not idle idle talk, but threatens to shake the foundations of the Christian faith and leads to the denial of all Christianity. In 324, Hosea of ​​Corduba returned to the king and explained to him the serious danger of the Arian movement. Then Constantine decided to convene an Ecumenical Council, which, in his opinion, remained the only means to pacify the Church. According to the tsar, this Council, “going to war against the main enemy” that was then disturbing the world of the Church, the blasphemous Arian heresy, had to consider other questions and give answers - definitions on the structure of the internal life of Christians 3380. The Ecumenical Council was determined by the authority of the Tsar to be held in the city of Nicaea 3381. Constantine did everything to make it easier for the convened bishops to travel to the place of meeting, and he accepted the maintenance of those who arrived in Nicaea at the expense of the state. Saints arrived in Nicaea from Egypt and Palestine, from Syria and Mesopotamia, from Asia Minor, Greece, Persia and Armenia and from the Transdanubian Goths; From Rome, instead of the elderly bishop, two presbyters arrived. Among the gathered saints were: the elderly Alexander of Alexandria, the first accuser of Arius, who brought with him Archdeacon Athanasius, a courageous and skillful fighter against the Arians (later the Great, Archbishop of Alexandria), the saint of the Lycian city of Myra, St. Spyridon the wonderworker. In total, more than 2,000 people arrived at the Council (with the bishops there were presbyters and deacons), and there were 318 saints alone). The cathedral opened in June 325 in a vast chamber of the royal palace. The benches stood around the room for the bishops, and in the middle there was a table on which lay the book of the Holy Scriptures, as a faithful witness to the truth. When everyone had gathered, Constantine appeared in all the majesty of his imperial rank, but without armed guards, accompanied by Christian courtiers, dressed in the most magnificent royal clothes, shining with gold and precious stones. His appearance struck the assembly and especially those present at it, who, having arrived from distant countries, had never seen either his royal face or royal grandeur; but he himself was embarrassed at the sight of such a gathering of glorious shepherds of the Church of Christ, among whom were strict ascetics and miracle workers, confessors and martyrs with burnt hands and pierced eyes, 3382 who suffered for the faith. Silently, with a downcast gaze, he approached the golden chair prepared for him and stood waiting until the saints invited him to sit down. Having then listened to the welcoming and grateful speeches of Eustathius of Antioch and the historian Eusebius of Caesarea, Constantine himself addressed the meeting with a speech in which he expressed his joy at seeing such a great meeting of the fathers, and begged them to resolve controversial issues peacefully. “God helped me,” he said, “to overthrow the wicked power of the persecutors, but incomparably more regrettable for me is any war, any bloody battle, and incomparably more destructive is the internal internecine warfare in the Church of God.” The Arians went to the Council and behaved boldly and confidently; they did not foresee that their cause would face complete and comprehensive defeat; on the contrary, they expected happy success in their plans: - they had up to 17 bishops on their side; They were headed by the capital's bishop, who had connections in the royal palace. The Arians hoped that the Council, even if it did not agree with their views, would not condemn them severely. Arius stubbornly defended his teaching, using all the power of his eloquence. But the unshakable, convinced devotion to the true church teaching of the fathers of the Council put to shame the false wisdom of the blasphemer. The defenders of Orthodoxy understood well what the essence of the Arian heresy was and worthily, with deep religious feeling and truly enlightened understanding, refuted it. The Alexandrian Deacon Athanasius was distinguished by his special power of speech and accuracy in exposing heretical bullshit: his word dissolved, like a light web, the cunning talk of the heretic. The debates were heated and lengthy; in vain did Constantine use his influence to reconcile the disputants and lead to an amicable solution to the dispute; The further the debate continued, the more obvious it became how far the Arians had deviated from the truth. The statement of faith proposed to the Council by Eusebius of Nicomedia, the head of the Arians, which definitely expressed the idea that the “Son of God” is a “work,” a “creature,” and “there was a time when He was not,” was unanimously rejected by the fathers of the Council as false and impious—the very scroll on which it was written was torn. Having thus irrevocably condemned Arianism, the fathers of the Council decided to give the believers an accurate confession of Orthodox teaching - a creed. Eusebius, Bishop of Caesarea, introduced them to the “baptismal symbol,” which had been used for a long time in his church and was expressed almost exclusively in expressions taken from Holy Scripture. The fathers greeted this symbol with approval; but in order to decisively eliminate the possibility of putting heretical thought into it, they considered it necessary to replace some general expressions in it with those that would perfectly define church truth. The emperor, who was present at the Council, joined the fathers in approving the Caesarean symbol and confessed his full agreement with it; but at the same time, Constantine proposed introducing into the symbol the formula that the leaders of the Church had settled on at preliminary meetings to express church thought about the Son of God and His relationship to God the Father - calling Him “consubstantial” with the Father. The word spoken by the king was unanimously accepted by the Council and served as the definitive basis for the teaching about the Face of the Lord Jesus, the central Christian dogma. The “baptismal” symbol was corrected and the Council set forth the new Nicene Creed, indisputable for the entire Universal Church. The final solemn meeting of the fathers at Nicaea took place in the imperial palace on August 25, 325; it coincided with the 20th anniversary of the reign of Constantine 3383. Dismissing the fathers of the Council, Constantine, in his farewell speech to them, begged them to have peace among themselves. “Beware,” he said, “of bitter disputes between you.” Let no one be envious of those who have shown special wisdom: consider the dignity of each person to be the common property of the entire Church. Higher and superior, do not look arrogantly at the inferior: God alone knows who is superior, Perfection rarely happens anywhere and one must have leniency towards the weakest brothers; Peaceful agreement is more valuable than anything else. When saving unbelievers, remember that not everyone can be converted by scientific reasoning - the teachings must be adapted to the different dispositions of each, like doctors applying their medicines to various diseases. Thus, the cherished desire of the pious emperor, which he confessed, once even bringing God Himself as a witness, was fulfilled - the desire - “to unite the teaching of all the peoples of his power about the Divine into one common system.” The great thought, suggested to the king by his holy religious feeling, the implementation of which he set for himself as a vital task with a sincere desire - this thought of the Great Constantine, amazing in the sublimity of its content and breadth of volume, was now introduced into the general consciousness and became the property of the entire Christian world. Moreover, for the implementation of this thought in Christian life, the pious king also indicated the surest path - the Ecumenical Council - following which the sheep of Christ’s pasture, both those already called and others not yet called, by the grace of God, unmistakably enter the courtyard of the Heavenly Father, for true life (John 10:9). And this truly victorious triumph of the Equal-to-the-Apostles Tsar was also headed by the joyful receipt for him of a priceless treasure, a particle of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord, brought from Jerusalem as a gift to him by his mother, Queen Helena. Constantine lived after that for more than 10 years and during all this time of his reign he adhered with unwavering fidelity to the Nicene Confession of Faith 3384, and zealously tried to establish the spirit of Christian piety in his kingdom, presenting himself as an example worthy of imitation. Possessing a thorough general education and theological education in particular, he conducted extensive correspondence with the heads of churches on the subjects of faith and piety and the structure of Christian life, and often in his palace he spoke before a meeting of courtiers and people even with “godly” teaching. His diligence was extraordinary, he did not tolerate idleness: even in his old age he did not consider it a burden for himself even to write extensive legislative acts with his own hand 3385. Truly magnanimous by nature and modest, he was not seduced by his royal grandeur and the noisy delights of the people's crowd - these delights even bored him. Standing at a high level of moral development, Constantine wanted to raise everyone who came into contact with him to the same level. So one day he brought some sense to a certain covetous nobleman in this way: inviting him to his place, he took him by the hand and said: – To what extent will we extend our greed? Then he said, outlining a man-sized space with his spear: “If you acquired all the riches of the world and mastered all the elements of the earth, and then you would not use anything more than such a piece of land, and even then, would you still be worthy of receiving this too! Another example: - having listened to the flattering speech of one honorable person (from the clergy), who called the king “blessed” and expressed that “in this life he has been awarded autocratic rule over everyone and in the future he will rule together with the Son of God,” Constantine answered the flatterer: “You better pray for the king, so that in his future life he too will be worthy of being a servant of God.” The tsar’s charity flowed in a wide stream, according to a contemporary, “from morning to evening he was looking for someone to do a good deed”; He supplied the beggars and people in general thrown into the streets with money, food, and decent clothing; He took care of orphaned children instead of his father; He arranged for girls who had lost their parents to marry, and provided them with a dowry from his treasury. He did especially a lot of charity on Easter Day. In his new capital, Constantine introduced the custom that on Easter night high wax pillars would be lit throughout all its streets, “like fiery lamps,” so that the mysterious night became brighter than the day itself, and as soon as morning came, Constantine extended his right hand to all the poor, distributing gifts to them. With the same generosity, the king distributed alms on the occasion of his family joyful events, for example, the marriage of his sons; - in the latter cases, luxurious feasts and dinners were held for invited guests, then the fun was even carried out of the palace onto the street - the king warmly received the round dances of women. But under the king, complete decency was always observed in everything and nothing immodest or seductive was allowed. The last years and especially the days of the life of Tsar Constantine and his death were a worthy conclusion to his Christian pious disposition. Long before his death, Konstantin began to prepare for it. – In his new capital, he built a church in the name of the holy Apostles. This church was decorated, among other things, with twelve arks in honor of the face of the Apostle, and in the middle of these arks a tomb was built. At first it remained unclear why the tomb was built here, but then it was clarified and it turned out that the pious king had built this tomb for himself. The thought of death became a subject of intense thought for Konstantin as soon as he began to feel the decline of his physical strength. In 337, Constantine solemnly celebrated Easter in Constantinople for the last time and soon fell ill. Anticipating his approaching death, he devoted himself entirely to holy exercises: often kneeling, he zealously poured out fervent prayers before God; on the advice of doctors, he moved at that time to the city of Eleonopolis to be treated there with warm baths. But Constantine had not yet been baptized! This in our time and for us may seem a very strange phenomenon, but in the ancient times of the Christian Church, many were baptized in mature years or even in old age, some out of a feeling of deep respect for the great sacrament, for the reception of which they considered long preparation necessary, while others, not without an evil lust, to live first in their sinful pleasure, and then to be reborn for a new spiritual life (God is their Judge!). Constantine, who from a young age carried Christ in his heart, having long ago become a Christian in his soul, put off his baptism out of humble awareness of his sinfulness, wanting to prepare himself for this through the feat of his whole life. Moreover, in his soul there was a sincere desire to be baptized in the waters of the Jordan River. Not receiving relief in Eleonopolis and feeling an extreme decline in bodily strength, Constantine crossed over to Nicomedia and here, convening the bishops, asked them to honor him with holy baptism. Before his baptism, the dying king made the following speech: “The desired time has come, which I have long been longing for and which I have been praying for as a time of salvation. It's time for us to accept the seal of immortality and partake of saving grace. I thought of doing this in the waters of the Jordan River, where, as an example for us, the Savior Himself was baptized; but God, who knows the Useful, honors me with this here. Having received Holy Baptism, Constantine “rejoiced in spirit, his heart was full of living joy. Dressed at baptism in a white robe that shone like light, he did not take it off until his death. He rested on a bed covered with white bedspreads, but the “servant of God” no longer wanted to touch the scarlet - this royal distinction. The king concluded his last prayer of gratitude, “raising his voice” with these words: – Now I recognize myself as truly blessed, for I have an undoubted faith that I have partaken of the Divine light and have been worthy of immortal life. The great and Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine died, bequeathing the kingdom to his three sons, on the very day of Pentecost 337, in the thirty-second year of his reign, being sixty-five years old from birth. His body was transferred with great triumph to the city of Constantinople, which he had created, and was laid, according to his covenant, in the Church of the Holy Apostles in a tomb prepared by him. Now he lives an endless life in the eternal Kingdom of Christ our God, to Whom, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. Having seen the image of your cross in heaven, and like Paul the title was not received from man, your Apostle, Lord, has placed the reigning city in your hands: save it always in peace, through the prayers of the Mother of God, the only one who loves mankind. Constantine today with the matter Helena, the cross is revealed by the All-Honorable Tree, for all the Jews are in disgrace, and weapons against the enemy of the faithful kings: for for our sake a great sign has appeared, and in a terrible battle. By decree of Emperor Diocletian - February 23, 303 - it was ordered to eradicate Christianity with all its institutions and churches. The brutal persecution then began with the plunder and destruction by military force of the Christian church in Nicomedia, the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, where up to 20,000 believers were burned at one time; and then the horrors of persecution engulfed Syria, Palestine, Asia Minor, Egypt and Italy. Lactantius (“On the Death of the Persecutors,” XV and XVI) reports about the cruelty of the persecutions: “if I had a hundred mouths and an iron tongue, then even then I could not count all the torments that the believers endured: ... the iron was dulled and broken; the killers got tired and worked in shifts, taking turns....” Emperor Diocletian, for the convenience of managing the huge Roman Empire, divided it into two halves, of which he ruled one - the Eastern, living in Nicomedia and having Caesar Galerius as his co-ruler, and in the other - Western, he installed Maximian as emperor, and his co-ruler was Caesar Constantius Chlorus, who directly ruled Gaul and Britain. Eusebius. "Life of Constantine", book. I, ch.17 Eusebius. "Life of Constantine", book I, 16 Eusebius. "Church History", book. VIII, 13; "Life of Constantine", book. I,13 Lactantius: On the death of persecutors, ch. 15. Konstantin was the only son of Helen; Constantius was the daughter of Chlorus's other wife, Theodora, with whom Constantius had other children. Contemporaries, unfortunately, do not talk about the influence of St. Elena on Konstantin in childhood. Eusebius. "Life of Constantine" book. II,49 Eusebius. "Life of Constantine", book. I,27 Eusebius. "Life of Constantine", book. I,36; Lactantia: “On the Death of the Persecutors”, 44. Eusebius. "Life of Constantine", book. I,28–32. Eusebius. "Life of Constantine", book. I,37. Eusebius. "Church History", book. IX, 9; "Life of Constantine", Book. I, 40. Eusebius. "Church History", book. X, 5 and 6. This monogram consisted of two letters X and P, of which the first covered the second. Eusebius. "Life of Constantine", book. IV, 19. Eusebius. "Church History", book. X, 1–3. He married Constantine's sister in 313. Eusebius. "Life of Constantine", book. XI, 9. Histor. Orthodox churches, published 1892 by Pobedonostsev, pp. 73–74. Eusebius. "Life of Constantine", book. III, 1. Mount Zion with the fortress Jebus (Jerusalem) rose on the borders of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin; taken by David from the Canaanite tribe of the Jebusites, it stood as if outside the boundaries of the tribal division of the Promised Land. “Our entire religion has a homeland in this country (Palestine) and in this city (Jerusalem)” - the expression of the blessed one. Jerome. Creations vol. II, p. 6. Eusebius. "Life of Constantine", book. III,42. Church history Rufina, book. I, page 8. On the Feast of the Exaltation of the Venerable Cross - a fast day - the divine service of the Orthodox Church is dedicated to the glorification of the Cross of the Lord, the memory of the death of the Savior on the cross; At the all-night vigil, after the great doxology, the clergy solemnly carry the Cross from the altar to the middle of the church, and here it is worshiped. The rite of raising the Cross in cathedral churches is particularly solemn, performed by bishops with the clergy repeatedly proclaiming: “Lord, have mercy.” Judas, by baptism - Cyriacus was later the Patriarch of Jerusalem and suffered martyrdom under Julian the Apostate. His memory is October 28. This name was adopted by Christians during the persecution of those who, out of fear, gave out to the pagans objects of their religious reverence: they said about Caecilian that he gave the persecutors sacred books - this slander turned out to be false. Donatus was a presbyter in Carthage. The Novatians taught that those who fell during persecution and generally sinned gravely and “mortally” must be accepted into communion with the Church not through repentance, but through re-baptism. Hosea, originally from Spain, who was a bishop for more than 60 years, became famous during the Diocletian persecution as a confessor for Christ. He was the bishop of Corduba. Emperor Constantine called him to his court and surrounded him with love and trust. In Christian society at that time, there was a widespread opinion about the strong influence of this beloved adviser on Constantine (Socrates, Church History, 1, 7). Eusebius. “Church. East,” X, 6. Arius blasphemously taught that Jesus Christ is not the eternal and beginningless God, that He is not consubstantial with the Father and is His creation - there was a time when He did not exist. Arius received his theological education in Antioch at the school of the martyr Lucian; Having become a presbyter in Alexandria, he attracted general attention there both with his mental talents and with his strictly abstinent life. Proud of intelligence and learning, Arius did not listen to the admonitions and admonitions of his bishop Alexander; He did not submit to the council convened by the bishop and condemned him. Moreover, deceiving the clergy and people with his eloquence, he tried to spread the tares of his false teaching beyond the boundaries of his local church. Having numerous followers, he sent an embassy with a complaint to many bishops of the Eastern churches. There he found supporters, led by Eusebius of Nicomedia, who had previously known Arius from the school of Lucian, a “learned man,” and also a relative of the royal family and therefore an influential man. Eusebius, the bishop of the capital (this was still when the emperor Licinius was alive, whose residence was Nicomedia) did not recognize the authority of the court of the bishop of Alexandria. In a letter to Arius, he replied: “Being wise, wish that everyone would be so wise, because it is clear to everyone that what was created did not exist until it was brought into being; what is brought into being has a beginning.” The Bishop of Alexandria therefore found himself in a sad position; Around 318, Alexander decided on extreme measures: - he convened a council of one hundred bishops; excommunicated Arius and his followers from the Church; expelled the blasphemer from Alexandria and, in a district message, announced this to all churches (see Theological. Vest. 1906 December: A. A. Spassky, p. 584). This measure further inflamed the Arian disputes and spread their flames throughout the East. The Arius case now lost its local character and acquired church-wide significance. Theologian Vestn. 1906 Dec., p. 694. Eusebius. "Life of Constantine", II, 64–72. Eusebius. "Life of Constantine", III17, V:6. Nicaea, now Isnik, is a poor village, then it was a vast and rich city, the main one in the Bithynian coastal region; it communicated with the sea through a lake and was equally accessible from sea and land; there was a vast imperial palace and there were many buildings where the bishops and clergy gathered for the council could easily fit; Nicaea was only 20 miles from Nicomedia, the then residence of the emperor, who thus found it very convenient to participate in the Council. The election of Nicaea as the site of the Council, according to a hint from Eusebius, was apparently influenced by its very name - “victory” (in Russian translation). Eusebius. "Life of Constantine" III, 6. The number of Council Fathers is not shown equally by historians; Eusebius (“Life of Constantine”, III, 8), for example, numbers them up to 250; St. Athanasius of Alexandria in his writings, and the emperor himself speaks up to 300. The number 318 is named by St. Athanasius in one of his letters to Africa. churches; in its Greek style - TIH - it resembles the “cross of Jesus”, and therefore it was adopted in general use, so that the Council of Nicea received the name - the Council of the 318 Fathers. Eusebius. "Life of Constantine", book. II, 65. The Arian heresy did not die out completely even after the Council. The Arians, with their crafty resourcefulness, sometimes gained the trust of the king and, abusing his generosity and peacefulness, at times made obscene attacks on the Orthodox; especially St. Athanasius the Great suffered a lot from them. Eusebius. "Life of Constantine", book. IV:66, IV You might be interested in: