Uploaded: 08 Jun 2018 (8 years ago) · Shared: 09 Jun 2018
Duration: 2:28
Video Description
In this compelling historical exploration, speaker Prophet David Fitzgerald delves into the nuanced life of Emperor Constantine, shedding light on his complex relationship with faith, politics, and power. While popular tradition often honors Constantine as the pivotal figure who embraced the early Christian Church, historical evidence reveals his enduring devotion to Sol Invictus, the Roman pagan sun god. This insightful analysis reexamines early history, offering a fresh perspective on how imperial strategy and existing pagan traditions intertwined with the development of Western religious identity.
By examining ancient coinage, monuments, and historical texts, Fitzgerald invites viewers to reconsider the true theological environment of the late Roman Empire. For scholars and believers interested in comparative religion, church history, and the broader narrative of monotheistic faith—spanning Christian, Jewish, and Islamic historical studies—this video provides an engaging, educational look at a transformative era that shaped spiritual traditions for centuries to come.
Explore More
David Fitzgerald Constantine PaganSearch Google Search Explore Topics
Who is David Fitzgerald?David Fitzgerald (born 1964) is an American author, public speaker, and atheist activist. Fitzgerald supports the Christ Myth theory which challenges the historicity of Jesus.
Who was Constantine?Constantine the Great (27 February 272 AD-22 May 337 AD) was a Roman Emperor who ruled between 306 and 337 AD. Born on the territory now known as Nis, located in Serbia, he was the son of Flavius Valerius Constantius, a Roman Army officer of Illyrian origins. His mother Helena was Greek. His father became Caesar, the deputy emperor in the west, in 293 AD. Constantine was sent east, where he rose through the ranks to become a military tribune under Emperors Diocletian and Galerius. Constantine was the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. Although he lived most of his life as a pagan, he joined the Christian faith on his deathbed, being baptised by Eusebius of Nicomedia. He played an influential role in the proclamation of the Edict of Milan in 313, which declared religious tolerance for Christianity in the Roman empire. He called the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD that produced the statement of Christian belief known as the Nicene Creed.
What is Pagan?Paganism is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians. It was applied on populations of the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, either because they were increasingly rural and provincial relative to the Christian population or because they were not milites Christi (soldiers of Christ). Alternate terms in Christian texts for the same group were hellene, gentile, and heathen. Pagan and paganism were pejorative terms for the same polytheistic group, implying its inferiority. Paganism has broadly connoted the "religion of the peasantry", and for much of its history was a derogatory term. Both during and after the Middle Ages, pagan was a pejorative term that was applied to any non-Abrahamic or unfamiliar religion, and the term presumed a belief in false god(s).
