1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:04,119 Rome... Headquarters of the most powerful 2 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:07,679 religious organisation in history. 3 00:00:07,680 --> 00:00:12,979 It all started 1,700 years ago when a Pagan Roman Emperor, Constantine, 4 00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:18,679 had a vision, converted and welcomed Christianity into his mighty Empire. 5 00:00:19,640 --> 00:00:23,159 It marks the beginning of a relationship 6 00:00:23,160 --> 00:00:28,559 between politics and religion, now Christianity could frame itself 7 00:00:28,960 --> 00:00:30,879 as a triumphalist religion. 8 00:00:32,080 --> 00:00:35,079 This is the story of how Constantine's change of heart 9 00:00:35,440 --> 00:00:39,399 converted the Church from an underground and small-scale movement 10 00:00:39,400 --> 00:00:43,999 to the global superpower of today, with over two billion believers. 11 00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:47,479 It helped to organise even further this church 12 00:00:47,480 --> 00:00:51,779 and make it its mission to evangelise the world more effective. 13 00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:55,919 Constantine's conversion changed Christianity for ever. 14 00:00:55,960 --> 00:00:58,239 It's given us glorious art, music, 15 00:00:58,240 --> 00:01:00,999 architecture and helped to shape the Bible itself. 16 00:01:01,800 --> 00:01:06,799 But did it distort the original teachings of Jesus of Nazareth? 17 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:10,479 I think this was one of the most tragic periods for Christianity. 18 00:01:10,480 --> 00:01:14,479 Tragic. It completely changes the meaning of Christianity. 19 00:01:14,480 --> 00:01:17,319 The concept of a just war 20 00:01:17,320 --> 00:01:21,319 and bishops in parliament are just two present day legacies 21 00:01:21,440 --> 00:01:24,359 of Constantine's conversion. 22 00:01:24,360 --> 00:01:26,439 Before Constantine, the Roman Empire 23 00:01:26,440 --> 00:01:29,359 had slaughtered Christians for entertainment. 24 00:01:29,360 --> 00:01:33,659 Yet Constantine did a u-turn, deciding that Christ, executed by 25 00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:37,919 Rome as a common criminal, was in fact the son of God. 26 00:01:38,320 --> 00:01:40,719 I'm a former politician 27 00:01:40,720 --> 00:01:42,519 and a former Christian. 28 00:01:42,520 --> 00:01:45,519 But what I want to know is why Constantine, 29 00:01:45,520 --> 00:01:49,919 that master of the political arts and leader of a Pagan realm, chose 30 00:01:50,560 --> 00:01:53,519 to give his thumbs up to Christianity. 31 00:01:53,520 --> 00:01:57,519 And what were the consequences of his conversion for the Roman Empire 32 00:01:57,760 --> 00:02:00,759 and for the Christian faith? 33 00:02:20,480 --> 00:02:24,479 Before Constantine's conversion, Christianity was a minority 34 00:02:24,600 --> 00:02:28,599 in the wilderness without a prayer of sharing power. 35 00:02:33,880 --> 00:02:37,879 Yet in the years after Jesus died in far off Jerusalem, his powerful 36 00:02:38,040 --> 00:02:42,739 message had spread even to remote parts of Rome's vast empire, such as 37 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:48,479 Cappadocia, in modern Turkey, a heartland of Early Christianity. 38 00:02:51,280 --> 00:02:55,199 The area of Cappadocia is rich in Christian myths of martyrs. 39 00:02:55,200 --> 00:02:58,079 Do you this there's a particular reason for that? 40 00:02:58,080 --> 00:03:04,079 It probably comes together with the landscape. It's very powerful 41 00:03:04,600 --> 00:03:10,599 and at the same time a secluded environment framed by mountains. 42 00:03:11,160 --> 00:03:13,559 So, they started first of all 43 00:03:13,560 --> 00:03:17,199 gathering and worshipping in private houses. 44 00:03:17,200 --> 00:03:20,999 These were called Domus Ecclesia. 45 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:23,799 Christianity was a renegade sect 46 00:03:23,800 --> 00:03:27,479 that had broken away from the ancient religion of Judaism. 47 00:03:27,480 --> 00:03:31,479 Hidden away in houses, caves and catacombs, 48 00:03:31,840 --> 00:03:34,559 its early followers conducted rituals ranging from ecstatic 49 00:03:34,560 --> 00:03:38,559 experiences to silent vigils. 50 00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:42,439 Within the first 200 or 300 years of Christianity, 51 00:03:42,440 --> 00:03:45,719 what different sects grew up? 52 00:03:45,720 --> 00:03:48,599 Oh, a number of them. 53 00:03:48,600 --> 00:03:52,599 And one of them was known as the Arians, developed 54 00:03:52,960 --> 00:03:56,759 largely in northern Africa and they spread into this part of the world. 55 00:03:56,760 --> 00:03:58,519 Extreme sects like Stylites, 56 00:03:58,520 --> 00:04:04,519 monks living on columns, holy fools travelling around villages, talking 57 00:04:04,920 --> 00:04:10,919 about Christianity in ways that weren't conformed with the Gospels. 58 00:04:11,800 --> 00:04:14,319 The word was carried more authoritatively 59 00:04:14,320 --> 00:04:17,359 by Christianity's holiest saints. 60 00:04:17,360 --> 00:04:20,559 "From Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ to the strangers 61 00:04:20,560 --> 00:04:24,559 "scattered throughout Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia..." 62 00:04:25,280 --> 00:04:28,199 The First Letter of St Peter was addressed 63 00:04:28,200 --> 00:04:32,199 to the churches of Asia Minor, urging them to endure sporadic 64 00:04:32,760 --> 00:04:36,759 local persecution in the assurance that their hour would come. 65 00:04:38,160 --> 00:04:42,159 "The trial of your faith is more precious than gold." 66 00:04:42,680 --> 00:04:46,679 It suits politicians for the masses to be religious... 67 00:04:46,920 --> 00:04:48,679 In moderation at least. 68 00:04:48,680 --> 00:04:50,319 If the citizens 69 00:04:50,320 --> 00:04:54,819 believe that there's a god or gods who see everything that they do 70 00:04:55,200 --> 00:04:59,999 and hand out penalty points for bad behaviour, then they'll conform. 71 00:05:01,480 --> 00:05:05,979 But religious extremism, that's something different altogether. 72 00:05:06,680 --> 00:05:10,679 If people reject the authority of their rulers 73 00:05:10,880 --> 00:05:14,879 when it clashes with the laws of their God, there'll be trouble. 74 00:05:17,840 --> 00:05:22,839 For the Romans, the Christians were becoming a real pain. 75 00:05:24,240 --> 00:05:26,359 In the 21st century, 76 00:05:26,360 --> 00:05:30,359 states feel threatened by those whose eyes are fixed on heaven and 77 00:05:30,400 --> 00:05:35,399 who take their orders only from an authority that's not of this world. 78 00:05:36,160 --> 00:05:41,559 In the first century, Paul of Tarsus travelled through Asia Minor with 79 00:05:42,080 --> 00:05:44,519 an equally revolutionary message, 80 00:05:44,520 --> 00:05:49,519 that Jesus Christ was the promised Messiah come to save all mankind. 81 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:55,799 I've come to this cave 82 00:05:55,800 --> 00:05:59,279 high above the ancient city of Ephesus where 83 00:05:59,280 --> 00:06:03,279 the archaeologists and restorers are busy with their work... 84 00:06:04,120 --> 00:06:07,559 In search of 85 00:06:07,560 --> 00:06:11,039 St Paul the Apostle. 86 00:06:11,240 --> 00:06:16,239 Miraculously preserved the earliest discovered mural of him 87 00:06:17,760 --> 00:06:21,759 and the Bible tells us that he came to Ephesus on a missionary visit 88 00:06:22,520 --> 00:06:25,359 in AD52, 89 00:06:25,360 --> 00:06:29,359 and supposedly slept in this cave. 90 00:06:30,280 --> 00:06:34,979 On the road to Damascus, Paul had a vision of Jesus and dedicated 91 00:06:35,320 --> 00:06:39,279 his life to converting others around the known world, 92 00:06:39,280 --> 00:06:43,979 with the constant risk of being martyred for his evangelising work. 93 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:50,599 The pagan practices that St Paul discovered in the city below, 94 00:06:51,000 --> 00:06:53,999 outraged him. 95 00:06:55,080 --> 00:06:59,079 Ephesus was a religious epicentre in the Pagan world. 96 00:06:59,800 --> 00:07:03,999 Travellers came to worship at the Temples of Artemis and of Nike. 97 00:07:04,440 --> 00:07:07,079 We like to call her Nike. You know, we like to make things English. 98 00:07:07,080 --> 00:07:09,319 Yes, that Nike! 99 00:07:09,320 --> 00:07:13,919 When she was just the Goddess of Victory, and to offer the gods 100 00:07:14,320 --> 00:07:17,959 animal sacrifices. 101 00:07:17,960 --> 00:07:21,839 How would they find out what the gods and goddesses wanted? 102 00:07:21,840 --> 00:07:25,939 Priests and priestesses used to tell them wanted they wanted so each god, 103 00:07:26,760 --> 00:07:30,959 or goddesses, had certain functions, certain duties. 104 00:07:31,240 --> 00:07:35,239 So through this they knew of what the gods or goddesses wanted. 105 00:07:35,280 --> 00:07:39,039 And how did the priests seek the guidance of the gods or goddesses? 106 00:07:39,040 --> 00:07:41,559 Looking at the liver of the victims 107 00:07:41,560 --> 00:07:43,639 sacrifice on the altar outside the temple. 108 00:07:43,640 --> 00:07:46,559 Paul denounced sacrifices. 109 00:07:46,560 --> 00:07:50,859 Jesus' sacrifice redeemed all humanity 110 00:07:51,640 --> 00:07:54,359 He condemned the multiplicity of gods. 111 00:07:54,360 --> 00:07:57,239 For him, there was only one god. 112 00:07:57,240 --> 00:08:00,039 He berated the idol sellers at the temple. 113 00:08:00,040 --> 00:08:06,039 As a consequence, Christians posed a threat to imperial interests. 114 00:08:06,760 --> 00:08:09,719 Most of the Roman temples were functioning as banks so when 115 00:08:09,720 --> 00:08:13,719 Christians told their followers not to go to temples, not to sacrifice 116 00:08:14,840 --> 00:08:17,159 animals there, it was 117 00:08:17,160 --> 00:08:20,759 radical drop, drastical drop of their income for the imperial cult. 118 00:08:20,760 --> 00:08:22,079 And business is business! 119 00:08:22,080 --> 00:08:25,199 Business is business, yes! 120 00:08:25,200 --> 00:08:27,799 In the Roman world, there was no distinction 121 00:08:27,800 --> 00:08:30,999 between religion and politics. 122 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:34,999 Emperors sought divine instructions and became gods themselves. 123 00:08:35,240 --> 00:08:39,239 So the idea of a single god challenged the state. 124 00:08:39,600 --> 00:08:44,599 Some emperors saw Christianity as treason punishable by death. 125 00:08:45,720 --> 00:08:48,159 Here in Aphrodisius, a small city 126 00:08:48,160 --> 00:08:53,159 dedicated to the goddess of Love, is a superbly preserved Roman stadium. 127 00:08:54,560 --> 00:08:59,559 In places like this, traitors were dealt with sadistically. 128 00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:06,119 By the time you get to the mid third century, some 129 00:09:06,120 --> 00:09:10,719 emperors systematically decided that Christians either had to sacrifice 130 00:09:10,960 --> 00:09:13,079 or they'd to be excluded. 131 00:09:13,080 --> 00:09:16,719 By the time you to get to the late third century, Diocletian 132 00:09:16,720 --> 00:09:20,359 and the age of persecutions into the early fourth centuries, then 133 00:09:20,360 --> 00:09:24,279 we can, in fact, talk of empire-wide persecutions against Christians. 134 00:09:24,280 --> 00:09:30,279 In stadia like this, families would gather to cheer on the gladiators. 135 00:09:30,680 --> 00:09:34,679 And for lunch-time entertainment they might set a Christian ablaze, 136 00:09:35,200 --> 00:09:38,499 or feed him to the wild beasts. 137 00:09:46,080 --> 00:09:50,479 It might seem a one-sided struggle, the mighty Empire 138 00:09:50,680 --> 00:09:56,679 with its armies and its jails and its arenas of death, pitted against 139 00:09:57,480 --> 00:10:00,439 a few pacifist Christians. 140 00:10:00,440 --> 00:10:04,439 But faced with impending slaughter, the Christians followed the example 141 00:10:04,760 --> 00:10:08,239 of Jesus and welcomed death. 142 00:10:08,240 --> 00:10:11,119 They deployed against the state 143 00:10:11,120 --> 00:10:15,119 that most powerful of political weapons - martyrdom. 144 00:10:18,880 --> 00:10:21,999 I think there's very clear evidence that as these huge waves of 145 00:10:22,000 --> 00:10:24,319 persecution are unleashed, you get 146 00:10:24,320 --> 00:10:28,199 a large growth in the Christian population. 147 00:10:28,200 --> 00:10:31,279 There would probably be seen by the aristocracy, the powers that be 148 00:10:31,280 --> 00:10:34,039 in their particular area, that's the chance where they have 149 00:10:34,040 --> 00:10:37,919 to demonstrate their Christianity as they die in the arena. 150 00:10:37,920 --> 00:10:40,099 They're dying well. 151 00:10:40,200 --> 00:10:44,799 The willingness to die for faith won admiration amongst the Roman elite. 152 00:10:45,240 --> 00:10:49,239 Amongst the converts to Christianity was Constantine's mother. 153 00:10:50,440 --> 00:10:51,999 Constantine's mother was a Christian. 154 00:10:52,000 --> 00:10:53,919 As a matter of fact she was. 155 00:10:53,920 --> 00:10:57,199 And her name was Helena and we have a representation 156 00:10:57,200 --> 00:10:59,159 of her here, in this church. 157 00:10:59,160 --> 00:11:04,459 She's standing next to Constantine and what unites them is a cross. 158 00:11:05,280 --> 00:11:09,279 She travelled as far as Jerusalem 159 00:11:10,060 --> 00:11:13,359 and she was one of the first pilgrims. 160 00:11:14,560 --> 00:11:17,719 Helena's faith led her to build the Church 161 00:11:17,720 --> 00:11:23,719 of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, one of Christianity's holiest sites. 162 00:11:25,840 --> 00:11:28,879 Persecution strengthens your enemies. 163 00:11:28,880 --> 00:11:32,879 Martyrdom attracts new recruits. 164 00:11:33,000 --> 00:11:35,439 Christianity spread. 165 00:11:35,440 --> 00:11:39,839 His teachings touched the conscience of the most powerful man on earth. 166 00:11:40,880 --> 00:11:44,879 Invited in from the cold, Christianity was to be enthroned 167 00:11:45,160 --> 00:11:49,959 as a religious and political force without compare. 168 00:12:03,020 --> 00:12:07,719 Despite persecution, or because of it, the Christian population reached 169 00:12:07,840 --> 00:12:12,839 near 10% of the Roman Empire by the beginning of the fourth century. 170 00:12:14,200 --> 00:12:15,799 With an effective structure of 171 00:12:15,800 --> 00:12:19,279 bishops and clergy spread throughout the Empire, 172 00:12:19,280 --> 00:12:23,279 the church found recruits even within the Roman legions. 173 00:12:27,080 --> 00:12:30,959 In 306 AD, in far-off Britain, 174 00:12:30,960 --> 00:12:34,959 the Roman army declared a new emperor, Constantine. 175 00:12:35,880 --> 00:12:37,679 These fragments are part of a 176 00:12:37,680 --> 00:12:41,679 huge statue of him commissioned during his life time. 177 00:12:42,760 --> 00:12:49,759 Egotistical - yes, but his impact on our history and on our modern world 178 00:12:50,720 --> 00:12:54,719 is indeed, colossal. 179 00:12:56,320 --> 00:12:58,479 Without Constantine, history would 180 00:12:58,480 --> 00:13:00,959 have been much different. That much we do know. 181 00:13:00,960 --> 00:13:04,639 Had Constantine not ordered the fifty copies of the Gospel, 182 00:13:04,640 --> 00:13:08,639 we wouldn't have had the Gutenberg Bible rolling off the printing press 183 00:13:08,640 --> 00:13:10,239 in the 15th century. 184 00:13:10,240 --> 00:13:13,079 Under Constantine, Christianity goes from being something 185 00:13:13,080 --> 00:13:16,719 which opposes the Empire to being part of the Empire and then indeed 186 00:13:16,720 --> 00:13:20,719 you have to be a Christian in order to be part of the Empire at all. 187 00:13:21,280 --> 00:13:26,279 Because of the enormity of the Empire, it had four co-rulers. 188 00:13:26,400 --> 00:13:30,399 Constantine governed Britain, Gaul and Spain. 189 00:13:30,400 --> 00:13:35,399 Maxentius, co-Emperor in Rome, was unpopular and vulnerable. 190 00:13:35,800 --> 00:13:39,999 Constantine fought his way across Europe ready to seize control 191 00:13:40,400 --> 00:13:44,399 of the entire western half of the Empire. 192 00:13:45,480 --> 00:13:50,479 The decisive encounter was on the road to Rome at the Milvian Bridge. 193 00:13:51,160 --> 00:13:53,039 And it was here 194 00:13:53,040 --> 00:13:57,039 that the crucial battle against his co-ruler Maxentius was fought. 195 00:13:57,120 --> 00:13:59,559 But before that engagement 196 00:13:59,560 --> 00:14:03,059 an extraordinary event is said to have occurred. 197 00:14:07,080 --> 00:14:11,079 Constantine seems to have seen some kind of vision in the sky. 198 00:14:11,760 --> 00:14:15,159 Later historians have supposed it was a solar halo. 199 00:14:15,160 --> 00:14:20,159 Constantine's spin doctor, if we can call him that, Ucebius of Caesaria, 200 00:14:20,600 --> 00:14:22,679 very firmly said it was the Kyro signal, 201 00:14:22,680 --> 00:14:25,839 the symbol of Christ in the sky. 202 00:14:25,840 --> 00:14:29,079 And that was it, he became a Christian. 203 00:14:29,680 --> 00:14:33,679 Having once worshiped the pagan sun god, Sol Invictus, 204 00:14:33,920 --> 00:14:38,919 Constantine now worshipped the son of God, Jesus Christ. 205 00:14:38,960 --> 00:14:42,519 The following day, Constantine's vastly outnumbered 206 00:14:42,520 --> 00:14:46,919 troops fought carrying shields marked with the sign of the cross. 207 00:14:48,160 --> 00:14:51,759 In the battle, Maxentius was completely routed 208 00:14:51,760 --> 00:14:54,359 and he was drowned in the River Tiber. 209 00:14:54,360 --> 00:14:58,959 Constantine had indeed won under the sign of the cross. 210 00:15:07,960 --> 00:15:11,439 These frescoes indicate what 211 00:15:11,440 --> 00:15:17,439 we understand as the change in Constantine, the defeat of Maxentius 212 00:15:17,720 --> 00:15:21,679 at the Milvian Bridge and then immediately afterwards the triumphal 213 00:15:21,680 --> 00:15:27,679 entry into Rome when Constantine becomes the only Emperor of the West. 214 00:15:27,800 --> 00:15:30,199 What happens to the loser, Maxentius? 215 00:15:30,200 --> 00:15:35,799 Maxentius was fished out of the river and decapitated and Constantine 216 00:15:36,040 --> 00:15:40,039 paraded his head in the triumphal march through the streets of Rome. 217 00:15:40,600 --> 00:15:42,919 Oh, I see. There, indeed, we see the head. 218 00:15:42,920 --> 00:15:44,599 Yes. Yes.The crowned head 219 00:15:44,600 --> 00:15:49,599 of poor old Maxentius, having spent a night in the water of the Tiber. 220 00:15:49,920 --> 00:15:54,919 Parading your rival's head on a pole may not seem especially Christian. 221 00:15:56,240 --> 00:16:00,939 The truth of Christianity in Constantine's mind 222 00:16:01,120 --> 00:16:04,119 was perhaps somewhat ambiguous. 223 00:16:04,120 --> 00:16:06,159 Constantine was an emperor. 224 00:16:06,160 --> 00:16:09,879 He was ruthless. He was ambitious and he was very successful. 225 00:16:09,880 --> 00:16:13,559 At the same time, in his own way, 226 00:16:13,560 --> 00:16:19,559 I do think he embraced this Son of God, S-O-N and not S-U-N, 227 00:16:20,320 --> 00:16:21,719 to be the Son of God 228 00:16:21,720 --> 00:16:24,799 and therefore his hope in the afterlife of redemption. 229 00:16:24,800 --> 00:16:28,599 Historians and churchmen have for centuries debated 230 00:16:28,600 --> 00:16:32,599 whether Constantine's conversion was more political than sincere. 231 00:16:32,960 --> 00:16:35,239 We are still guessing. 232 00:16:35,240 --> 00:16:39,939 Whatever it was, the conversion of Constantine was the single most 233 00:16:40,160 --> 00:16:43,559 important political event in the history of the Christian church. 234 00:16:44,560 --> 00:16:47,959 By 313 AD, Constantine had 235 00:16:48,360 --> 00:16:52,759 implemented a policy of empire-wide religious toleration, giving the 236 00:16:52,960 --> 00:16:58,959 Christian church open access to the wealth and power of the state. 237 00:17:00,440 --> 00:17:02,639 The pomp and ceremony 238 00:17:02,640 --> 00:17:06,479 of earthly rulers, for example the opening of Parliament, 239 00:17:06,480 --> 00:17:10,479 scarcely compares with the grandeur of the Pope and his cardinals. 240 00:17:11,440 --> 00:17:14,359 At this Papal mass in St Peter's, 241 00:17:14,360 --> 00:17:17,679 diplomats and clergy sit side by side. 242 00:17:17,680 --> 00:17:21,679 Secular governments must maintain relations with the Papacy. 243 00:17:22,040 --> 00:17:26,739 As part of Constantine's legacy, the Pope is a highly significant figure 244 00:17:26,880 --> 00:17:30,479 in world politics. 245 00:17:31,120 --> 00:17:35,419 Imposing churches were built in Rome, including the first basilica 246 00:17:35,720 --> 00:17:37,359 of St Peter's. 247 00:17:37,360 --> 00:17:42,359 But in those days the most important was St John in Lateran, still the 248 00:17:42,960 --> 00:17:47,959 cathedral of the city though rebuilt and embellished over the centuries. 249 00:17:49,080 --> 00:17:52,279 We're now in St John the Lateran Church, which is a very big church, 250 00:17:52,280 --> 00:17:54,519 but of course this isn't Constantine's church. 251 00:17:54,520 --> 00:17:56,599 How did his compare with this one? 252 00:17:56,600 --> 00:17:59,319 It's an amazing similarity. We're looking at the same 253 00:17:59,320 --> 00:18:00,879 ground coverage that... 254 00:18:00,880 --> 00:18:03,479 But that is unbelievable. I mean, this church is enormous 255 00:18:03,480 --> 00:18:07,159 and feels enormous and you're saying that in the fourth century 256 00:18:07,160 --> 00:18:10,799 Constantine constructed something at least of similar dimensions? 257 00:18:10,800 --> 00:18:13,639 Weren't the pagans put out by these enormous buildings 258 00:18:13,640 --> 00:18:14,799 being erected for Christians? 259 00:18:14,800 --> 00:18:18,999 Constantine's building programme was very carefully laid out, in such 260 00:18:19,440 --> 00:18:21,199 a way that most of the churches he 261 00:18:21,200 --> 00:18:24,919 built were outside the city walls to begin with and even this church, the 262 00:18:24,920 --> 00:18:28,599 cathedral, this church was built on the farthest outskirts of the city. 263 00:18:28,600 --> 00:18:31,639 Right outside this church we see the city walls. 264 00:18:31,640 --> 00:18:35,559 Not only did he construct the enormous building, but he also gave 265 00:18:35,560 --> 00:18:39,959 beautiful marble columns, he gave 40 gold and silver chandeliers for 266 00:18:40,480 --> 00:18:44,399 the nave, he gave silver plate, gold plate candlesticks. 267 00:18:44,400 --> 00:18:48,099 So, he filled the church with beautiful objects. 268 00:18:50,640 --> 00:18:54,399 For centuries, the Christians had been persecuted. 269 00:18:54,400 --> 00:18:58,319 They'd been fed to lions, they lived underground in catacombs, 270 00:18:58,320 --> 00:19:02,319 they'd worshipped in churches no bigger than a house. 271 00:19:02,920 --> 00:19:06,919 And then along comes Constantine and showers them with riches. 272 00:19:08,120 --> 00:19:09,519 Well, you wouldn't say no. 273 00:19:09,520 --> 00:19:13,359 You wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. 274 00:19:13,360 --> 00:19:16,439 But if, since the time of Christ, you'd been preaching, 275 00:19:16,440 --> 00:19:20,079 "Blessed are the meek, and blessed are the poor," 276 00:19:20,080 --> 00:19:22,999 and then you inherit this... 277 00:19:23,000 --> 00:19:26,299 It's bound to change you, isn't it? 278 00:19:31,880 --> 00:19:35,319 I think it's one of the most tragic periods for Christianity, if not... 279 00:19:35,320 --> 00:19:35,919 Tragic? 280 00:19:35,920 --> 00:19:39,279 Tragic? Tragic. It completely changes the meaning of Christianity. 281 00:19:39,280 --> 00:19:40,319 For example, 282 00:19:40,320 --> 00:19:43,719 Christians go from loving their enemies, as Jesus told them to do, 283 00:19:43,720 --> 00:19:47,039 to killing them on the battlefield and then praying for them. 284 00:19:47,040 --> 00:19:51,039 They go from setting slaves free to endorsing a system of slavery. 285 00:19:51,280 --> 00:19:55,279 They go from being opposed to torture to actually being part of those who 286 00:19:55,600 --> 00:19:59,899 do the imprisoning. You know, this is a complete 180 degree turn. 287 00:20:01,840 --> 00:20:05,679 The Roman Senate erected this arch in honour of Constantine 288 00:20:05,680 --> 00:20:09,679 in AD 315 and it celebrates his divine inspiration. 289 00:20:10,440 --> 00:20:13,799 But nowhere does it mention the name Jesus Christ. 290 00:20:13,800 --> 00:20:17,799 The Christians were still a minority and the Romans were anxious not to 291 00:20:17,800 --> 00:20:20,839 alienate the pagan majority. 292 00:20:20,840 --> 00:20:23,239 Rather than Constantine converting 293 00:20:23,240 --> 00:20:27,159 the empire to Christianity, it might be more accurate to say 294 00:20:27,160 --> 00:20:31,159 that he converted Christianity to his needs as an emperor. 295 00:20:35,520 --> 00:20:39,519 Some Christians looked back to the early days of Christianity 296 00:20:39,840 --> 00:20:43,079 and they looked back to the time of the martyrs and believed that 297 00:20:43,080 --> 00:20:47,079 in fact the empireshouldbe separate from Christianity. 298 00:20:47,280 --> 00:20:51,279 And not everyone was delighted with being in the centre of power. 299 00:20:52,880 --> 00:20:56,519 The rapid growth of the monastic movement in this period 300 00:20:56,520 --> 00:21:01,519 was a quiet protest against what the church enthroned had become. 301 00:21:09,920 --> 00:21:13,919 PRAYING 302 00:21:14,280 --> 00:21:17,839 In Christianity, why do we have monks? 303 00:21:17,840 --> 00:21:20,479 When does monasticism begin? 304 00:21:20,480 --> 00:21:24,439 Before, the time of Constantine there are a lot of martyrs 305 00:21:24,440 --> 00:21:28,439 and the martyrs' spirit was quite strong in those early centuries. 306 00:21:28,600 --> 00:21:31,839 When it became very unlikely that they would do that, in 307 00:21:31,840 --> 00:21:35,939 other words martyrdom was no longer probable because the empire tolerated 308 00:21:36,720 --> 00:21:40,319 and encouraged Christianity, there were those who tried to embrace 309 00:21:40,320 --> 00:21:43,159 the martyr spirit in a new form, 310 00:21:43,160 --> 00:21:46,359 which was a form of rejection of the social context 311 00:21:46,360 --> 00:21:48,639 and living an exemplary life of asceticism 312 00:21:48,640 --> 00:21:53,639 and dedication, which was seen as another form of martyrdom or witness. 313 00:21:54,880 --> 00:21:58,879 But this dichotomy was already present in the new testament where 314 00:21:58,880 --> 00:22:02,879 you get some parts which suggest the importance of a faithful, 315 00:22:02,960 --> 00:22:06,959 responsible collaboration with the political authorities. 316 00:22:07,200 --> 00:22:09,799 For example in some parts of St Paul. 317 00:22:09,800 --> 00:22:12,919 On the other hand there's a radically negative few, 318 00:22:12,920 --> 00:22:16,319 like in the book of Revelation which more or less is saying that the 319 00:22:16,320 --> 00:22:20,199 political system is totally corrupt and the only way forward is to 320 00:22:20,200 --> 00:22:23,959 somehow bypass it all, overcome it because it has been destroyed. 321 00:22:23,960 --> 00:22:27,959 So already this dichotomy is present from the beginning. 322 00:22:28,520 --> 00:22:31,719 Dissent and disagreement characterised the church 323 00:22:31,720 --> 00:22:34,439 from its earliest days. 324 00:22:34,440 --> 00:22:38,279 One argument threatened to tear it apart. 325 00:22:38,280 --> 00:22:42,039 Was Jesus more human then divine? 326 00:22:42,040 --> 00:22:46,039 If divine, how could he have died on the cross? 327 00:22:46,400 --> 00:22:51,399 But if human, how could he be resurrected or offer redemption? 328 00:22:51,720 --> 00:22:56,719 This long running theological schism had powerful factions on each side. 329 00:22:59,240 --> 00:23:02,399 Constantine saw the threat to good order. 330 00:23:02,400 --> 00:23:05,479 He summoned the first Council of Nicaea 331 00:23:05,480 --> 00:23:09,479 in 325 AD to resolve the dispute. 332 00:23:09,640 --> 00:23:13,639 A special conference is a device still used today 333 00:23:13,640 --> 00:23:17,639 when political parties need to reconcile the irreconcilable. 334 00:23:17,720 --> 00:23:21,719 But it was less a deal than a victory for those who saw Jesus 335 00:23:21,880 --> 00:23:24,199 as inseparable from God, 336 00:23:24,200 --> 00:23:27,279 and unlike any settlement that I've ever been involved in, 337 00:23:27,280 --> 00:23:29,079 this one didn't come unstitched. 338 00:23:29,080 --> 00:23:32,679 It's endured for seventeen centuries. 339 00:23:32,880 --> 00:23:35,919 He gets all the theologians and the bishops together and says, 340 00:23:35,920 --> 00:23:37,439 "We've got to agree what we believe". 341 00:23:37,440 --> 00:23:38,719 Now why does he do that? 342 00:23:38,720 --> 00:23:41,599 Unity. You've got to have religious unity. 343 00:23:41,600 --> 00:23:45,599 Religion is the glue that holds the social and political order together. 344 00:23:46,280 --> 00:23:49,199 If the religion goes wrong, if there's division 345 00:23:49,200 --> 00:23:53,199 within religion, then your social and political system is under threat. 346 00:23:54,880 --> 00:23:58,879 After months of debate, Constantine eventually ruled that Jesus was of 347 00:23:59,200 --> 00:24:01,759 the same substance as God. 348 00:24:01,760 --> 00:24:04,479 In other words, officially divine. 349 00:24:04,480 --> 00:24:07,399 This was now orthodox Christian doctrine and 350 00:24:07,400 --> 00:24:09,399 has remained so ever since. 351 00:24:09,400 --> 00:24:14,399 I believe in one God, the father almighty, the maker of Heaven and 352 00:24:14,680 --> 00:24:16,839 earth and in one Lord Jesus Christ, 353 00:24:16,840 --> 00:24:20,839 the only begotten Son of God, begotten not made, being of 354 00:24:21,240 --> 00:24:25,239 one substance with the Father by whom all things were made... 355 00:24:27,600 --> 00:24:31,599 I was brought up a Catholic and every Sunday 356 00:24:31,840 --> 00:24:37,839 recited the Nicene Creed, "I believe in one God, the Father almighty..." 357 00:24:38,240 --> 00:24:42,239 I didn't know what Nicene meant and the description of Jesus Christ 358 00:24:42,680 --> 00:24:46,679 as being of one substance with the Father was obscure to me. 359 00:24:49,680 --> 00:24:53,679 I now realise it was defining orthodoxy 360 00:24:54,040 --> 00:24:57,599 which meant that it also defined heresy, 361 00:24:57,600 --> 00:25:01,599 and over the centuries the church has put its heretics 362 00:25:01,640 --> 00:25:05,639 to the rack, the sword and the fire. 363 00:25:07,560 --> 00:25:11,359 ...Who for us men and for our salvation came down from Heaven 364 00:25:11,360 --> 00:25:16,359 and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary and was made man, 365 00:25:16,440 --> 00:25:20,039 and was crucified also for 366 00:25:20,040 --> 00:25:22,459 us under Pontius Pilate... 367 00:25:22,960 --> 00:25:26,359 Constantine does publish what we would now call anti-heresy 368 00:25:26,360 --> 00:25:30,199 legislation where he states that individuals who are not 369 00:25:30,200 --> 00:25:35,199 part of the official Catholic church must have certain sanctions placed 370 00:25:35,360 --> 00:25:37,159 against them. 371 00:25:37,160 --> 00:25:39,239 This is an extraordinary change, isn't it? 372 00:25:39,240 --> 00:25:41,959 I mean, that Christians go from being a population, 373 00:25:41,960 --> 00:25:45,959 at least potentially persecuted, to being a population now protected 374 00:25:46,000 --> 00:25:48,599 by anti-heresy laws. That's an enormous change. 375 00:25:48,600 --> 00:25:51,359 It is, and I think the anti-heresy legislation 376 00:25:51,360 --> 00:25:55,759 is a sort of marking point perhaps of some aspects of our modern world 377 00:25:56,000 --> 00:25:58,879 where religion enters into the legal sphere in a way 378 00:25:58,880 --> 00:26:02,879 in which it was just inconceivable to have happened previously. 379 00:26:05,400 --> 00:26:09,279 Constantine's conversion had started a process by which 380 00:26:09,280 --> 00:26:12,119 orthodox Christianity was endorsed, 381 00:26:12,120 --> 00:26:16,719 and consequently deviancy from orthodoxy condemned. 382 00:26:18,760 --> 00:26:22,959 Even if Christ brought the world a message of peace, no emperor could 383 00:26:23,800 --> 00:26:25,919 afford to take that too literally. 384 00:26:25,920 --> 00:26:28,839 His personal ambition and dynastic 385 00:26:28,840 --> 00:26:33,839 duty required him to push at his frontiers through military conquest 386 00:26:34,080 --> 00:26:36,479 and it would be for later theologians 387 00:26:36,480 --> 00:26:40,479 to reconcile faith with war. 388 00:26:42,120 --> 00:26:43,759 The Empire had been sub-divided 389 00:26:43,760 --> 00:26:47,519 into West and East under different rulers. 390 00:26:47,520 --> 00:26:50,759 But Constantine invaded and conquered the East, 391 00:26:50,760 --> 00:26:56,759 making himself the single emperor, and creating a new Imperial capital. 392 00:26:58,320 --> 00:27:02,319 He founded a new Rome, which he modestly named after himself, 393 00:27:02,560 --> 00:27:04,999 Constantinople. 394 00:27:05,000 --> 00:27:07,879 It was the dawn of a new civilisation 395 00:27:07,880 --> 00:27:11,979 in which imperial authority and Christian power were synonymous. 396 00:27:12,160 --> 00:27:16,459 That new empire was to be known as Byzantium. 397 00:27:18,840 --> 00:27:21,399 And there Constantine was instrumental 398 00:27:21,400 --> 00:27:25,399 in creating the most powerful tool for the advancement of Christianity. 399 00:27:25,720 --> 00:27:28,279 A single authorised account of 400 00:27:28,280 --> 00:27:34,279 the life of Christ and his apostles that would become the New Testament. 401 00:27:45,280 --> 00:27:49,979 Constantine changed Christianity from a largely clandestine creed 402 00:27:50,200 --> 00:27:54,199 into a Church with immense authority and global reach. 403 00:27:54,360 --> 00:27:57,559 And so, for many Christians he's a hero. 404 00:27:57,560 --> 00:28:00,639 But what fascinates me is whether he perverted 405 00:28:00,640 --> 00:28:03,519 the revolutionary message of Jesus Christ, 406 00:28:03,520 --> 00:28:06,399 which blessed peace instead of war 407 00:28:06,400 --> 00:28:10,799 and whether his conversion was really good for Christianity. 408 00:28:11,360 --> 00:28:13,879 I don't think he ever really could have foreseen 409 00:28:13,880 --> 00:28:18,879 the drastic, seismic consequences of his decision, what he set in train. 410 00:28:21,240 --> 00:28:24,239 Before Constantine came to power, 411 00:28:24,240 --> 00:28:28,439 the Roman Empire had been divided between East and West. 412 00:28:29,120 --> 00:28:32,039 Constantine brought the East under his control, 413 00:28:32,040 --> 00:28:37,039 and in 330 AD, on the shores of the Bosphorus he founded a new capital, 414 00:28:37,760 --> 00:28:41,759 Constantinople, modern-day Istanbul. 415 00:28:43,760 --> 00:28:46,799 In support of the minority Christian population 416 00:28:46,800 --> 00:28:50,799 he also started a programme of building resplendent churches. 417 00:28:51,480 --> 00:28:54,319 But despite his conversion to Christianity, 418 00:28:54,320 --> 00:28:58,319 Pagan symbols were imported and placed in this "new Rome". 419 00:29:01,480 --> 00:29:04,679 Constantine built a hippodrome for chariot races 420 00:29:04,680 --> 00:29:08,679 based on the Circus Maximus in old Rome. 421 00:29:09,980 --> 00:29:14,879 At its centre, he erected a huge column to hold aloft his own statue, 422 00:29:15,760 --> 00:29:20,759 depicting him as Sol Invictus, the pagan sun god. 423 00:29:24,840 --> 00:29:29,939 Constantine did also place insignia of Sol on his coinage, the sun god, 424 00:29:30,240 --> 00:29:34,119 who, at the time, some Christians also incorporated. 425 00:29:34,120 --> 00:29:37,799 So I think Constantine was actually a master of hitting a balance 426 00:29:37,800 --> 00:29:41,759 in using symbols that Christians could interpret as being Christian 427 00:29:41,760 --> 00:29:45,759 and non-Christians could interpret as non-Christian. 428 00:29:46,480 --> 00:29:48,439 He was a consummate politician. 429 00:29:48,440 --> 00:29:52,279 The man knew you can't just come out and effect a radical change, 430 00:29:52,280 --> 00:29:55,159 even if that is what he'd wanted to do. 431 00:29:55,160 --> 00:29:59,859 Amongst political tacticians, Constantine is one of the greats. 432 00:30:00,760 --> 00:30:02,639 He elbowed his rivals aside, 433 00:30:02,640 --> 00:30:05,599 he brought the Christians into his coalition 434 00:30:05,600 --> 00:30:08,879 and he annexed their power structure of bishoprics. 435 00:30:08,880 --> 00:30:12,359 I think he sees the political expediency of the situation 436 00:30:12,360 --> 00:30:15,039 but I don't think that's entirely what governs him. 437 00:30:15,040 --> 00:30:18,959 I also think he has some kind of awakening to Christianity, 438 00:30:18,960 --> 00:30:22,079 but that doesn't mean he isn't a shrewd political operator. 439 00:30:22,080 --> 00:30:25,439 I think it's safe to say that later on in his life, 440 00:30:25,440 --> 00:30:29,439 as he began to appreciate the finer points of theological polemic more, 441 00:30:30,080 --> 00:30:34,079 he got into Christianity in a more intellectual way. 442 00:30:35,040 --> 00:30:38,519 And this he did with the help of a formidable churchman, 443 00:30:38,520 --> 00:30:43,519 Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea, his religious advisor and biographer, 444 00:30:43,720 --> 00:30:47,719 an image-maker, who understood the black arts of shaping the truth, 445 00:30:48,320 --> 00:30:52,319 who would interpret a career of ambitious war-mongering... 446 00:30:54,160 --> 00:30:57,239 ..as the mission of a Christian saint. 447 00:30:57,240 --> 00:31:03,239 The terms "spin" and "spin doctor" were invented only recently, 448 00:31:03,600 --> 00:31:05,759 while I was in the Cabinet. 449 00:31:05,760 --> 00:31:09,559 But the need to put the best possible construction 450 00:31:09,560 --> 00:31:13,559 on political action is as old as power itself. 451 00:31:13,920 --> 00:31:17,919 To communicate a message, to create a myth, 452 00:31:18,120 --> 00:31:21,479 helps a leader to control a populous, 453 00:31:21,480 --> 00:31:27,479 and by all accounts Eusebius did a fine job for Constantine. 454 00:31:29,560 --> 00:31:33,559 Here's something that even Alastair Campbell could be proud of. 455 00:31:33,840 --> 00:31:38,839 Eusebius' account of Constantine's ruthless conquest of the East. 456 00:31:39,480 --> 00:31:42,199 "Constantine, the friend of God, 457 00:31:42,200 --> 00:31:45,519 "acting upon the basis of sound judgment 458 00:31:45,520 --> 00:31:49,519 "and mingling the firm principles of justice and humanity, 459 00:31:50,400 --> 00:31:54,399 "undertook to save the greater part of the human race." 460 00:31:54,880 --> 00:31:58,879 In 331 AD, at Constantine's behest, 461 00:31:58,880 --> 00:32:02,879 it fell to Eusebius to provide 50 copies of the Gospels. 462 00:32:03,680 --> 00:32:07,679 Before then, the copying and circulation of these sacred texts 463 00:32:08,000 --> 00:32:11,679 relied on individuals. But now, copies of the Gospels 464 00:32:11,680 --> 00:32:14,479 would be spread throughout the Eastern Empire 465 00:32:14,480 --> 00:32:17,479 on Constantine's order. 466 00:32:20,160 --> 00:32:24,159 Here, in facsimile, are pages from the document 467 00:32:24,600 --> 00:32:27,359 thought to have been commissioned by Constantine, 468 00:32:27,360 --> 00:32:30,959 for use in churches here in Constantinople. 469 00:32:30,960 --> 00:32:33,599 Eusebius was given the task of deciding 470 00:32:33,600 --> 00:32:37,279 which stories of Christ and the Apostles to include, 471 00:32:37,280 --> 00:32:38,879 and which to leave out, 472 00:32:38,880 --> 00:32:41,919 and that "officialising" of the Christian text 473 00:32:41,920 --> 00:32:45,199 evolved into the most powerful artefact 474 00:32:45,200 --> 00:32:48,879 of politics and religion combined. 475 00:32:48,880 --> 00:32:51,679 The best-selling book of all time. 476 00:32:52,680 --> 00:32:55,679 The Holy Bible. 477 00:32:56,760 --> 00:32:59,879 Over the next hundred years, these texts were collated 478 00:32:59,880 --> 00:33:03,879 to form what we recognise as the New Testament. 479 00:33:04,400 --> 00:33:08,399 Across centuries, around the globe and spanning different cultures, 480 00:33:08,880 --> 00:33:12,879 these texts have secured an extraordinary degree of acceptance 481 00:33:13,160 --> 00:33:16,439 amongst all who follow Christ. 482 00:33:16,440 --> 00:33:19,999 A third of the sacred texts in circulation at that time, 483 00:33:20,000 --> 00:33:24,999 including some revered gospels, were eliminated as spurious or heretical, 484 00:33:25,920 --> 00:33:28,399 including one purportedly by Saint Peter, 485 00:33:28,400 --> 00:33:31,199 another by Jesus' supposed brother 486 00:33:31,200 --> 00:33:35,999 and even one so-called Gospel Of Philip, which suggested that Christ 487 00:33:36,160 --> 00:33:39,519 might have had a relationship with Mary Magdalene. 488 00:33:39,520 --> 00:33:43,519 It's the sort of heresy later made famous by The Da Vinci Code. 489 00:33:47,400 --> 00:33:51,119 During Constantine's reign, the church as an institution 490 00:33:51,120 --> 00:33:53,239 began to take shape. 491 00:33:53,240 --> 00:33:55,679 A single creed was established, 492 00:33:55,680 --> 00:33:58,399 Holy Scripture was defined, 493 00:33:58,400 --> 00:34:02,399 and the bishops were brought under imperial guidance. 494 00:34:02,440 --> 00:34:06,939 Constantine now recognised the man that Rome had crucified 495 00:34:07,480 --> 00:34:10,479 as the true son of God. 496 00:34:12,960 --> 00:34:15,319 Jesus Christ was put on a charge of blasphemy 497 00:34:15,320 --> 00:34:17,799 and put on a cross by the religious authorities 498 00:34:17,800 --> 00:34:19,359 inalignment with the empire. 499 00:34:19,360 --> 00:34:22,999 The church hasan important role to play in challenging government. 500 00:34:23,000 --> 00:34:24,559 But the truth of the matter is, 501 00:34:24,560 --> 00:34:27,959 it's going to challenge government less when it's in bed with it, 502 00:34:27,960 --> 00:34:31,439 and it's going to challenge it more when it's further apart from it. 503 00:34:31,940 --> 00:34:35,359 When you have 26 bishops who sit in the second chamber, 504 00:34:35,360 --> 00:34:37,599 who sit with the Government, at least in name, 505 00:34:37,600 --> 00:34:39,559 you've got a real conflict of interest. 506 00:34:39,560 --> 00:34:41,759 So, bishops in the House of Lords 507 00:34:41,760 --> 00:34:44,879 are a remnant of the conversion of Constantine? 508 00:34:44,880 --> 00:34:46,359 Indirectly, they are. 509 00:34:46,360 --> 00:34:49,359 Indirectly, this is a hangover of the Constantinian era. 510 00:34:49,360 --> 00:34:51,799 We all know there are many other factors, 511 00:34:51,800 --> 00:34:55,999 but it all started with Constantine bringing Church and state together. 512 00:34:56,720 --> 00:35:00,919 The two have been tangled up in a very dubious mess ever since. 513 00:35:02,880 --> 00:35:06,879 Constantine didn't find it politic to persecute Christians, 514 00:35:07,560 --> 00:35:11,559 nor to persecute pagans either. 515 00:35:12,000 --> 00:35:16,599 But after Constantine's death in 337 AD came other emperors 516 00:35:16,760 --> 00:35:20,759 with different ideas. 517 00:35:22,920 --> 00:35:24,999 This church in Ephesus, 518 00:35:25,000 --> 00:35:28,839 then a pagan city of pilgrimage, was built in the fourth century. 519 00:35:28,940 --> 00:35:34,839 Alongside established temples arose churches for Christian worship. 520 00:35:35,160 --> 00:35:42,159 Constantine balanced Christians and pagans with masterful ambiguity. 521 00:35:43,520 --> 00:35:46,879 Theodosius, who became Emperor in 379 AD 522 00:35:46,880 --> 00:35:49,959 and who built the Church of St Mary at Ephesus, 523 00:35:49,960 --> 00:35:52,519 was of a different stamp. 524 00:35:52,520 --> 00:35:58,519 He decided to resolve the ambiguity firmly - brutally. 525 00:36:04,480 --> 00:36:08,159 There's a profound misunderstanding that Christianity was made 526 00:36:08,160 --> 00:36:11,399 the official religion of the Empire by Constantine the Great. 527 00:36:11,400 --> 00:36:12,799 This is not true. 528 00:36:12,800 --> 00:36:16,239 In the time of Constantine it was a free religion of the Empire, 529 00:36:16,240 --> 00:36:17,399 it was a free faith, 530 00:36:17,400 --> 00:36:21,399 but it was made the official faith of the empire by Theodosius I 531 00:36:21,560 --> 00:36:23,279 in the fourth century AD. 532 00:36:23,280 --> 00:36:27,039 He prohibited the pagan worship and the temples were closed 533 00:36:27,040 --> 00:36:30,839 and sacrificing animals for gods and goddesses outlawed by him. 534 00:36:30,940 --> 00:36:34,839 "We decree that we shall cease from making sacrifices. 535 00:36:35,200 --> 00:36:37,599 "And if anyone has committed such a crime 536 00:36:37,600 --> 00:36:40,839 "let him be stricken with the avenging sword. 537 00:36:40,840 --> 00:36:42,439 "And we decree that..." 538 00:36:42,440 --> 00:36:45,399 This law says that the Nicene Christianity shall be 539 00:36:45,400 --> 00:36:48,519 the Christianity of all subjects of the empire. 540 00:36:48,520 --> 00:36:53,519 This particular piece of legislation ties citizenship to Christianity. 541 00:36:54,160 --> 00:36:58,119 Do you believe and trust in God the Father who made Heaven and Earth? 542 00:36:58,120 --> 00:37:02,119 Under Theodosius, baptism means citizenship of the Roman empire. 543 00:37:02,520 --> 00:37:05,119 It's no longer citizenship of the Kingdom of God, 544 00:37:05,120 --> 00:37:09,119 it's citizenship of Rome and allegiance to the state. 545 00:37:09,640 --> 00:37:11,319 It's a logical extension - 546 00:37:11,320 --> 00:37:14,639 if you have to have a religion that holds the empire together 547 00:37:14,640 --> 00:37:17,239 then why not enforce your religion? 548 00:37:17,240 --> 00:37:20,399 "I believe and trust in Him..." 549 00:37:20,400 --> 00:37:22,999 Known for his ferocious temper, 550 00:37:23,000 --> 00:37:26,519 Theodosius went on the rampage against paganism. 551 00:37:26,520 --> 00:37:29,599 He sent his Christian soldiers into Egypt and Syria 552 00:37:29,600 --> 00:37:33,199 to tear down the pagan temples. 553 00:37:33,200 --> 00:37:38,199 In Ephesus this was once the great Temple of Artemis, 554 00:37:38,440 --> 00:37:40,799 the Greek goddess of fertility. 555 00:37:40,800 --> 00:37:44,719 It was one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. 556 00:37:44,720 --> 00:37:48,639 The apostle Paul had once been here to preach the message of Christ 557 00:37:48,640 --> 00:37:50,199 to Pagan worshippers. 558 00:37:50,200 --> 00:37:54,499 Now the Christians were back, armed with more than words. 559 00:37:55,000 --> 00:37:58,119 In a few decades, Christians had made the journey 560 00:37:58,120 --> 00:38:02,119 from persecuted to persecutors. 561 00:38:02,320 --> 00:38:06,319 This column is all that remains of the Temple of Artemis. 562 00:38:07,200 --> 00:38:09,439 From the time of the Emperor Theodosius, 563 00:38:09,440 --> 00:38:11,999 it was pillaged by Christians. 564 00:38:12,000 --> 00:38:14,919 As we saw so often during the 20th century, 565 00:38:14,920 --> 00:38:19,919 a new movement eradicates every vestige of the culture it supplants. 566 00:38:21,440 --> 00:38:25,439 The marble was taken and used to build churches, 567 00:38:25,880 --> 00:38:28,479 such as Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, 568 00:38:28,480 --> 00:38:30,639 to the glory of God... 569 00:38:30,640 --> 00:38:34,039 and of the Emperor, of course. 570 00:38:34,880 --> 00:38:38,879 Hagia Sophia became the most significant symbol in the East 571 00:38:39,120 --> 00:38:43,119 of the power of Church and state united. 572 00:38:51,520 --> 00:38:55,239 What Constantine, the man who maybe lay in this sarcophagus, 573 00:38:55,240 --> 00:38:59,939 bequeathed to the Empire in the West - to Rome - is another story. 574 00:39:02,800 --> 00:39:07,799 Because, whilst here in the East, Church and state remained as one, 575 00:39:07,960 --> 00:39:11,159 in the West, Rome fell to the barbarians, 576 00:39:11,160 --> 00:39:14,879 and into that imperial vacuum stepped a new power 577 00:39:14,880 --> 00:39:18,599 that is still with us today - the Papacy. 578 00:39:18,600 --> 00:39:23,599 It enabled the Christian church to develop a hierarchy very rapidly, 579 00:39:23,760 --> 00:39:27,959 the pope in Rome assumes a certain position, which is almost comparable 580 00:39:28,520 --> 00:39:32,519 to the one which the Emperor has in the Roman world. 581 00:39:40,880 --> 00:39:43,799 The Roman Emperor Constantine 582 00:39:43,800 --> 00:39:47,799 had set in motion the globalisation of Christianity 583 00:39:48,000 --> 00:39:49,999 when he adopted it as his religion, 584 00:39:50,000 --> 00:39:54,999 and gave the Church riches, stunning architecture and authority. 585 00:39:57,120 --> 00:40:02,119 In the Western Empire, Constantine's legacy is the Roman Catholic Church. 586 00:40:03,120 --> 00:40:07,119 And this is the headquarters of its global media reach. 587 00:40:10,120 --> 00:40:13,479 From here, 200 journalists, drawn from 51 countries, 588 00:40:13,480 --> 00:40:17,479 broadcast in 40 languages to five continents. 589 00:40:17,600 --> 00:40:21,599 So you can only feel left out if you live in Antarctica. 590 00:40:24,840 --> 00:40:26,759 'From this studio, 591 00:40:26,760 --> 00:40:30,759 'they're transmitting the voice of the Vatican to South America.' 592 00:40:35,040 --> 00:40:37,919 The survival of the Church in Rome 593 00:40:37,920 --> 00:40:39,959 might be regarded as a sort of miracle. 594 00:40:39,960 --> 00:40:43,239 For within a few years of Constantine's death, 595 00:40:43,240 --> 00:40:47,539 the Church's imperial sponsors were defeated and expelled. 596 00:40:49,880 --> 00:40:52,679 The empire was internally divided, 597 00:40:52,680 --> 00:40:55,799 and faced increasingly formidable enemies from the North. 598 00:40:55,800 --> 00:40:59,799 In 410 AD, the unthinkable happened, 599 00:40:59,960 --> 00:41:02,359 and the city of Rome fell to the Visigoths. 600 00:41:02,360 --> 00:41:07,359 The blame for angering the pagan Gods was placed on the Church. 601 00:41:10,160 --> 00:41:13,199 Christianity's failure to protect Rome 602 00:41:13,200 --> 00:41:16,599 caused a spiritual crisis amongst the faithful. 603 00:41:16,600 --> 00:41:19,319 One man stepped forward to defend the Church, 604 00:41:19,320 --> 00:41:22,479 and to reconcile the eternal Glory of Heaven 605 00:41:22,480 --> 00:41:26,479 with the temporary troubles of life on Earth - 606 00:41:26,760 --> 00:41:29,639 Saint Augustine of Hippo. 607 00:41:29,640 --> 00:41:33,239 One of his great works is City Of God and it follows the sacking of Rome. 608 00:41:33,240 --> 00:41:36,239 And he's basically trying to explain why Christianity is not a threat! 609 00:41:36,560 --> 00:41:40,079 Why it hasn't been detrimental to Rome to take on Christianity. 610 00:41:40,480 --> 00:41:42,159 Essentially he sets up political theology 611 00:41:42,160 --> 00:41:44,559 for hundreds of years afterwards, in so doing. 612 00:41:44,560 --> 00:41:49,239 What Augustine attempts to do is to rethink that whole relationship 613 00:41:49,240 --> 00:41:54,239 between imperial power and Christianity in a very specific way. 614 00:41:55,280 --> 00:41:58,679 Saint Augustine's solution was revolutionary. 615 00:41:58,680 --> 00:42:01,479 The City of God isnoton Earth, 616 00:42:01,480 --> 00:42:06,479 nor is it shaken when the cities of this world fall to foreign invaders. 617 00:42:07,080 --> 00:42:11,079 To be citizens of that heavenly city, we must place ourselves 618 00:42:11,080 --> 00:42:14,759 in the hands of the Church and follow the lead of the Pope, 619 00:42:14,760 --> 00:42:18,759 the bishop of Rome, successor to Saint Peter. 620 00:42:20,440 --> 00:42:23,679 Having enjoyed the protection of Constantine, 621 00:42:23,680 --> 00:42:27,239 the Church was now strong enough to prosper in Rome 622 00:42:27,240 --> 00:42:31,239 long after its protectors had passed into history. 623 00:42:32,240 --> 00:42:38,239 In 476 AD, the puppet emperor Romulus Augustulus was deposed. 624 00:42:38,960 --> 00:42:42,199 There were to be no more Roman emperors in the West 625 00:42:42,200 --> 00:42:45,519 until Charlemagne in the year 800. 626 00:42:45,520 --> 00:42:48,079 It was the Christian Church that benefited. 627 00:42:48,080 --> 00:42:51,919 Into the void left by the collapse of the empire in the West 628 00:42:51,920 --> 00:42:55,079 stepped...the Pope. 629 00:42:55,680 --> 00:42:59,679 APPLAUSE 630 00:43:10,480 --> 00:43:14,779 By that stage, the line of emperors is really extremely weak, 631 00:43:14,960 --> 00:43:18,039 and the Popes naturally fill that vacuum. 632 00:43:18,040 --> 00:43:21,639 They are substantial figures in their own right as head of the church, 633 00:43:21,640 --> 00:43:24,959 the large majority of the population in the city are Christians 634 00:43:24,960 --> 00:43:27,919 and therefore respect the Papacy as a religious leader. 635 00:43:27,920 --> 00:43:31,719 And it's obvious that they would also be happy that he takes some kind 636 00:43:31,720 --> 00:43:35,719 of political role to help them in the face of these barbarian invasions. 637 00:43:36,440 --> 00:43:39,999 Is there ever a time when a Pope controls an army? 638 00:43:40,000 --> 00:43:42,719 Oh, yes. The Pope always had a small army. 639 00:43:42,720 --> 00:43:45,719 Even today we have the Swiss Guards and a small Papal army. 640 00:43:45,720 --> 00:43:48,999 And there's a long period in the Middle Ages and afterwards 641 00:43:49,000 --> 00:43:52,119 when you do have these predominantly Christian societies. 642 00:43:52,120 --> 00:43:56,119 And they, at times, speak more in terms of converting, 643 00:43:56,280 --> 00:43:59,039 preaching, more with the sword also. 644 00:43:59,040 --> 00:44:00,879 By the seventh century, 645 00:44:00,880 --> 00:44:04,879 the Papacy was the largest landowner on the Italian peninsula, 646 00:44:05,160 --> 00:44:07,959 and its armies were fully prepared to defend 647 00:44:07,960 --> 00:44:11,459 and advance those territories. 648 00:44:12,080 --> 00:44:14,999 Again, it was Augustine's formidable intellect 649 00:44:15,000 --> 00:44:18,999 that conceived the legal notion of a just war, 650 00:44:19,280 --> 00:44:23,579 a concept that resolved the conflict between a Church that had armies 651 00:44:23,720 --> 00:44:27,719 and the Biblical Commandment, "Thou shalt not kill". 652 00:44:31,840 --> 00:44:35,079 St Augustine said that for a war to be just, 653 00:44:35,080 --> 00:44:36,879 it must be officially authorised, 654 00:44:36,880 --> 00:44:40,879 have a proper cause and achievable goals, and be proportionate. 655 00:44:41,000 --> 00:44:42,599 When I was Defence Secretary, 656 00:44:42,600 --> 00:44:47,599 international law constrained what British forces could do in Bosnia. 657 00:44:48,440 --> 00:44:53,439 The principles, even today, are recognisably Augustinian. 658 00:44:55,280 --> 00:45:00,279 During the Middle Ages, St Thomas Aquinas would amend St Augustine 659 00:45:01,080 --> 00:45:05,079 to justify any action fought with good intentions. 660 00:45:05,280 --> 00:45:06,839 EXPLOSION 661 00:45:06,840 --> 00:45:10,159 And, as we understand from today's world, 662 00:45:10,160 --> 00:45:14,159 the road to total war is paved with good intentions. 663 00:45:17,060 --> 00:45:21,859 George Bush remarked that God would be his judge over the war in Iraq. 664 00:45:22,120 --> 00:45:25,199 Mixing, in a way that shocked me... 665 00:45:25,200 --> 00:45:26,239 EXPLOSION 666 00:45:26,240 --> 00:45:30,239 ..political action with the role of the divine. 667 00:45:31,880 --> 00:45:36,879 'I believe that matters of faith and state should not be confused. 668 00:45:37,600 --> 00:45:39,199 'But if I examine myself, 669 00:45:39,200 --> 00:45:43,399 'I've also to recognise that being brought up in a society 670 00:45:43,680 --> 00:45:47,679 'shaped by Christianity, taught its stories and its liturgies, 671 00:45:47,720 --> 00:45:49,719 'leaves me deeply affected 672 00:45:49,720 --> 00:45:53,719 'by the Church's extraordinary reach and influence. 673 00:45:55,040 --> 00:45:58,959 'Having built up its institutional power from Constantine onwards, 674 00:45:58,960 --> 00:46:01,999 'that Church is still ruled from Rome today.' 675 00:46:02,000 --> 00:46:05,199 It's had a profound effect on our civilisation, 676 00:46:05,200 --> 00:46:08,839 whether you are a believer or a non-believer, 677 00:46:08,840 --> 00:46:11,679 whether you're practising or whether you're lapsed. 678 00:46:11,680 --> 00:46:15,879 Your values, your political philosophy, even your vocabulary 679 00:46:16,280 --> 00:46:19,039 is immensely affected by the simple fact 680 00:46:19,040 --> 00:46:22,499 that you are a citizen of Christendom. 681 00:46:23,000 --> 00:46:26,159 Constantine's conversion to Christianity 682 00:46:26,160 --> 00:46:30,159 is a critical event in world history. 683 00:46:30,480 --> 00:46:34,979 True, before Constantine, Christianity was already growing. 684 00:46:35,840 --> 00:46:39,839 But his adoption of the faith brought it in from the cold. 685 00:46:40,560 --> 00:46:44,959 He established it on a pedestal from which it has never been toppled, 686 00:46:45,480 --> 00:46:48,999 and set precepts that still shape the faith 687 00:46:49,000 --> 00:46:52,999 of billions of worshipers around the world. 688 00:46:53,440 --> 00:46:57,439 The conversion of Constantine put Christians into power, 689 00:46:57,480 --> 00:47:00,559 and as a result, the Church has sometimes been corrupted 690 00:47:00,560 --> 00:47:03,399 by money and by secular ambition. 691 00:47:03,400 --> 00:47:05,639 And that leads some Christians to believe 692 00:47:05,640 --> 00:47:08,479 that Constantine was a bad thing. 693 00:47:08,480 --> 00:47:10,879 But if the Church had not become established, 694 00:47:10,880 --> 00:47:13,239 then probably it would not have converted 695 00:47:13,240 --> 00:47:16,159 the hundreds of millions that it did. 696 00:47:16,160 --> 00:47:18,679 And, since Christians believe that those souls 697 00:47:18,680 --> 00:47:20,759 have been granted eternal life, 698 00:47:20,760 --> 00:47:24,279 that makes Constantine a very good thing. 699 00:47:24,280 --> 00:47:28,119 My view? Well, I'm a lapsed Catholic, 700 00:47:28,120 --> 00:47:31,999 and I believe that power is for politicians, not churchmen. 701 00:47:32,000 --> 00:47:35,999 So Constantine gets my thumbs down. 702 00:47:52,480 --> 00:47:56,479 Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd