DOC Defending Constantine: The Twilight of an Empire and the Dawn of Christendom by Peter J. Leithart in History

Review

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. A work of stunning scholarshipBy readergFor too long Protestants of every tradition have attacked Constantine; and in so doing attacked the Catholic Church. However; Leithart sets the historical record straight; answering all of those who strive mightily to assert that the Catholic Church "fell" and that the so-called fall was the direct result of the efforts of Constantine.In Leithart's book; Constantine appears more as a 4th century St. Paul encountering Christ on the road to Damascus. In the case of Constantine this direct encounter with Christ occurred on the road to Rome as he prepared to do battle with Maxentius; and neither Constantine; nor the Roman Empire; nor the the Catholic Church was ever the same again.Because of Constantine and all of his work in support of the Church; Christians were able to finally come out of their hidden churches and into the light of day; freely testifying of their faith in Jesus Christ without fear of reprisal.The Church grew greatly in the years after Constantine legalized Christianity; allowing Christians to convert millions of pagans to the faith.I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to clear the air on the life and conversion of Constantine; a man whose conversion to Christianity has always been recognized and treasured by both the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox churches; but now perhaps even among the various traditions and denominations of protestantism as they learn the truth.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Leithart Contra MundeBy Peter S. BradleyAs Peter Leithart points out in his "Defending Constantine: the Twilight of an Empire and the Dawn of Christianity;" Emperor Constantine has often been made into the bête noire of those who have some particular grievance against the world they live in. Constantine is a particular target for those who dislike the institutionalized Christian church; the role of Catholicism in history or the existence of what they consider to be an intolerant; patriarchal or otherwise wrong-headed form of Christianity.Leithart's self-described "polemical" purpose is to re-examine Constantine in light of the state of Christianity as Constantine found it at the beginning of the Fourth Century; shorn of the usual retrojection of current ideology. Leithart's particular target is late Mennonite; pacifist theologian John Howard Yoder; whose theology developed the idea of "Constaninianism;" whereby; in Yoder's view; Christianity went horribly off the rails when the church formed an alliance with the state.Leithart's book is well worth reading for its fresh look at Constantine and its common sense critique of critics of Constantine. For example; Leithart marshals a persuasive rebuttal to the contemporary view of Constantine as a pagan or a cynic who exploited religion for political purposes. Leithart finds substantial evidence in Constantine's life that point to a true believer in Christianity; such as legislation by Constantine that began the process of eliminating gladiatorial games; infant exposure and sacrifices to the pagan gods. These laws seem to have been aspirational; but they point to Constantine's adherence to a Christian value system. Likewise; Constantine considered himself a missionary and would give sermons to his court.For myself; I was forced to re-evaluate my previous view - engendered by the typical works on Constantine - that Constantine was uninterested in; and ignorant of; the fine points of Christian theology. Constantine may not have been a theologian; but in Leithart's description; Constantine comes off as far more theologically sophisticate. For example; Leithart quotes Constantine's "Letter to Arius" as follows; "I know that the plenitude of the Father's and the Son's pre-eminence and all-pervading power is one substance." Likewise; Leithart offers an explanation for the death of Constantine's wife and son; which partially exonerates Constantine. Given that even my 12 year old daughter has learned in public school that Constantine was unquestionably a murderer; suggesting some uncertainty in an ancient mystery might have the effect of moving the zeitgeist away from its knee-jerk anti-Constantinian default position.Leithart also examines the world of the early Christians. Christianity had been subjected to intense persecution under Diocletian; immediately prior to Constantine's reign. Christians had also experienced persecutions under prior emperors. During those persecutions; Christians had prayed for deliverance; and for such Christians; a Christian emperor looked exactly like what they had been praying for. Contemporary critics of Constantine and the Christian assumption of power in the Roman Empire should really answer the question; what were Christian supposed to do? Remain a persecuted minority? People who think that Christians should never have assumed political power have a highly romanticized view of persecution and suffering.In the last part of the book; Leithart tackles Yoder's critique of "Constantinianism." Yoder and his supporters assume a primeval Christianity that disdained any role in the state and uniformly embraced pacifism. Leithart demonstrated that no such uniform position ever existed. Christians; for example; joined the military with the acquiescence of their bishops from the earliest moments of Christianity. Hence; Yoder's pacifism represents a strain of Christianity; but Constantine hardly represents a betrayal of "true Christianity."I suspect that there are subtexts in the dispute over Yoder's "Constantinianism" which are lost on those of us who are not immersed in religious traditions that adhere to a "Two Kingdoms" theology. For example; I'm not clear why Yoder's work; largely a product; it would seem of the peace movement of the `70s; would require such a strong critique in 2010. I had the feeling of being ringside to a scholarly infight without having a real sense of the players and the positions. Nonetheless; any good grudge match sharpens the issues in dispute and heightens audience interest; which may be one reason why this book was a thoroughly engaging read.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Pacifism; Nonviolence; and YoderBy geekpreacherThis is a very balanced critique of Yoder's "Constantinian Captivity" of the church. Leithart attempts to show Yoder's pacifistic take on the early church was not as large spread a view as Yoder would have one believe.Leithart also does an admirable job of showing that Constantine's acceptance and legalization of Christianity had a positive effect on the church and was not as overwhelmingly negative as some modern scholars suggest.