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Rome...
Headquarters of the most powerful

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religious organisation in history.

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It all started 1,700 years ago when
a Pagan Roman Emperor, Constantine,

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had a vision, converted and welcomed
Christianity into his mighty Empire.

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It marks the beginning
of a relationship

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between politics and religion,
now Christianity could frame itself

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as a triumphalist religion.

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This is the story of how
Constantine's change of heart

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converted the Church from an
underground and small-scale movement

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to the global superpower of today,
with over two billion believers.

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It helped to organise
even further this church

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and make it its mission to
evangelise the world more effective.

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Constantine's conversion
changed Christianity for ever.

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It's given us glorious art, music,

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architecture and helped
to shape the Bible itself.

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But did it distort the original
teachings of Jesus of Nazareth?

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I think this was one of the most
tragic periods for Christianity.

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Tragic. It completely changes
the meaning of Christianity.

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The concept of a just war

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and bishops in parliament
are just two present day legacies

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of Constantine's conversion.

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Before Constantine, the Roman Empire

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had slaughtered
Christians for entertainment.

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Yet Constantine did a u-turn,
deciding that Christ, executed by

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Rome as a common criminal,
was in fact the son of God.

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I'm a former politician

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and a former Christian.

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But what I want to know
is why Constantine,

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that master of the political arts
and leader of a Pagan realm, chose

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to give his thumbs up
to Christianity.

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And what were the consequences of
his conversion for the Roman Empire

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and for the Christian faith?

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Before Constantine's conversion,
Christianity was a minority

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in the wilderness
without a prayer of sharing power.

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Yet in the years after Jesus died
in far off Jerusalem, his powerful

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message had spread even to remote
parts of Rome's vast empire, such as

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Cappadocia, in modern Turkey,
a heartland of Early Christianity.

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The area of Cappadocia is rich
in Christian myths of martyrs.

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Do you this there's
a particular reason for that?

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It probably comes together with
the landscape. It's very powerful

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and at the same time a secluded
environment framed by mountains.

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So, they started first of all

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gathering and
worshipping in private houses.

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These were called Domus Ecclesia.

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Christianity was a renegade sect

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that had broken away from
the ancient religion of Judaism.

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Hidden away in houses,
caves and catacombs,

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its early followers conducted
rituals ranging from ecstatic

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experiences to silent vigils.

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Within the first 200 or 300 years
of Christianity,

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what different sects grew up?

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Oh, a number of them.

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And one of them was known
as the Arians, developed

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largely in northern Africa and they
spread into this part of the world.

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Extreme sects like Stylites,

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monks living on columns, holy fools
travelling around villages, talking

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about Christianity in ways that
weren't conformed with the Gospels.

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The word was carried
more authoritatively

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by Christianity's holiest saints.

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"From Peter, an apostle of
Jesus Christ to the strangers

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"scattered throughout
Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia..."

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The First Letter of St Peter
was addressed

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to the churches of Asia Minor,
urging them to endure sporadic

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local persecution in the assurance
that their hour would come.

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"The trial of your faith
is more precious than gold."

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It suits politicians
for the masses to be religious...

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In moderation at least.

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If the citizens

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believe that there's a god or gods
who see everything that they do

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and hand out penalty points for bad
behaviour, then they'll conform.

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But religious extremism, that's
something different altogether.

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If people reject
the authority of their rulers

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when it clashes with the laws
of their God, there'll be trouble.

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For the Romans, the Christians
were becoming a real pain.

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In the 21st century,

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states feel threatened by those
whose eyes are fixed on heaven and

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who take their orders only from an
authority that's not of this world.

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In the first century, Paul of Tarsus
travelled through Asia Minor with

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an equally revolutionary message,

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that Jesus Christ was the promised
Messiah come to save all mankind.

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I've come to this cave

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high above the ancient
city of Ephesus where

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the archaeologists and restorers
are busy with their work...

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In search of

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St Paul the Apostle.

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Miraculously preserved the
earliest discovered mural of him

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and the Bible tells us that he came
to Ephesus on a missionary visit

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in AD52,

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and supposedly slept in this cave.

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On the road to Damascus, Paul had
a vision of Jesus and dedicated

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his life to converting others
around the known world,

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with the constant risk of being
martyred for his evangelising work.

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The pagan practices that St Paul
discovered in the city below,

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outraged him.

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Ephesus was a religious epicentre
in the Pagan world.

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Travellers came to worship at
the Temples of Artemis and of Nike.

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We like to call her Nike. You know,
we like to make things English.

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Yes, that Nike!

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When she was just the Goddess
of Victory, and to offer the gods

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animal sacrifices.

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How would they find out
what the gods and goddesses wanted?

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Priests and priestesses used to tell
them wanted they wanted so each god,

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or goddesses, had
certain functions, certain duties.

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So through this they knew of
what the gods or goddesses wanted.

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And how did the priests seek the
guidance of the gods or goddesses?

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Looking at the liver of the victims

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sacrifice on the altar
outside the temple.

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Paul denounced sacrifices.

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Jesus' sacrifice
redeemed all humanity

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He condemned
the multiplicity of gods.

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For him, there was only one god.

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He berated the idol sellers
at the temple.

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As a consequence, Christians posed
a threat to imperial interests.

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Most of the Roman temples were
functioning as banks so when

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Christians told their followers not
to go to temples, not to sacrifice

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animals there, it was

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radical drop, drastical drop of
their income for the imperial cult.

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And business is business!

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Business is business, yes!

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In the Roman world,
there was no distinction

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between religion and politics.

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Emperors sought divine instructions
and became gods themselves.

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So the idea of a single god
challenged the state.

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Some emperors saw Christianity
as treason punishable by death.

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Here in Aphrodisius, a small city

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dedicated to the goddess of Love, is
a superbly preserved Roman stadium.

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In places like this, traitors
were dealt with sadistically.

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By the time you get
to the mid third century, some

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emperors systematically decided that
Christians either had to sacrifice

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or they'd to be excluded.

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By the time you to get to
the late third century, Diocletian

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and the age of persecutions into
the early fourth centuries, then

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we can, in fact, talk of empire-wide
persecutions against Christians.

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In stadia like this, families would
gather to cheer on the gladiators.

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And for lunch-time entertainment
they might set a Christian ablaze,

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or feed him to the wild beasts.

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It might seem a one-sided struggle,
the mighty Empire

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with its armies and its jails and
its arenas of death, pitted against

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a few pacifist Christians.

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But faced with impending slaughter,
the Christians followed the example

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of Jesus and welcomed death.

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They deployed against the state

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that most powerful of
political weapons - martyrdom.

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I think there's very clear evidence
that as these huge waves of

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persecution are unleashed, you get

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a large growth
in the Christian population.

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There would probably be seen by
the aristocracy, the powers that be

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in their particular area,
that's the chance where they have

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to demonstrate their Christianity
as they die in the arena.

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They're dying well.

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The willingness to die for faith won
admiration amongst the Roman elite.

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Amongst the converts to Christianity
was Constantine's mother.

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Constantine's mother
was a Christian.

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As a matter of fact she was.

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And her name was Helena
and we have a representation

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of her here, in this church.

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She's standing next to Constantine
and what unites them is a cross.

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She travelled
as far as Jerusalem

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and she was
one of the first pilgrims.

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Helena's faith
led her to build the Church

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of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem,
one of Christianity's holiest sites.

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Persecution strengthens
your enemies.

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Martyrdom attracts new recruits.

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Christianity spread.

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His teachings touched the conscience
of the most powerful man on earth.

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Invited in from the cold,
Christianity was to be enthroned

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as a religious and political force
without compare.

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Despite persecution, or because of
it, the Christian population reached

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near 10% of the Roman Empire by
the beginning of the fourth century.

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With an effective structure of

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bishops and clergy
spread throughout the Empire,

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the church found recruits
even within the Roman legions.

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In 306 AD, in far-off Britain,

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the Roman army declared
a new emperor, Constantine.

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These fragments are part of a

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huge statue of him
commissioned during his life time.

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Egotistical - yes, but his impact on
our history and on our modern world

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is indeed, colossal.

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Without Constantine, history would

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have been much different.
That much we do know.

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Had Constantine not ordered
the fifty copies of the Gospel,

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we wouldn't have had the Gutenberg
Bible rolling off the printing press

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in the 15th century.

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Under Constantine, Christianity
goes from being something

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which opposes the Empire to being
part of the Empire and then indeed

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you have to be a Christian in order
to be part of the Empire at all.

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Because of the enormity of the
Empire, it had four co-rulers.

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Constantine
governed Britain, Gaul and Spain.

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Maxentius, co-Emperor in Rome,
was unpopular and vulnerable.

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Constantine fought his way across
Europe ready to seize control

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of the entire western half
of the Empire.

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The decisive encounter was on the
road to Rome at the Milvian Bridge.

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And it was here

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that the crucial battle against his
co-ruler Maxentius was fought.

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But before that engagement

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an extraordinary event
is said to have occurred.

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Constantine seems to have seen
some kind of vision in the sky.

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Later historians have
supposed it was a solar halo.

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Constantine's spin doctor, if we can
call him that, Ucebius of Caesaria,

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very firmly said it
was the Kyro signal,

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the symbol of Christ in the sky.

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And that was it, he
became a Christian.

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Having once worshiped the
pagan sun god, Sol Invictus,

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Constantine now worshipped the son
of God, Jesus Christ.

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The following day,
Constantine's vastly outnumbered

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troops fought carrying shields
marked with the sign of the cross.

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In the battle,
Maxentius was completely routed

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and he was drowned
in the River Tiber.

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Constantine had indeed won
under the sign of the cross.

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These frescoes indicate what

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we understand as the change in
Constantine, the defeat of Maxentius

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at the Milvian Bridge and then
immediately afterwards the triumphal

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entry into Rome when Constantine
becomes the only Emperor of the West.

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What happens to the
loser, Maxentius?

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Maxentius was fished out of the
river and decapitated and Constantine

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paraded his head in the triumphal
march through the streets of Rome.

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Oh, I see.
There, indeed, we see the head.

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Yes. Yes.The crowned head

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of poor old Maxentius, having spent
a night in the water of the Tiber.

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Parading your rival's head on a pole
may not seem especially Christian.

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The truth of Christianity
in Constantine's mind

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was perhaps somewhat ambiguous.

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Constantine was an emperor.

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He was ruthless. He was ambitious
and he was very successful.

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At the same time, in his own way,

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I do think he embraced this Son of
God, S-O-N and not S-U-N,

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to be the Son of God

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and therefore his hope in
the afterlife of redemption.

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Historians and churchmen have
for centuries debated

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whether Constantine's conversion
was more political than sincere.

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We are still guessing.

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Whatever it was, the conversion of
Constantine was the single most

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important political event in the
history of the Christian church.

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By 313 AD, Constantine had

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implemented a policy of empire-wide
religious toleration, giving the

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Christian church open access to
the wealth and power of the state.

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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
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