Bishops of Rome under Constantine I in the context of "History of the papacy"

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⭐ Core Definition: Bishops of Rome under Constantine I

Constantine the Great's (272–337) relationship with the four Bishops of Rome during his reign is an important component of the history of the Papacy, and more generally the history of the Catholic Church.

The legend surrounding Constantine I's victory in the Battle of the Milvian Bridge (312) relates his vision of the Chi Rho (☧) and the text in hoc signo vinces in the sky and his reproducing this symbol on the shields of his troops. The following year Constantine and Licinius proclaimed the toleration of Christianity with the Edict of Milan, and in 325 Constantine convened and presided over the First Council of Nicaea, the first ecumenical council. None of this, however, has particularly much to do with the popes, who did not even attend the Council; in fact, the first bishop of Rome to be contemporaneously referred to as "Pope" (πάππας, or pappas) is Damasus I (366-384). Moreover, between 324 and 330, he built Constantinople as a new capital for the empire, and—with no apologies to the Roman community of Christians—relocated key Roman families and translated many Christian relics to the new churches.

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👉 Bishops of Rome under Constantine I in the context of History of the papacy

According to Catholicism, the pope is head of the Catholic Church, a position that spans from the time of Saint Peter to the present day.

In the first three centuries of the Christian era, many of Peter's successors as bishops of Rome are obscure figures, most suffering martyrdom along with members of their flock in periods of persecution. During the Early Church, the bishops of Rome enjoyed no temporal power until the time of Constantine. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire about 476, the medieval papacy was influenced by the temporal rulers of Italy; these periods are known as the Ostrogothic Papacy, Byzantine Papacy, and Frankish Papacy. Over time, the papacy consolidated its territorial claims to a portion of the peninsula known as the Papal States. Thereafter, the role of neighboring sovereigns was replaced by powerful Roman families during the saeculum obscurum, the Crescentii era, and the Tusculan Papacy.

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LINKED FROM (PARENTS)
← History of the papacy
LINKS TO (CHILDREN)
Raphael → The Vision of the Cross → Chi Rho → Santi Quattro Coronati → Pope Sylvester I → Constantine the Great → Bishop of Rome → History of the Papacy → History of the Catholic Church → Battle of the Milvian Bridge → ☧ → In hoc signo vinces → Licinius → Edict of Milan → First Council of Nicaea → Ecumenical council → Pope → Pope Damasus I → Constantinople →