Constantine the Great (272-337 A.D.) was responsible for two momentous transformations of history and civilization: moving the capital of the Empire from Rome to Constantinople (the City of Constantine) and making possible the conversion of the Roman Empire to Christianity.
Constantine is regarded as a saint by the Eastern Church, but is not so highly regarded in the West. All of us, East and West, should be thankful that Constantine, God’s Champion, delivered our Christian forefathers from three centuries of terrible persecutions by “executive order,” the Edict of Milan in 313.
The great church historian and Constantine biographer, Eusebius, once heard the Emperor say, when he was entertaining a company of bishops, “You are bishops whose jurisdiction is within the Church: I also am a bishop, ordained by God to overlook whatever is external to the Church.”
Eusebius added, “And truly his measures corresponded with his words; for he watched over his subjects with an episcopal care and exhorted them as far as in him lay to follow a godly life.”
To Eusebius Constantine was the “the blessed Emperor.”
Will “BishopTrump” one day be known as “Trump the Great?” Last year, Trump signed the “Presidential Executive Order Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty.” Since then he has moved the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Hopefully, he has made peace with North Korea, which will likely open up the country to evangelism.
So far these and other accomplishments are not as momentous as Constantine’s, but Trump is only 500 days into his likely eight years of governing. Bishop Constantine ruled the Empire for almost a quarter of a century.
Our blessed President!
