Constantine the Great or Constantine I<<(7 February 272 – 22 May 337) was the Roman Emperor best known for the elevation of Christianity. During his reign he made it legal to be a Christian and officially ended the Christian Persecutions with the Edict of Milan.
He convened a council of Christian bishops called The Council of Nicaea that met from May until the end of July 325. The goal of this first meeting and those that followed was to take the various Christian teachings and arrive at a consensus. They strove to create a unified Church with a single doctrine. The result was semi successful. Two churches arose from these meetings; the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Constantine made his capital Constantinople (Istanbul) in the Eastern Empire and was baptized shortly before his death by the Arian bishop Eusebius of Nicomedia. Arianism does not follow the Holy Trinity doctrine, instead believing God and Jesus to be distinct from one another (see Arian Controversy). He died in 337.
This is ironic to say the least. Constantine had, after the First Counsel of Nicaea, issued an edict against Arius.
In addition, if any writing composed by Arius should be found, it should be handed over to the flames, so that not only will the wickedness of his teaching be obliterated, but nothing will be left even to remind anyone of him. And I hereby make a public order, that if someone should be discovered to have hidden a writing composed by Arius, and not to have immediately brought it forward and destroyed it by fire, his penalty shall be death. As soon as he is discovered in this offense, he shall be submitted for capital punishment – Edict by Emperor Constantine against the Arians Wikipedia
It is believed the New Testament Canon was decided at the First Council of Nicaea (325 CE). The only evidence, however, is the 39th Festal Letter of Athanasius (367 AD). The Bishops of Alexandria, in conformity with a decision of the First Council of Nicaea, announced the date on which Easter was to be celebrated in their Festal Letters.
Athanasius lists the books of the New Testament as the familiar 27: the 4 Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, the 7 General or Catholic epistles (listed in the order in which they appear in modern editions of the New Testament), the 14 Pauline epistles (listed with the Letter to the Hebrews placed between those to the Thessalonians and the Pastoral epistles), and the Book of Revelation. Although the order in which Athanasius places the books is different from what is now usual, his list is the earliest reference to the present canon of the New Testament – Wikipedia
The Apostle Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, was a Christian apostle (c. 5 – c. 64/65 AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. 14 of the chosen New Testament books are attributed to Paul, including 1 and 2 Thessalonians.
1 Thessalonians 2:14 For you, my brothers, have modelled yourselves on the churches of God in Christ Jesus which are in Judaea, in that you have suffered the same treatment from your own countrymen as they have had from the Jews 15 who put the Lord Jesus to death, and the prophets too, and persecuted us also. Their conduct does not please God, and makes them the enemies of the whole human race
Paul was a converted Jew. Does this accusation of deicide make him anti – Semitic? The topic is debated but, it is in line with the play of blame between Pilate and Caiaphus. That he was a Jew doesn’t matter, he knew he wouldn’t necessarily be in the future.
Why are there more books by Paul in the New Testament than any other author?
One reason, as noted, Christianity was already a very big deal in Rome, and had numerous followers. Another; one could gain control of such a movement and homogenize it, make it relatively harmless, if someone were allowed to lead it. This person would have to become famous through controversy. This person would come to define Christianity and hold it to specific beliefs deemed necessary. Some things could be changed, but some things would not be allowed to change. Belief in the Holy Trinity is an example, anti – Semitism another.
After his victory over Licinius, Constantine inaugurated a more and more hostile policy toward the Jews. It is true that as early as 321 a law was promulgated which made it obligatory for Jews to fill onerous, expensive municipal offices; while on the other hand such Jews as had devoted themselves to the service of their own religion were exempted in 330 from all public services, and those who were already “curiales” were freed from the levying of taxes. In 329, however, the Jews were forbidden to perform the rite of circumcision on slaves or to own Christian slaves; the death penalty was ordained for those who embraced the Jewish faith, as well as for Jews versed in the Law who aided them. On the other hand, Jewish converts to Christianity were protected against the fanaticism of their former coreligionists. Simultaneously with this an edict was issued forbidding marriages between Jews and Christians, and imposing the death penalty upon any Jew who should transgress this law. Some of these enactments were affirmed in 335. Noteworthy is the hostile language of several of these laws, in which Judaism is spoken of as an ignominious or as a bestial sect – Jewish Encyclopedia
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