Constantine the Great and the Christian Church

by Norman Hepburn Baynes

Norman Baynes's Raleigh Lecture on Constantine, delivered in 1930 and published the following year, provided not only a major and incisive contribution to the study of the Emperor and the early Christian Church, but also a unique survey of research up to that date. Subsequent bibliographical surveys have done no more than supplement his work on defined areas within the field. This important lecture is now reprinted with a new Preface by Dr. Henry Chadwick which outlines the progress of studies on the subject in the intervening forty years, including Baynes's own contributions before his death in 1961.

Library Binding

First published January 1, 1930

About the author

(1877-1961)

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scholarship on Constantine took a more moderate turn in the 20th century following the harsh criticism of Jacob Burckhart in the mid-19th century. Norman Baynes argues for a Constantine who is genuinely a Christian, and believes himself called by God to bring unity to the Christian church for the sake of the empire's continued prosperity. He appeals to the letters and edicts of Constantine accepted as genuine in order to support his case.