On Defending Constantine
In Defending Constantine , Peter Leithart draws a complex, sympathetic portrait of the first Christian emperor. Constantine ended the unimaginably horrible slaughter of Christians under Diocletian. It's no wonder that Eusebius and other Christian bishops were overjoyed to see him come to the throne. Leithart writes that they had "witnessed Christians being roasted alive and then witnessed Constantine kissing the empty eye-sockets of a persecuted brother." They can be forgiven for their understandable if overly optimistic expectations of what his reign would mean. Constantine also ended the cult of animal sacrifice that supported the empire and the gladiatorial slaughter in the arena. He provided funds to care for the poor and the sick and gave the poor greater access to courts of law. Like all emperors, Constantine sought glory and power. He could also be petty and vindictive. Constantine was immersed in Rome's military culture. He was in the Roman army from his you...