He merged them into an Empire
that lasted for centuries.
00:00:45.87\00:00:50.95
[Battle sounds]
00:00:50.98\00:00:58.22
This is his story.
00:01:03.73\00:01:05.06
A story of romance,
intrigue, power and conquest.
00:01:05.09\00:01:10.97
[Battle sounds]
00:01:23.91\00:01:28.18
The world knows him as
Constantine, the great conqueror
00:01:28.22\00:01:33.46
who managed to unite the Roman
Empire and the man who turned
00:01:33.49\00:01:37.29
the religion of Rome
completely on its head.
00:01:37.33\00:01:40.36
He's known as the man who
propelled and obscured Jewish
00:01:40.40\00:01:44.37
sect into the global powerhouse
religion we now know as
00:01:44.40\00:01:49.37
Christianity. But what most
people don't know is how this
00:01:49.40\00:01:53.74
incredible man got his
start. And how profoundly his
00:01:53.78\00:01:58.08
roots shaped his thinking
and then the thinking of the
00:01:58.11\00:02:01.98
whole world.
00:02:02.02\00:02:03.35
He was born to a peasant girl
who had to prove to a group of
00:02:03.39\00:02:07.09
soldiers that her son's
father was the governor of the
00:02:07.12\00:02:10.29
Roman province of Dalmatia.
A powerful and influential man
00:02:10.33\00:02:14.63
named Flavius Constantia's
but once that happened
00:02:14.66\00:02:19.70
once she disputed indisputable
proof that the Roman governor
00:02:19.73\00:02:23.94
was her baby's father,
it started a chain of events
00:02:23.97\00:02:27.81
that rocked the whole planet and
changed the course of history.
00:02:27.84\00:02:31.51
Constantine grew up
to become Emperor of Rome
00:02:31.55\00:02:35.42
and his life was destined
to cross that of another
00:02:35.45\00:02:39.05
great world leader Jesus Christ.
00:02:39.09\00:02:41.49
At first glance the similarities
between the early lives of
00:02:41.52\00:02:46.53
Constantine and
Jesus are astonishing.
00:02:46.56\00:02:49.83
They were both born
under a cloud of illegitimacy
00:02:49.86\00:02:53.44
in a remote
corner of the empire.
00:02:53.47\00:02:55.97
No one could have
imagined their future destinies
00:02:56.00\00:02:59.14
that they would in
different ways establish empires
00:02:59.17\00:03:03.35
and rule the world.
00:03:03.38\00:03:05.41
And when these empires collided,
the results were incredible
00:03:05.45\00:03:10.65
the impact determined the
very shape of our civilization.
00:03:10.69\00:03:14.59
But there's a strange
twist to this clash of empires
00:03:14.62\00:03:18.19
there's more than meets the
eye, in fact, it's one of the
00:03:18.23\00:03:22.06
biggest secrets of history.
Stay with us to find out
00:03:22.10\00:03:26.27
all about it.
00:03:26.30\00:03:28.20
When we left Helena
and her son Constantine
00:03:46.42\00:03:49.22
the end of episode one,
they seemed to have it made.
00:03:49.26\00:03:53.16
Instead of abandoning
them, Constantine's father
00:03:53.19\00:03:58.40
Constantia's had called them
away from Naissus just a small
00:03:58.43\00:04:02.37
town really to come and
live with him in the governor's
00:04:02.40\00:04:05.91
palace. Constantia's has
actually married Helena and both
00:04:05.94\00:04:11.11
she and her son are being
educated in all the arts of
cultured civilization.
00:04:11.15\00:04:15.62
What could possibly go wrong?
00:04:15.65\00:04:18.72
The emperor at the time
was Diocletian, he had become
00:04:18.75\00:04:23.02
emperor through some
rather murky circumstances
00:04:23.06\00:04:25.99
and historians have long
suspected that he had murdered
00:04:26.03\00:04:29.83
the previous emperor.
00:04:29.86\00:04:31.27
When Diocletian took the reigns
of power, he soon found that
00:04:31.30\00:04:35.84
running a vast empire
that stretched from England to
00:04:35.87\00:04:39.37
North Africa and from
Spain to the far reaches of the
00:04:39.41\00:04:42.94
Middle East. Without the
technology that we take for
00:04:42.98\00:04:46.78
granted today was a huge job.
00:04:46.82\00:04:49.25
He needed to find people
he could trust to help him
00:04:49.28\00:04:53.22
run the empire.
00:04:53.25\00:04:54.72
That's why in A.D.
283 the Emperor Diocletian
00:04:54.76\00:04:59.69
divided the empire into
two sections, an Eastern Empire
00:04:59.73\00:05:04.23
and a Western Empire.
00:05:04.27\00:05:06.53
Then he divided responsibility
for its administration
00:05:06.57\00:05:10.04
among four men. On
each side of the empire
00:05:10.07\00:05:13.71
there was an Augustus,
the senior emperor, and there
00:05:13.74\00:05:17.48
was also a Caesar, the
junior to the Augustus.
00:05:17.51\00:05:21.52
And so it happened
that Diocletian appointed
00:05:21.55\00:05:26.86
Constantia's the governor of
Dalmatia as the Junior Emperor
00:05:26.89\00:05:30.73
of the Western Roman
Empire with the title of Caesar.
00:05:30.76\00:05:33.80
This had consequences for
Constantine and his mother.
00:05:33.83\00:05:38.33
You see, Constantia's now
had ambitions to reach the top
00:05:38.37\00:05:43.61
and he decided to
get rid of Helena,
00:05:43.64\00:05:46.14
he saw her as a sub-standard
wife, she was still just a
00:05:46.17\00:05:51.01
peasant really, not the
right sort of companion for an
00:05:51.05\00:05:55.62
emperor. So he divorced
Helena and he upgraded to a more
00:05:55.65\00:06:00.59
appropriate wife Theodosia
who had powerful political
00:06:00.62\00:06:05.06
connections. She was the
daughter of the Senior Emperor
00:06:05.09\00:06:09.30
Maximian a woman who
was 26 younger than he was
00:06:09.33\00:06:13.03
Well although Constantia's
did it for very good political
00:06:13.07\00:06:17.01
reasons you can imagine
the impact this had on Helena.
00:06:17.04\00:06:20.04
When she heard that she
was going to be replaced
00:06:20.08\00:06:22.71
by a much younger woman
who was of noble Roman blood
00:06:22.74\00:06:26.65
many historians believe that
it was at this point that Helena
00:06:26.68\00:06:31.85
had turned for comfort outside
of the traditions of Rome
00:06:31.89\00:06:35.22
and embraced
the Christian faith.
00:06:35.26\00:06:37.79
The implications of
this was staggering.
00:06:37.83\00:06:41.50
A member of one of the highest
ranking households in the empire
00:06:41.53\00:06:45.47
now belonged to a sect that
the empire hated with a passion.
00:06:45.50\00:06:51.64
You see at that time it
was a crime to be a Christian,
00:06:51.67\00:06:55.84
they faced severe persecution
in the hands of the Romans.
00:06:55.88\00:06:59.71
Christians worship God and
not the emperor and so they were
00:06:59.75\00:07:04.72
seen as a threat to the empire
and faced torture, prison,
00:07:04.75\00:07:08.86
and death. Thousands were
massacred and that's the faith
00:07:08.89\00:07:13.83
that Constantine's
mother had adopted.
00:07:13.86\00:07:16.77
So now, let's go
back to Constantine,
00:07:16.80\00:07:20.60
it's not hard to
understand that Constantine
00:07:20.64\00:07:23.97
probably harbored resentment
for the rest of his life
00:07:24.01\00:07:27.41
at how his mother had been
treated when she was cast off
00:07:27.44\00:07:31.51
by his father Constantia's.
00:07:31.55\00:07:33.92
Now a grown man Constantine
was given the rank of Centurion
00:07:33.95\00:07:39.32
and sent east to work for the
emperor who was always traveling
00:07:39.35\00:07:43.59
checking on the administration
of the empire and inspecting
00:07:43.63\00:07:47.30
its defenses. These twelve
years he spent with the Emperor
00:07:47.33\00:07:51.23
Diocletian must have been
formative, he learned how to
00:07:51.27\00:07:55.27
manage an empire by
watching how Diocletian did it
00:07:55.30\00:07:59.37
and Diocletian wasn't a
very nice person at all.
00:07:59.41\00:08:04.05
Around that time the
Emperor Diocletian was forced to
00:08:04.08\00:08:08.32
deal with a serious threat
to his power and it came from
00:08:08.35\00:08:12.02
an unlikely source, it came
from a religious sect called
00:08:12.05\00:08:15.69
the Manichaean's which
had a power base in Egypt.
00:08:15.72\00:08:19.66
This group had been founded
by a Persian called Manni.
00:08:19.86\00:08:24.23
Now Manni called himself an
apostle of Christ even though
00:08:24.27\00:08:28.67
he promoted beliefs that
were at odds with Christianity
00:08:28.70\00:08:32.21
such as reincarnation.
However Manni did borrow heavily
00:08:32.24\00:08:37.25
from Christianity as well
as from other faiths such as
00:08:37.28\00:08:40.75
Buddhism,
Zoroastrianism, and Hinduism.
00:08:40.78\00:08:45.45
Now the Romans didn't generally
care what you believed in
00:08:45.49\00:08:49.39
as long as you didn't do what
the Manichaean's did in Egypt
00:08:49.42\00:08:53.90
They staged a military
revolt and at this point,
00:08:53.93\00:08:59.67
their religious beliefs
suddenly became a big issue.
00:08:59.70\00:09:04.24
Diocletian brutally
quashed the rebellion in Egypt
00:09:04.27\00:09:08.94
literally sending the
Manichaean's to the salt mines
00:09:08.98\00:09:12.58
and Constantine was right
there alongside his emperor.
00:09:12.61\00:09:16.65
Now, the Romans couldn't
really differentiate between the
00:09:16.69\00:09:21.29
Christians and the Manichaean's,
they couldn't tell them apart
00:09:21.32\00:09:24.69
and Diocletian's junior emperor
in the east Caesar Galerius
00:09:24.73\00:09:29.50
hated Christians with a passion.
00:09:29.53\00:09:32.33
So he started putting pressure
on Diocletian to do something
00:09:32.37\00:09:37.01
about these nasty Christians
who were undermining the empire?
00:09:37.04\00:09:42.24
At around the same time,
the pagan philosopher Palfrey
00:09:42.28\00:09:47.32
started to publish a text
against the Christian faith
00:09:47.35\00:09:50.19
he was a highly educated man
and his attacks were so strong
00:09:50.22\00:09:55.16
that Christians continue to
defend themselves against them
00:09:55.19\00:09:58.79
long after his death.
00:09:58.83\00:10:00.60
So eventually, Diocletian
decided that he needed to
00:10:00.63\00:10:06.33
do something about the
Christians but he knew that
00:10:06.37\00:10:09.40
persecuting Christians
in the past hadn't worked.
00:10:09.44\00:10:12.41
The more of them that
were killed, the more they grew
00:10:12.44\00:10:15.54
in numbers. So he decided
to start with civil penalties
00:10:15.58\00:10:20.42
first, the first thing
the emperor did was to dismiss
00:10:20.45\00:10:24.45
all the Christians in the
army and then all the Christians
00:10:24.49\00:10:28.49
who worked in the palace
00:10:28.52\00:10:29.92
However, when this
didn't seem to have any impact,
00:10:29.96\00:10:33.43
Diocletian issued an
Edict against Christians to be
00:10:33.46\00:10:37.73
enforced throughout the
empire including in the west.
00:10:37.77\00:10:40.90
Christians were denied their
rights so that anyone could
00:10:45.31\00:10:52.81
attack them and steal
from them with impunity
00:10:52.85\00:10:55.68
they were
effectively non- persons.
00:10:55.72\00:10:58.99
A few months later the leaders
of the church were rounded up
00:10:59.02\00:11:03.09
and told that if they didn't
offer sacrifices to the emperor
00:11:03.12\00:11:06.33
like everyone else,
they would be put to death
00:11:06.36\00:11:09.36
then this edict was
posted up in public places.
00:11:09.40\00:11:13.13
That same day a Christian by
the name of Eleuterus lost his
00:11:13.17\00:11:18.47
temper and ripped the
edict down, trampling it on the
00:11:18.51\00:11:21.64
ground. He was immediately
arrested and taken before the
00:11:21.68\00:11:26.31
magistrate. When the judge
told him what the likely penalty
00:11:26.35\00:11:30.52
would be, Eleuterus answered:
00:11:30.55\00:11:38.53
The judge replied:
00:11:38.56\00:11:40.90
Guards took Eleuterus, tortured
him all night and when the sun
00:11:51.67\00:11:56.71
rose, they tied him to a
stake and burned him to death.
00:11:56.75\00:12:00.55
It was reported that he suffered
death with admirable patience
00:12:00.58\00:12:05.12
and in peace.
00:12:05.15\00:12:06.82
What the emperor Diocletian
wanted was for Christians
00:12:06.86\00:12:10.99
to come to their
senses according to him
00:12:11.03\00:12:13.73
and offer sacrifices to
the gods, but they never did.
00:12:13.76\00:12:17.73
They refused. Eleuterus was
the first victim of the infamous
00:12:17.77\00:12:23.27
Diocletian persecution,
but he wasn't the last
00:12:23.30\00:12:26.98
there were many. By April
of A.D. 304 merely being a
00:12:27.01\00:12:32.91
Christian
incurred the death penalty
00:12:32.95\00:12:35.32
yes, it was a deadly
crime to be a Christian.
00:12:35.35\00:12:40.26
In actual practice
however the persecutions of the
00:12:40.29\00:12:44.66
Christians wasn't universal
or uniform across the empire,
00:12:44.69\00:12:48.73
it was much worse in the
east because Gularius hated
00:12:48.76\00:12:53.44
Christianity in fact,
in the waste of the empire
00:12:53.47\00:12:57.11
it wasn't always so bad, that's
where Constantia's was the
00:12:57.14\00:13:01.98
Caesar the second in command.
00:13:02.01\00:13:03.95
This brings us back to
Constantia's and Helena
00:13:03.98\00:13:08.32
because after
Constantia's divorced Helena
00:13:08.35\00:13:11.79
and married Theodosia, they
had a daughter whom they named
00:13:11.82\00:13:15.92
Anastasia. Now this is
significant because this is a
00:13:15.96\00:13:20.23
Christian name
meaning resurrection.
00:13:20.26\00:13:23.37
Though divorced, Helena
was still part of the Imperial
00:13:23.40\00:13:27.24
household, maybe this
Christian name was somehow
00:13:27.27\00:13:30.91
due to her influence or perhaps
it was the influence of other
00:13:30.94\00:13:34.91
Christians in the
palace. We'll never really know
00:13:34.94\00:13:38.15
however, it seems obvious
that Christians were influential
00:13:38.18\00:13:42.62
in the
household of Constantia's.
00:13:42.65\00:13:45.12
It seems likely that Constantine
had been exposed to the
00:13:45.15\00:13:49.29
Christian faith before he
went to live with Diocletian.
00:13:49.32\00:13:52.79
However unlike his mother
he didn't become a Christian
00:13:52.83\00:13:56.40
at that time but this
might explain his later infinity
00:13:56.43\00:14:00.50
for the religion.
00:14:00.54\00:14:01.87
Shortly after his persecution
of the Christians began
00:14:01.90\00:14:06.84
Diocletian did something
that no other Roman Emperor
00:14:06.88\00:14:11.25
had ever done before, he decided
that he was too old to rule
00:14:11.28\00:14:16.75
and so for the good of
the empire, he chose to retire
00:14:16.79\00:14:21.09
while he was still
at the top of his game.
00:14:21.12\00:14:23.53
Diocletian contacted the
senior emperor in the west
00:14:23.56\00:14:28.36
Maximum and he suggested
that they should both step aside
00:14:28.40\00:14:32.53
and promote their second in
command to the top position.
00:14:32.57\00:14:36.07
Soon after this
Constantine saw his opportunity
00:14:36.10\00:14:40.84
to cease power and the key
to power was his father's army.
00:14:40.88\00:14:45.95
So Constantine fled the palace
in Nicodemia where he was based
00:14:45.98\00:14:50.52
and traveled westward
as fast as he could go.
00:14:50.55\00:14:53.56
He was so desperate to
get away and reach his father
00:14:53.59\00:14:57.43
that he killed every
horse along the Imperial Highway
00:14:57.46\00:15:00.70
to stop any pursuers.
00:15:00.73\00:15:02.83
Constantine and his father
were reunited in Gaul where they
00:15:02.86\00:15:07.70
fought a battle together
against the Pits, a fierce tribe
00:15:07.74\00:15:11.47
from the British Isles.
00:15:11.51\00:15:13.04
In that battle Constantine
fought so bravely and
00:15:13.07\00:15:17.35
magnificently that they honored
the request of his dying father.
00:15:17.38\00:15:21.75
And on the 25th of July A.D.
306 the men took his fathers
00:15:21.78\00:15:27.86
purple cape and claimed him
as Augustus, the ruler of the
00:15:27.89\00:15:33.46
Western Empire.
00:15:33.50\00:15:34.83
But Constantine didn't
just want the west, he wanted
00:15:34.86\00:15:38.50
the entire empire, but he
still had powerful opposition.
00:15:38.53\00:15:42.87
Constantine was both smart and
patient, he just waited for the
00:15:42.90\00:15:48.04
right opportunity to present
itself and he didn't have to
00:15:48.08\00:15:51.98
wait long.
00:15:52.01\00:15:53.35
Maxentius was the son of
the retired western Augustus
00:15:53.38\00:15:59.05
Maximium and he thought
that he should rule the empire
00:15:59.09\00:16:01.59
so he convinced the city of Rome
to rebel against Constantine.
00:16:01.62\00:16:06.86
Now Constantine was still a
pagan who sacrificed to Apollo
00:16:06.90\00:16:12.17
before every battle, however
the Christian influence in his
00:16:12.20\00:16:15.97
household had continued to grow.
Not only his mother but now
00:16:16.00\00:16:21.14
his step-mother
Theodosia had also converted
00:16:21.18\00:16:24.61
and she even kept a Christian
minister right on the premises.
00:16:24.65\00:16:29.05
So now Constantine began
his long march toward Rome
00:16:29.08\00:16:33.89
and his date with
destiny fighting his way against
00:16:33.92\00:16:37.73
Maxientus's forces.
00:16:37.99\00:16:39.43
Constantine wasn't just a
great leader, he was also an
00:16:39.46\00:16:44.17
inspirational fighter who
led from the front and then he
00:16:44.20\00:16:48.20
camped a little distance
out- side of Rome itself
00:16:48.24\00:16:51.07
The battle lines were drawn.
00:16:51.11\00:16:54.51
Inside Rome Maxentius made a
most unusual pre-emptive strike,
00:16:54.54\00:17:00.22
he consulted the Sacred Sibling
Books, a collection of pagan
00:17:00.25\00:17:04.85
prophecies to see if he
could find the prophecy there
00:17:04.89\00:17:08.72
about who would win the
coming battle with Constantine.
00:17:08.76\00:17:11.86
The answer he got
was (and I quote.)
00:17:11.89\00:17:15.13
Maxentius was delighted because
as far as he was concerned
00:17:21.44\00:17:26.04
the enemy of Rome was
non-other than Constantine.
00:17:26.07\00:17:30.65
However the Sibling Prophecy
also meant that there had to be
00:17:30.75\00:17:35.18
a battle the next day and
Constantine was showing no sign
00:17:35.22\00:17:39.65
of attacking which meant
that Maxentius would have to
00:17:39.69\00:17:43.36
strike first. Camped outside
the city a messenger brought
00:17:43.39\00:17:48.36
Constantine the bad
news. Maxentius claimed he had
00:17:48.40\00:17:53.10
discovered a prophecy that
he would win and Constantine
00:17:53.13\00:17:58.01
would be killed.
00:17:58.04\00:17:59.37
Now the Romans were very
superstitious and Constantine
00:17:59.41\00:18:03.98
saw the spirit of his men fall
as the news spread throughout
00:18:04.01\00:18:08.68
his army.
00:18:08.72\00:18:10.69
Constantine knew that he
needed to come up with his own
00:18:10.72\00:18:14.86
omen to bolster his
men's spirits ahead of the
00:18:14.89\00:18:17.93
coming battle and that's when
one of the most famous episodes
00:18:17.96\00:18:22.06
in world history
suddenly unfolded.
00:18:22.10\00:18:25.03
And this is the point
where Jesus and Constantine
00:18:25.07\00:18:29.80
actually began to merge.
00:18:29.84\00:18:31.97
The message of Jesus Christ
was spreading around the world
00:18:32.01\00:18:36.48
and it had reached the very
heart of the empire, Rome itself
00:18:36.51\00:18:41.32
it had even captured
the allegiance of members of
00:18:41.35\00:18:44.75
Constantine's own
family, his inner circle.
00:18:44.79\00:18:48.22
And now as he faces his greatest
challenge at the gates of
00:18:48.26\00:18:52.39
Rome, and desperate for super-
natural powers to protect him
00:18:52.43\00:18:56.67
from harm and bring him
victory, Constantine reaches out
00:18:56.70\00:19:01.84
and embraces Christianity
and the empire of Jesus Christ.
00:19:01.87\00:19:06.31
It's a clash of
cultures, beliefs and faiths
00:19:06.34\00:19:09.68
but Constantine throws in
his lot and aligns himself
00:19:09.71\00:19:15.12
with Christianity. And under its
banner Constantine came up with
00:19:15.15\00:19:20.89
his own telesmet, the Chirho.
Now the Chirho is really two
00:19:20.92\00:19:27.13
Greek letters blended together.
The letter chi, which looks like
00:19:27.16\00:19:31.83
our letter X but is really
a ch and the letter rho which
00:19:31.87\00:19:37.11
looks allays or P, but
is really the letter I.
00:19:37.14\00:19:40.38
Its widely recognized as
a Christian symbol because
00:19:40.41\00:19:44.88
together the two letters are
the first letters in the word
00:19:44.91\00:19:48.55
Christ, Chr. Constantine told
his men that he had seen the
00:19:48.58\00:19:54.76
symbol in a dream and
that the army had to put it on
00:19:54.79\00:19:57.79
their shields because it was
a guarantee that they would win.
00:19:57.83\00:20:02.00
There's a legend for which
there is no evidence that exists
00:20:02.03\00:20:06.43
that while the army had still
been in goal on its way to Rome,
00:20:06.47\00:20:10.91
that Constantine and indeed
the whole army had seen a cross
00:20:10.94\00:20:16.01
of light superimposed on
the sun attached to it in Greek
00:20:16.04\00:20:20.58
were the words, In
This Sign you will Conquer
00:20:20.62\00:20:26.82
and so, through Constantine
the two empires clash
00:20:26.86\00:20:31.79
and merge.
00:20:31.83\00:20:33.16
Roman Christianity
become entwined and interlinked
00:20:33.19\00:20:37.73
but there's a
strange twist to this merger,
00:20:37.77\00:20:40.84
there's more than meets the eye.
00:20:40.87\00:20:43.41
Because whenever politics and
religion unite there's always a
00:20:43.44\00:20:48.41
very real danger that truth
will suffer and be compromised
00:20:48.44\00:20:53.15
and that is evident in this
new merger right from the start.
00:20:53.18\00:20:57.69
In fact, it's one of the
biggest secrets of history.
00:20:57.72\00:21:02.06
You see the Cia-roh
wasn't a new symbol at all,
00:21:02.09\00:21:06.23
it predates Constantine
and even pre-dates Christ and
00:21:06.26\00:21:10.40
Christianity. The Cia-roh
was commonly used by pagans
00:21:10.43\00:21:15.60
to mean good luck.
Originally it was a pagan symbol
00:21:15.64\00:21:20.44
but it was adopted by
Constantine given a Christian
00:21:20.48\00:21:24.38
connotation and at least
his army now had a good omen.
00:21:24.41\00:21:28.95
A sign that the gods would
help them liberate the city of
00:21:28.98\00:21:32.42
Rome from Manutius.
00:21:32.45\00:21:34.69
Constantine's conversion, it has
often been said spoke more of
00:21:34.72\00:21:39.93
an expedience and
superstition than genuine
00:21:39.96\00:21:43.40
religious awakening.
00:21:43.43\00:21:45.43
What happened next was the
famous battle of the Milvian
00:21:47.60\00:21:51.61
Bridge. Early in the morning
Manutius's army launched a
00:21:51.64\00:21:56.64
surprise attack against
Constantine across the Mivian
00:21:56.68\00:21:59.95
Bridge outside Rome.
00:21:59.98\00:22:02.15
Maxentius was certain he
would win, he significantly
00:22:02.18\00:22:07.79
outnumbered Constantine's
army and he had the
00:22:07.82\00:22:10.89
the Sibling
Prophecy on his side.
00:22:10.93\00:22:12.83
What could possibly go wrong?
00:22:12.86\00:22:15.33
But Constantine was ready, his
counter-attack was deadly fast
00:22:15.36\00:22:20.64
and ferocious, he
attacked Maxentius's army
00:22:20.67\00:22:24.47
before they could even get
back over the bridge to safety.
00:22:24.51\00:22:28.34
In the middle of the
battle Maxentius found himself
00:22:28.38\00:22:32.65
pushed off his horse and over
the bridge and into the water.
00:22:32.68\00:22:36.32
His heavy armor meant he had
no chance, his mud-covered body
00:22:36.35\00:22:41.99
was found lying in the
reeds the next morning.
00:22:42.02\00:22:44.93
The battle was brutal and lasted
all-day until mid-afternoon,
00:22:44.96\00:22:49.90
at the end of it Maxentius
was dead, his army had been
00:22:49.93\00:22:54.90
crushed and
Constantine was the victor.
00:22:54.94\00:22:58.44
On the 29th of October A.D.
312 Constantine and his army
00:22:58.47\00:23:06.01
rode triumphantly into the city,
their shields emblazon with the
00:23:06.05\00:23:10.59
Cia-roh symbol and Constantine
entered with Maxientius's head
00:23:10.62\00:23:15.72
on a spear, that was unusual.
00:23:15.76\00:23:19.06
But there was something else
that was highly unusual about
00:23:19.09\00:23:22.90
Constantine's Victory
Procession, the custom was
00:23:22.93\00:23:27.07
that the conquering hero
would make his way to the
00:23:27.10\00:23:30.11
Capitoline Hill where he
would offer sacrifices of the
00:23:30.14\00:23:33.58
Temple of Jupiter, but this
time there was no sacrifice.
00:23:33.61\00:23:38.11
Jupiter didn't get the
credit this time the honor went
00:23:38.15\00:23:44.19
to the Christian God.
00:23:44.22\00:23:45.55
Constantine had been influenced
by his mother's religion
00:23:45.59\00:23:49.66
and embraced Christianity
in his hour of need.
00:23:49.69\00:23:52.99
The two empires had always been
at war but now they had clashed
00:23:53.03\00:23:58.70
in a very different way.
00:23:58.73\00:24:00.80
Now religion and politics came
together in a way they never had
00:24:00.84\00:24:06.88
before and with momentous
consequences, from that moment
00:24:06.91\00:24:11.91
on nothing in the Western World
would ever be the same again.
00:24:11.95\00:24:16.95
Christianity had survived
the persecution of the empire
00:24:16.99\00:24:21.96
but could it now survive
the embrace of the emperor
00:24:21.99\00:24:26.29
and maintain its
authenticity and purity?
00:24:26.33\00:24:29.66
That's the challenge we all
face when it comes to matters
00:24:29.70\00:24:33.20
of faith, being genuine and
being faithful because the clash
00:24:33.23\00:24:38.84
of empires continues.
We experience it in our
00:24:38.87\00:24:40.21
daily lives and it's a
clash that can bring apathy
00:24:40.24\00:24:46.11
and a temptation to compromise,
that's why the Bible continually
00:24:46.15\00:24:51.19
calls us to be faithful.
00:24:51.22\00:24:52.99
Here's what it says
in Revelation 2: 10, 11.
00:24:53.02\00:24:58.09
Have you ever wondered
about the chaos and confusion
00:25:12.14\00:25:15.21
that we see in our world today?
Have you ever wondered if God
00:25:15.24\00:25:19.71
is in control of our earth?
Well, if you'd like to find out
00:25:19.75\00:25:23.99
more about what the Bible
says concerning the clash of
00:25:24.02\00:25:28.36
two empires we see vying
for power in our world today
00:25:28.39\00:25:31.93
then I'd like to recommend the
free gift we have for all our
00:25:31.96\00:25:36.36
Incredible
Journey viewers today.
00:25:36.40\00:25:38.93
It's the booklet
Courage Under Fire.
00:25:38.97\00:25:43.04
This booklet will take you
behind the scenes and give you
00:25:43.07\00:25:48.21
inside information about what's
going on in our world today.
00:25:48.24\00:25:52.68
This booklet is our gift
to you and is absolutely free.
00:25:52.71\00:25:57.69
I guarantee there are no
costs or obligations whatsoever.
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So make the most of
this wonderful opportunity
00:26:02.02\00:26:05.23
to receive the free
gift we have for you today.
00:26:05.26\00:26:09.33
Phone or text us at 0436.333.555
in Australia or 020.422.2042
00:26:09.36\00:26:19.81
in New Zealand or visit
our website TiJ.tv to request
00:26:19.84\00:26:25.48
today's free offer and we'll
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00:26:30.99\00:26:38.09
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00:26:38.13\00:26:44.77
Don't delay,
call or text us now.
00:26:44.80\00:26:47.67
If you've enjoyed
today's journey through history,
00:26:50.77\00:26:53.27
as we've followed the
greatest clash of empires
00:26:53.31\00:26:56.54
this world has ever seen,
then be sure to join us again
00:26:56.58\00:27:00.32
next week when we will share
another of life's journey's
00:27:00.35\00:27:04.49
together. Until then, join
me as we pray and ask for God's
00:27:04.52\00:27:09.72
leading and
guidance in our lives.
00:27:09.76\00:27:12.26
Dear Lord, We thank
you that you are there
00:27:12.29\00:27:16.13
when there is a clash of empires
and trouble in our lives,
00:27:16.16\00:27:19.40
help us to be the faithful
people you desire us to be.
00:27:19.43\00:27:23.81
We recognize that you are
stronger than all of the evil
00:27:23.84\00:27:27.44
in the world that seeks
to do us harm and deceive us.
00:27:27.48\00:27:31.45
Give us wisdom to discern
what is happening our world
00:27:31.48\00:27:34.68
today and teach us to trust
you so that we may be overcomers
00:27:34.72\00:27:39.52
and receive your
crown of life in the end.
00:27:39.55\00:27:42.49
In Jesus name, we pray. Amen!
00:27:42.52\00:27:45.99