title: Defending Constantine: The Twilight of an Empire and the Dawn of Christendom
author: Peter J. Leithart
description: Leithart (Deep Exegesis), a pastor who teaches at New St. Andrews College in Moscow, Idaho, takes aim at the received wisdom that Constantine's establishment of Christianity as the religion of the Roman Empire was a political co-optation that made the church the creature and justification of the imperial state. He reads the original ancient, the seminal secondary, and lots of other sources to contend that Constantine was a believer and a conciliator who sought theological agreement for the political stability it brought. Contra the influential interpretation of Anabaptist theologian John Howard Yoder, Leithart maintains that when Constantine is understood in historical context, his disestablishment of pagan religion opens a place for a Christian understanding of sacrifice and of the significance of the kingdom of God. His provocative view deserves examination. Besides his peers, general readers with a close knowledge of early church history will appreciate his well-supported argument, and anybody whose understanding of early church history comes from The Da Vinci Code needs to read this. (Nov.) <br />(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
zlib_text: 
  
  
  
  
  
  ![cover](resources/_cover_.jpg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  * * *
  
  # The Elene of Cynewulf
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Cynewulf
  
  
  This page formatted 2004 Munsey's.
  
  
  http://www.munseys.com
  
  PREFACE
  
  
  1\. THE EMPEROR CONSTANTINE.
  
  
  2\. THE WAR WITH THE BARBARIANS.
  
  
  3\. THE DREAM.
  
  
  4\. THE BATTLE.
  
  
  5\. THE ASSEMBLY.
  
  
  6\. THE CONVERSION OF CONSTANTINE.
  
  
  7\. THE JOURNEY OF ELENE.
  
  
  8\. THE COUNCILS OF THE JEWS.
  
  
  9\. THE SPEECH OF JUDAS.
  
  
  10\. ELENE AND JUDAS.
  
  
  11\. THE FINDING OF THE CROSSES.
  
  
  12\. THE MIRACLE OF THE TRUE CROSS.
  
  
  13\. JUDAS AND THE DEVIL.
  
  
  14\. THE EMBASSY TO CONSTANTINE.
  
  
  15\. THE BUILDING OF THE TEMPLE.
  
  
  16\. THE CONVERSION OF JUDAS.
  
  
  17\. THE FINDING OF THE NAILS.
  
  
  18\. ELENE'S DISPOSAL OF THE NAILS.
  
  
  19\. CONCLUSION.
  
  
  20\. EPILOGUE.
  
  
  
  
  
  * * *
  
      
  
  Produced by David Starner, Linda Cantoni, and the Online Distributed
  
  
  Proofreading Team.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  YALE STUDIES IN ENGLISH
  
  
  
  
  
  ALBERT S. COOK, EDITOR
  
  
  
  
  
  XXI
  
  
  
  
  
  THE
  
  
  
  
  
  ELENE OF CYNEWULF
  
  
  
  
  
  TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH PROSE