The early Christian churches

EARLY Christianity was a loose grouping of churches established mainly by each of the Apostles, and some disciples, in different parts of Europe, Africa and Asia. With the Serbian, Novak Djokovic, born at Belgrade 22.5.1987, winning the 2023 Australian Tennis Open, let’s look at another leader from his area: the Romans’ Emperor Falvius Constantine was born 27th Feb 272 at Naissus, about 240 km south-east of Belgrade, in what is now Serbia. Died 22nd May 337. Regardless of our own opinions, Novak bravely stood for his non-vaccine-for-covid beliefs in 2022, and Constantine bravely changed the established religious beliefs of the whole Roman Empire.

Falvius was the son of Falvius Constantius, a Roman officer, and St Helena, a Greek Christian. In 312, the younger Falvius, now emperor, started to favour his mother’s religion of Christianity and in 313, stopped the 300 years of persecution of the Christians. On his deathbed, in 337, aged 65, he was baptised as a Christian probably by Eusebius of Nicomedia, an Arian bishop, or possibly by Pope Sylvester.

He essentially state-nationalised the Christian Church of Saint Peter which was based in Rome; fortunately for Constantine, this part of Christianity included Saint Paul, a prominent Roman. St Paul originally was Saul who had persecuted Christians in the decade after the crucifixion, until Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus. (Syria, or maybe Zealots cave-school called Damascus!)

Rather than worship to Jupiter and Mars, Constantine wanted a better church, capable of competing with the Jewish religion which already had maybe 20% of the empire as adherents. Even though he had much of the Bible re-written to ensure that Romans appeared in a good light, Constantine