Both of those images are
strikingly close to a statue
found in the Vatican of the
Egyptian goddess Isis
holding a globe, symbolizing
her rule over the earth.Although Constantine "baptized" his troops, by all accounts he himself was not
baptized, nor did he make any kind of like commitment to the God of the
Christians until he was on his deathbed. At that point he was probably either too
weak or too apathetic to protest, and finally consented to be baptized. Before that
time, his actions contradicted his profession of faith in Christ.
ìAs he gradually advanced in the knowledge of the truth, he
proportionally declined in the practice of virtue...[and] it was
only during his last illness (when was about to die) that he
received a catechumen (one who is instructed in the first
rudiments of Christianity)Öand was afterwards admitted, by the
[introductory] rites of baptism, into the number of the
faithful.î 4 (emphasis mine)In other words, he had one foot in the grave and one foot on a banana peel ñ
BEFORE he made any kind of outward confession that Jesus was Lord and was
baptized!
After Constantine established his rule over the entire Empire, he moved the
capital from Rome to Byzantium, in what is now modern Turkey. The name of the
city was changed to Constantinople in his honor. We know this city today by the
name Istanbul. Constantineís ego was as large as his empire. He claimed to be
the 13th Apostle, although that honor historically and in scripture goes to Matthias.
ìAnd [the apostles] prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest
the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,
That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from
which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own
place. And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon
Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.î
Acts 1:24-26
When Constantine died in 337 AD, he was buried in the Church of the Twelve
Apostles in Constantinople.