Did the roman emperor Constantine start the christian church?

Answer 1

Jesus Christ started the Christian Church and through his apostles Christianity spread across the Roman world and into Asia. Peter, an apostle, founded the Roman church through his visits to Italy during the 1st Century, AD. However, beginning with the Roman Emperor, Nero, in the 1st Century, Christians across the Roman world were persecuted off and on for hundreds of years. Constantine, early in the 4th Century, AD, was the first of many Christian Emporers. He lifted the persecution of Christianity and established it as an accepted religion in the Roman Empire. Constantine's rule was the turning point for the Roman Empire government acceptance of Christianity. Under his reign, the Roman Church became a major force in the spread of Christianity throughout the Roman world. The Church at Rome and New Rome (Constantinople) received the favor of the Emperor during this time. The Church at Rome has become known as the Roman Catholic Church, while the Church at Constantinople, originally united with the Church at Rome, has become known as the Eastern Orthodox Church. Note: the term "Catholic" means "Christian" in today's language.

Answer 2

No. Constantine, although interested in and in a way sympathetic to, the Christians, remained a pagan all his life. The story of his death bed conversion cannot be proved and for that reason scholars are disputing the claim. It is a question that probably will never be answered.

Answer 3

Constantine more or less gave Christianity free reign in the areas he controlled. He was heavily influenced by his friend Eusebius, who was a major church leader or bishop. Property that had been confiscated from Christians was returned and Christian places of worship were not only allowed but many of them paid for either in part or fully, by the emperor.