In 63 BC, the Roman general Pompey laid siege to and overwhelmed Jerusalem, ending a century of Hebrew independence. The Romans created a client kingdom called Palestine, and Roman governors and corrupt Hebrew kings shared in governing the region, while zealous Jewish agitators attempted rebellions and craved a Messiah that would overthrow the Romans and restore independence. The Romans enforced a “peace” in the empire, and assuming Hebrews played by the rules, they could travel widely throughout the empire over a network of Roman roads and sea lanes. 

At the end of the first century of Roman rule in Palestine, Jesus of Nazareth began teaching a new Way to Hebrew followers. Many of them hoped that he would be the Messiah that would overthrow Rome. He did intend to establish a new realm among people, but it was not one that His followers understood. And with respect to Rome, he had much greater ambitions. Among His last acts on Earth was to give his followers a “Great Commission”. As history reveals, the first part of that commission amounted to a counterinvasion, as it were, of the Roman Empire.

The soldiers of the counterinvasion were meek, humble, largely poor and uneducated followers of The Way, called Christians, who through pain, adversity, persecution and divine assistance, brought a message of hope across the Roman roads and sea lanes and formed an immutable juggernaut that would eventually conquer the Empire. The followers, however, paid with their blood, offering their fragile bodies as fodder for lions, fire, sword, and myriad other monsters of brutality that the Roman leadership and their sadistic co-belligerents could conjure.

Often the brutality originated with narcissistic emperors who demanded to be worshipped, or were otherwise offended by the audacity of Christians not to worship Roman gods. Particularly harsh Roman leaders were Diocletian and (especially) Galerius, who collectively reigned from 284 to 311 AD. Indeed, more than a quarter millenium had passed since the beginning of this counterinvasion when the Diocletianic Persecution began in earnest in 303 AD as a rage-filled response to a burning of the Imperial Palace. Regardless of who set the fire, it was blamed on Christians and used as a reason to purge the empire of Christianity.

Whereas Diocletian requested that the “Edict against the Christians” be pursued without bloodshed, Galerius, who ruled in the eastern portion of the empire, demanded that Christians refusing to sacrifice to Roman gods be burned alive. Local judges, whose discretionary power included execution, often imposed such sentences. Another edict demanded arrest and imprisonment of all bishops and priests. So many clergy were imprisoned that ordinary criminals were released in order to relieve prison crowding.

During the reign of Diocletian, a child named Gaius Flavis Valerius Constantinus, called “Constantine”, was born at Naissus (in present day Serbia). Constantine’s father, Constantius, was a military commander and Constantine grew up in the imperial court. His Greek mother, Flavia Julia Helena, called “Helena”, played the primary role in his upbringing while his father was off on various military campaigns.  Constantine “had a deep regard and affection for” Helena. Constantius had apparently met Helena at a tavern or inn where she worked as a waitress. Details of the attraction are scant, but something about Helena, a lowly wage worker, was worth bearing the scrutiny and judgment of Constantius’ status-conscious sphere of associations for over a decade. Eventually, Constantius put Helena aside so he could marry a woman, Theodora, of greater perceived status, and Constantine and Helena remained in Nicomedia at the court of Diocletian. Constantius and Theodora had several children, but none of them ever achieved notable status.

In 305, Constantius and Galerius were both elevated at Diocletians behest to the status of “Augustus” and ruled the far west and far east of the Empire, respectively.  Diocletian’s maneuver caused a co-ruler, Maximimian to reluctantly step down, as well.  While Galerius rabidly pursued the edicts against Christians, Constantius chose not to.  In 306, Constantius requested that his son Constantine join him in Britain. Helena traveled as far west as Trier (now in Germany) and then was able to live safely in a fortress there under Constantius’ domain. After Constantius’ sudden death later in 306, Constantine was proclaimed Augustus by his father’s troops.  Through some political maneuvering, Constantine assumed control of the Rhineland while Maxentius, another ranking individual, assumed control of Italy.

Meanwhile in the East, Galerius continued to persecute Christians until 311, at which time, from his deathbed, he suddenly issued the “Edict of Toleration by Galerius”. Galerius, dying from a painful illness, admitted that the attempted eradication of Christianity had failed, and in fact, asked that Christians pray for him.

Historian Eusebius claimed that Helena converted to Christianity following her son becoming emperor. However, it is possible that she may have already been a Christian or at least sympathetic to Christianity for many years. She is thought to have been from northwestern Asia minor, where Christianity had been heavily established for a couple of centuries. One thing that is clear is that Helena later basically “owned” the push of Christianity to official prominence. Constantine gave her unlimited access to the imperial treasury to aid in her voyages to the Holy Land to locate Christian relics. She also constructed and beautified multiple churches in Palestine. She also had a temple built earlier by Hadrian to a Roman god (either Venus or Jupiter) destroyed.

In 312 AD, as tax-happy Maxentius’ rule in Rome was waning and about to implode, Constantine crossed in to Italy with a large army to engage him. On the day before the battle, Constantine saw an image of a cross superimposed upon the sun. That night he had a dream in which Christ appeared to him and explained the vision to mean he should carry the sign of the cross into battle. Though outnumbered, Constantine quickly defeated Maxentius and consolidated his control of the western part of the Roman empire. The next year, he issued the Edict of Milan which required toleration of all religions. The edict was later co-signed by Licinius, the emperor of the eastern part of the empire, but Licinius soon turned against the Christians. Constantine later defeated Licinius in the east, prompted to action in part by Licinius’ execution of Christians and destruction of churches. At the age of 52, Constantine was fully in charge of the entire Roman Empire.

Constantine’s victories, rule, and legalization of Christianity marked the successful conclusion of the counterinvasion of Rome out of Israel that had begun 300 years before.   This pivotal human was ushered into life, protected and influenced by a once lowly waitress who had captured the heart of a very powerful man.  Helena gave counsel and support to Constantine the rest of her life. She acted in official capacity, supporting building projects throughout the empire using capital from the treasury. She established relief funds, granted official mercies, and undertook a famous journey to the Holy Land, in part to engender and in some cases, restore a sense of community among various rival Christian groups that had become disenfranchised. 

As notable as these historic details are, how rich it would be to have transcripts of the conversations between mother and son, particularly in his formative youth. And the first conversation at the dining hall or tavern between Constantius and Helena – What did she say that caught his attention?  Did she exhibit quick responses, moxie, deep insight, humor, empathy? Somehow, she became worth the snarky comments Constantius might endure in court and the questioning of his judgement that might come from his superiors. Somehow, her son with Constantius was the one requested from Britain, and not any children of aristocratic Theodora. And somehow, her son, the emperor would trust her with conducting affairs of state, full access to the treasury, and an enduring role as ambassador of goodwill throughout the empire.  The good news for us is that these events happened.  Maybe we'll get to learn the finer details someday.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Jerusalem_(63_BC)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diocletianic_Persecution

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diocletian

https://www.ancient.eu/Constantine_I/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helena,_mother_of_Constantine_I

https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/helena-c-255-329

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galerius

https://www.bible-history.com/biblemaps/the-spread-of-christianity-2/