In 312 AD, the (soon-to-be) Roman Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and eased the long-standing persecution of Christians by the Empire.
Now, a team of geologists believes they've discovered the cause of Constantine's conversion. A meteor that impacted in central Italy. From the article, here is the historian Eusebius' contemporary (to Constantine, that is) account of the cause:
“...while he was thus praying with fervent entreaty, a most marvellous sign appeared to him from heaven, the account of which it might have been hard to believe had it been related by any other person.“...about noon, when the day was already beginning to decline, he saw with his own eyes the trophy of a cross of light in the heavens, above the Sun, and bearing the inscription 'conquer by this'.”
Comments (3)
Bit of a coincidence, don't you think? I mean, that a meteor should hit the earth at the precise moment that Constantine should be about to do battle with Maxentius at the Milvian bridge. Isn't it also an amazing coincidence that the phenomena should take the shape of the cross and that Constantine and thousands of other eye witnesses should see "in this sign conquer" [or the nearest Latin equivalent]. Coincidence? More like a wake up call..
Posted by Alan Kells | October 27, 2003 3:39 PM
Posted on October 27, 2003 15:39
Would be quite a meteor to last that long as well as spell out 'in hoc signo vinces'! :) Interesting, too, how this only came out in report on June 25, 2003, over 1600 years after Constantine's death! I side with a God-given vision on this one.
Posted by Sterling Franklin | December 5, 2003 5:22 PM
Posted on December 5, 2003 17:22
Why does it have to be a coincidence? Why can't the meteor hitting have been a sign from God? there seems to always be a desire to seperate scientific fact (or possible fact) from acts of God. Doesn't God work in the medium of nature? He created it. Why wouldn't God use a meteor to communicate? Or create man over time through evolution?
Posted by Suzanne | February 10, 2004 1:56 PM
Posted on February 10, 2004 13:56