Product Description

This is an enriched biography of Constantine the Great. Without compromising historical accuracy, it brings before the eyes of the reader as vividly as possible Constantine's fascinating life, filling in the gaps by exploring the ancient records in Greek and Latin and the findings of modern scholarship, reconstructing events or offering explanations to ancient riddles. It is astonishing how little the broad public in the West knows about Constantine. Yet, he is the man who gave a new direction to world history. One may wonder if Christianity would have survived if he had not embraced it with his imperial authority. Constantine's impact on our world is not the only reason for reading his story. His life is so rich in drama. excitement, tragedy, violence, intrigue and high adventure that the story can be as engrossing as a good work of fiction. "Prof. Kousoulas is a master story-teller."

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #636499 in Books
• Published on: 1997-10
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 511 pages

Review
...fascinating, filled with dramatic details..lucid... -- Henry J. Ferry, Mediterranean Quarterly, Winter 1999fterly

Kousulas has great storytelling abilities, making the volume's 500 pages fly by like 50 -- C.N.Kolitsas, Greek American Book Review, May 30, 1998

One of the most detailed and intimate life stories of the man who ushered in the Christian era... -- C. DePaola, The National Herald, February 12, 1999

From the Author
The accurate but also vivid presentation of Constantine's life was made possible with the extensive use of the original sources in Latin and fourth century Greek. Several books have been written about Constantine and the late Roman Empire but most were written for scholars and readers with a special interest in the period. This biography is written for the general public because Constantine deserves to be more widely known.

From the Inside Flap
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Customer Reviews

Very readable history of an incredible figure
I have read this book twice, and found it to be equally as good the first time as the second. One reviewer cites Kousoulas' treatment of this subject as "vapid". I know where he was coming from, but heartily disagree. If you want a complete scholarly work on Constantine, it would require volumes...something you simply cannot get in one book. I found many things in this book that I wanted to know more about, so I bought more book sand read more about the specific events I was interested in.
The book is very readable. Something I look for when reading history. History can be dull and lifeless, or engaging and animated. Such is the case with this book. In my opinion, this book is a must-read. Lively and well-written, Kousoulas delivers.
Since reading this book, I have read others on Constantine, one on Diacletian, one about the Council of Nicea and another about the Coptic Church in Egypt. In other words, if you want more detail, read more!

Constantine - A Take Charge Guy!
A very readable, informative book. I especially liked the author's description of the setting at the Council of Nicaea. It took place in huge cathedral, where all the bishops from the far-flung empire were assembled to consider which sacred documents should be included in the New Testament.
Here comes Constantine, crowned and dressed in a shimmering toga down the long aisle, as the bishops on either side humbly bow before him. He makes a short welcoming speech. Then he takes multiple scrolls which had been pre-submitted by the bishops, expressing their positions on many doctrinal disputes they were having among themselves. Constantine drops the scrolls one by one into a blazing cauldron, never saying a word about his action. But the message was clear to the assembled bishops -- they weren't in charge and Constantine was. Constantine sat in on many of the council deliberations over the next two months, and was not reluctant in expressing what he thought should be in the Bible. Over 100 documents were considered, and only 20+ made it into the New Testament. The Gospel of Luke made it into the New Testament by only one vote! Only 300 bishops attended. 1800 were invited. The majority were from the Eastern part of the empire. The Bishop of Rome did not attend.
After Nicaea, all the bishops of the empire were put on the Roman payroll, solidifying Constantine's position as the undisputed head of the church. He later referred to himself frequently as "The 13th Disciple."
I have never heard a word about Constantine from the pulpit of any church. But there's no question he was a pivital person in the formation of the early church and the Bible as we know it today.

A Masterful Treatment
This book is a very easy read, but the more you turn the pages, the more you realise the sheer volume of research that Kousoulas has put into it. And that is the beauty of this book: it is masterful for both its simplicity of style and depth of research. This is a rare balance that is hard to achieve, but Kousoulas has done it. This is not like a stuffy textbook; it is more like a simple biography. However, a section at the back which lists the original sources in quasi-footnote style will satisfy the more academically inclined, and demonstrates that Kousoulas' work comes with significant reading and historical acumen. Kousoulas does the work of an historian with precision, careful sifting, and honesty. Anyone can read this book, from the interested layperson (it's an ancient 'rags to riches' tale) to the tertiary student (there's plenty of stuff to chase up here in the library). It is also a great example of good historical method at work. The content takes you from the days of Constantine's father (Chlorus) through all the stages and aspects of Constantine's life. It concludes with a brief survey of the reign of Constantine's sons who succeeded him. At the end of this book, you will have a very good appreciation for this giant of the ancient stage. Thoroughly recommended!