What was significant about Constantine's conversion to Christianity?

Answer 1

AnswerHistorians and scholars continue to debate how genuine Constantine's conversion to Christianity really was, with some saying that he merely saw Christianity as a useful tool for unifying and governing the empire.

Whatever reasons Constantine had, his conversion to Christianity was one of the key events in world history. He gave state patronage to what had until then been very much a minority religion, began the persecution of the pagan temples, as well as persecution of the Jews, and ultimately ensured that Christianity dominated the empire and eventually spread throughout much of the world. Some may argue that the resultant spread of Christianity led to the rise of Islam in its present form.

His close involvement in Church affairs ensured relative unity of Christianity for the short-term and helped change some of the doctrine and practices of the Church. Not only did Constantine begin to change the empire from pagan to Christian, he changed Christianity as well.

Answer 2

Constantine was a Mithraist and had the imperial cult of Sol Invictus (Invincible Sun). He harnessed Christianity to use the bishops as a tool to augment his secular power. His deathbed conversion to Christianity is doubtful story.