Constantine told of his visit to Dura on the Euphrates; the strange effect the painting of the shepherd on the wall there had had upon him; and the comfort and assurance he’d received when he’d taken the torch later that night and gone to look into the eyes, which had somehow seemed not to have been painted at all but to be alive.
“You may have had a vision of the man called Christ,” Eumenius admitted. “Others have had much the same experience.”
“Then you cannot give me the answer?”
“No, Augustus. If I could, perhaps I would no longer doubt myself.”
Hosius of Cdrdoba read carefully the edict Constantine planned to publish, then handed it back. “This is a great thing for the followers of Christ throughout the Empire, Augustus,” he said. “I will send a letter to the other bishops, asking them to pray for the soul of Emperor Galerius.”
“But Galerius was the one who instigated the persecution and sent so many to their deaths.”
“How much a man sinned is not important, Augustus, but whether he truly repents.”
Seeking to purchase peace
“Even when he is only seeking to purchase peace for his soul?”
“Why else would a man change his ways? The peace that comes from God is beyond the understanding of those who have not experienced it. The Lord Christ puts no barriers in the way of any who would seek it.”
“Eumenius has recommended you as one of my close advisers,” Constantine told him. “Will you accept the post?”
Hosius did not answer for a moment. “Was it only because of my friend’s recommendation that you chose me?” he asked finally.
“No. Eumenius only encouraged me in the decision. More than anything else I want Gaul to be stable and prosperous and I think your church can help me keep it that way, if we work together. Besides, I would know more about this faith of yours myself.” Many eyebrows were raised when a Christian and a Spaniard took up residence in the palace at Treves as a close adviser to the Emperor, but Constantine did not trouble himself about them. Important things were happening on two fronts, neither concerning directly his own province, or prefecture, of Gaul, it was true, but both of great importance to die Empire.
Read More about Christianity appeals to the poor
