The study of religion and theology are central to the study of Constantine (r. ad 306–337). The circumstances behind the emperor's ‘conversion’ to Christianity prior to the battle of the Milvian bridge in 312, the form of Christianity that he chose subsequently to patronise, and the extent of his engagement with the church during his reign have become perennial areas of inquiry for students of the fourth century, all of which it should be pointed out continue to be contested by commentators. The consequences of Constantine's endorsement of Christianity for the later Roman empire were so enormous that it is of little surprise that religion should be seen as central to the way in which students apprehend the life and legacy of this Balkan-born soldier emperor. E.’s new study represents something of a point of departure in the matter of Constantine's impact on the religious landscape of Late Antiquity. E.’s book offers an analysis of Constantine's influence in a way that continues to foreground the emperor and his attitude towards Christianity, but which also foregrounds other concerns that are frequently neglected that developed not only as a consequence of the imperial promotion of Christianity but which also informed its rise. In this study, characterised by E. as a ‘conspectus of change and persistence’ (p. xi), the results of the creative dissonance between the competing religions and cultures of the early fourth century are discussed in fourteen richly complex chapters. E.’s analysis offers a corrective to scholarly narratives that regard Christianity as the sole potent religious force of the period based entirely on its selection for promotion by Constantine. E.’s book challenges this idée fixe by illustrating the extent and influence of the dialogues and disputes between Christianity and the ‘other’ religions and philosophies of the fourth century.

The work is arranged into three parts. Part 1 considers the philosophical debates of the first three decades of the fourth century and their impact on the formulation and practice of ‘holiness’; Part 2 surveys the competitive religious environment of the period by highlighting its pluralistic character; Part 3 investigates a range of issues relating to the immediate impact of Constantine on the shape of Christian thought and practice, covering both internal and external debates about Christian life that contributed to this period's ‘polyphonic’ character. E. begins Part 1 fittingly with an analysis of the theological meta-narrative of pagan versus Christian as conceived in the work of Eusebius of Caesarea. This is followed by a highly insightful assessment of the contributions of the Latin apologists, Lactantius and Arnobius (frequently cast into Eusebius’ shadow). Chapters 3 and 4 consider the reformulation of Platonism in the late third and early fourth centuries through an examination of the writings of Iamblichus, Theodorus of Asine, Chalcidius and Methodius of Olympia. The transformation of Platonism is treated in greater detail in Chapter 4 with an analysis of the intersections between Christian and Platonic theology. Discussion of the practitioners of pagan ‘holiness’ gives way in Chapter 5 to a discussion of the influence and practice of monasticism in the Constantinian period. In Part 2, Chapters 6, 7 and 8 consider the evidence for the principal faiths existing alongside Christianity in the early 300s. The representation of a number of these religions in the polemical work of Firmicus Maternus, writing in the early years of the reigns of Constantine's sons, forms the basis for the discussion in Chapter 6. Those religions offering transformative remedies for the diseased soul that were either in retreat or flourishing prior to and during Constantine's reign are analysed in Chapter 7, including the Manichaeans and the Gnostics. Chapter 8 reviews relations between Constantine and the Jews (again, frequently overlooked in discussions of Constantine's ‘Christianising’ agenda). Part 3 begins by examining Constantine's own writings (his theological works and laws) in favour of Christianity. Chapter 10 examines the intellectual and practical consequences of Constantinian efforts to legislate against blood sacrifice; here E. engages with discussions regarding the role of the eucharist as continuing the social function played previously by temple-based sacrifices in late antique society. Following the enervation of sacrifice, the rise of the ritualised apprehension of scripture in the Constantinian church is discussed in Chapters 11 and 12. Chapter 13 considers the influence of Origenist and Arian ideas on the theologies of the Constantinian period. Chapter 14 and the epilogue draw together the many strands of E.’s arguments in Part 3 and elsewhere in his study.

This volume offers readers a thoughtful and detailed reappraisal of the religious landscape immediately prior, during and after the reign of Constantine. E. marshals an impressive array of evidence, and considers authors and debates often overlooked by scholars working on Constantine and religion. E. is especially attentive to the fact that different communities of scholars have all staked their own claims on the history and legacy of the Constantinian empire, for which reason this is a book that will be read with profit by historians and theologians alike.