In 274, Emperor Aurelian designated December 25 as the festival of
Sol Invictus (the "unconquered sun").
Aurelian may have chosen this date because the solstice was considered
the birthday of Mithras, a syncretic god of Per origin. Mithras is
often identified with Sol Invictus, although Sol was originally a
separate Syrian god.


Whatever vision Constantine may have experienced, he attributed his
victory to the power of "the God of the Christians" and committed
himself to the Christian faith from that day on, although his
understanding of the Christian faith at this time was quite
superficial. It has often been supposed that Constantine's profession
of Christianity was a matter of political expediency more than of
religious conviction;

upon closer examination this view cannot be
sustained. Constantine did not receive baptism until shortly before
his death (see below). It would be a mistake to interpret this as a
lack of sincerity or commitment; in the fourth and fifth centuries
Christians often delayed their baptisms until late in life.

posted by Bernard @ Thursday, July 12, 2007