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1.3.1 For we have received that many other things also happened to him, by which he was persuaded to esteem the dogma of the Christians, but especially the divine sign that appeared to him. For when he had decided to march against Maxentius, as was natural, he was perplexed within himself as to how the battle would turn out and who would be his helper. While engaged in such thoughts, he saw in a dream the sign of the cross shining in the sky. And as he was amazed at the sight, divine angels, standing beside 1.3.2 him, said, 'O Constantine, in this, conquer.' And it is said that Christ himself, having appeared to him, showed him the symbol of the cross and commanded him to make one like it and to have it in wars as a helper and a bringer of victory. Eusebius Pamphili, however, claims to have heard it from the emperor himself, who affirmed it with an oath, that around midday, when the sun was already declining, he saw in the sky a trophy of a cross formed from light and an inscription attached to it saying, 'In this, conquer,' both he himself 1.3.3 and the soldiers with him. For while he was marching somewhere with the army on his journey this wonder occurred, and as he was considering what it might be, night came on. And while he was sleeping Christ appeared to him with the sign that had appeared in the sky and commanded him to make a copy of it and to use it as a protective charm 1.3.4 in the battles against his enemies. Since, then, there was no longer any need of an interpreter, but it was shown manifestly to the emperor how he ought to think concerning God, at daybreak he called together the priests of Christ and inquired about the dogma. And they, putting forward the sacred books, explained the things concerning Christ; and they demonstrated from the prophets the clear prophecy concerning these things before they happened. And they said that the sign that appeared to him was a symbol of the victory over Hades, which He, having come among men, achieved by being crucified 1.3.5 and dying and rising again on the third day. For on this account, they said, they hope that after their departure from this life, at the end of the present age, all men will rise again and be immortal, some for the rewards of what they lived well in these matters, others for the punishments of what they did badly; and yet there is an occasion of salvation and a cleansing of sins for those who have transgressed here, for the uninitiated, initiation according to the 1.3.6 law of the church, and for the initiated, not to sin again. But since it is possible for very few and divine men to accomplish this, they taught that a second cleansing has been appointed through repentance. For God, being benevolent, grants pardon to those who have stumbled, if they repent and confirm their repentance with good works. 1.4.1 When the priests suggested such things, the emperor, marveling at the prophecies concerning Christ, ordered skilled men to fashion what is called the *labarum* among the Romans into a symbol of a cross with gold and precious stones. This military standard was more honored than the others, inasmuch as it was customary for it always to precede the emperor and to be venerated by the soldiers. 1.4.2 For which reason, I think, Constantine changed the most distinguished symbol of Roman rule into the sign of Christ, so that by its constant sight and reverence his subjects might be weaned from their ancestral customs, and believe this one alone to be God, whom the emperor also reveres and uses as a guide and ally against his enemies. 1.4.3 For he always set this sign before his own battalions; and he ordered it to be present with the wearying phalanxes in battles, having appointed distinguished men from his bodyguards to attend to it, whose task it was for each in turn to carry the sign on his shoulders and go about the ranks. At any rate, it is said that once the man carrying it, when the enemy suddenly rushed upon them, became afraid and handed it over to another and withdrew himself from the battle, and when he was already out of range of the missiles, he was suddenly struck a fatal blow and fell; but the one who had taken up the divine symbol 1.4.4 remained unwounded, though many were shooting arrows at him. For in some paradoxical way, as if guided by a divine power, the enemies’ arrows on the sign

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1.3.1 Τούτῳ γὰρ πολλὰ μὲν καὶ ἄλλα συγκυρῆσαι παρειλήφαμεν, οἷς ἐπείσθη τὸ τῶν Χριστιανῶν δόγμα πρεσβεύειν, μάλιστα δὲ τὴν φανεῖσαν αὐτῷ θεοσημείαν. ἡνίκα γὰρ ἐπιστρατεῦσαι Μαξεντίῳ ἐβεβούλευτο, οἷά γε εἰκὸς ἠπόρει καθ' ἑαυτὸν, ὅπως ἄρα τὰ τῆς μάχης ἀποβήσεται καὶ τίς αὐτῷ βοηθὸς ἔσται. ἐν τοιαύταις δὲ φροντίσι γενόμενος ὄναρ εἶδε τὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ σημεῖον ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ σελαγίζον. τεθηπότι δὲ αὐτῷ πρὸς τὴν ὄψιν παρα1.3.2 στάντες θεῖοι ἄγγελοι «ὦ Κωνσταντῖνε,» ἔφησαν, «ἐν τούτῳ νίκα». λέγεται δὲ καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν Χριστὸν ἐπιφανέντα αὐτῷ δεῖξαι τοῦ σταυροῦ τὸ σύμβολον καὶ παρακελεύσασθαι ἐοικὸς τούτῳ ποιῆσαι καὶ ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις ἔχειν ἐπίκουρον καὶ νίκης ποριστικόν. Εὐσέβιός γε μὴν ὁ Παμφίλου αὐτοῦ φήσαντος ἐνωμότως τοῦ βασιλέως ἀκηκοέναι ἰσχυρίζεται, ὡς ἀμφὶ μεσημβρίαν ἤδη τοῦ ἡλίου ἀποκλίναντος σταυροῦ τρόπαιον ἐκ φωτὸς συνεστὼς καὶ γραφὴν συνημμένην αὐτῷ «τούτῳ νίκα» λέγουσαν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ἐθεάσατο αὐτός τε 1.3.3 καὶ οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ στρατιῶται. πορευομένῳ γάρ πῃ σὺν τῷ στρατεύματι κατὰ τὴν ὁδοιπορίαν τόδε τὸ θαῦμα ἐπεγένετο, λογιζομένῳ δὲ αὐτῷ ὅ τι εἴη νὺξ ἐπῆλθε. καθεύδοντί τε τὸν Χριστὸν ὀφθῆναι σὺν τῷ φανέντι ἐν οὐρανῷ σημείῳ καὶ παρακελεύσασθαι μίμημα ποιήσασθαι τούτου καὶ ἀλε1.3.4 ξήματι κεχρῆσθαι ἐν ταῖς πρὸς τοὺς πολεμίους μάχαις. ἐπεὶ δὲ λοιπὸν ἑρμηνέως οὐδὲν ἔδει, ἀλλὰ περιφανῶς ἐδείχθη τῷ βασιλεῖ, ᾗ χρὴ περὶ θεοῦ νομίζειν, ἅμα ἡμέρᾳ συγκαλέσας τοὺς ἱερέας τοῦ Χριστοῦ περὶ τοῦ δόγματος ἐπυνθάνετο. οἱ δὲ τὰς ἱερὰς βίβλους προϊσχόμενοι τὰ περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐξηγοῦντο· καὶ πρὶν γενέσθαι, σαφῆ τὴν ἐπὶ τούτοις πρόρρησιν ἐκ τῶν προφητῶν ἀπέδειξαν. τὸ δὲ φανὲν αὐτῷ σημεῖον σύμβολον εἶναι ἔλεγον τῆς κατὰ τοῦ ᾅδου νίκης, ἣν εἰς ἀνθρώπους ἐλθὼν κατώρθωσε τῷ σταυ1.3.5 ρωθῆναι καὶ ἀποθανεῖν καὶ τριταῖος ἀναβιῶναι. κατὰ τοῦτο γὰρ ἔφασαν ἐλπίζειν μετὰ τὴν ἀπαλλαγὴν τῆς ἐνταῦθα βιοτῆς πρὸς τῷ τέλει τοῦ παρόντος αἰῶνος ἀνίστασθαι πάντας ἀνθρώπους καὶ ἀθανάτους ἔσεσθαι, τοὺς μὲν ἐπὶ ἀμοιβαῖς ὧν εὖ ἐβίωσαν ἐν τούτοις τοῖς πράγμασιν, τοὺς δὲ ἐπὶ τιμωρίαις ὧν κακῶς ἔδρασαν· εἶναι μέντοι καὶ τοῖς ἐνταῦθα πλημμελήσασιν ἀφορμὴν σωτηρίας καὶ καθαρμὸν ἁμαρτημάτων, ἀμυήτοις μὲν μύησιν κατὰ τὸν 1.3.6 νόμον τῆς ἐκκλησίας, τοῖς δὲ μεμυημένοις τὸ μὴ πάλιν ἁμαρτεῖν. ἐπεὶ δὲ τοῦτο παντελῶς ὀλίγων καὶ θείων ἀνδρῶν ἔστι κατορθῶσαι, ἐδίδασκον δεύτερον καθαρμὸν τετάχθαι ἐκ μετανοίας. φιλάνθρωπον γὰρ ὄντα τὸν θεὸν συγγνώμην νέμειν τοῖς ἐπταικόσιν, εἰ μεταμεληθῶσι καὶ ἔργοις ἀγαθοῖς τὴν μεταμέλειαν βεβαιώσωσι. 1.4.1 Τοιαῦτα τῶν ἱερέων ὑφηγουμένων θαυμάσας τὰς περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ προφητείας ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐκέλευσεν ἄνδρας ἐπιστήμονας χρυσῷ καὶ λίθοις τιμίοις εἰς σταυροῦ σύμβολον μετασκευάσαι τὸ παρὰ ῾Ρωμαίοις καλούμενον λάβωρον. σημεῖον δὲ τοῦτο πολεμικὸν τῶν ἄλλων τιμιώτερον, καθότι ἀεὶ τοῦ βασιλέως ἡγεῖσθαι καὶ προσκυνεῖσθαι νενόμιστο παρὰ τῶν στρατιωτῶν. 1.4.2 ᾗ μάλιστα οἶμαι Κωνσταντῖνον τὸ ἐπισημότατον σύμβολον τῆς ῾Ρωμαίων ἀρχῆς εἰς Χριστοῦ σημεῖον μεταβαλεῖν, ὥστε τῇ συνεχεῖ θέᾳ καὶ θεραπείᾳ ἀπεθισθῆναι τῶν πατρίων τοὺς ἀρχομένους, μόνον δὲ τοῦτον ἡγεῖσθαι θεόν, ὃν καὶ βασιλεὺς σέβει καὶ ἡγεμόνι καὶ συμμάχῳ χρῆται κατὰ τῶν πολεμίων. 1.4.3 ἀεὶ γὰρ τοῦτο τὸ σημεῖον προὐβάλλετο τῶν οἰκείων ταγμάτων· καὶ ταῖς καμνούσαις φάλαγξιν ἐν ταῖς μάχαις παρεῖναι ἐκέλευε, φανεροὺς τάξας τῶν δορυφόρων περὶ τοῦτο πονεῖν, οἷς ἔργον ἦν ἕκαστον ἀμοιβαίως ἐπὶ τῶν ὤμων φέρειν τὸ σημεῖον καὶ περιιέναι τὰς τάξεις. λέγεται γοῦν ποτε τὸν τοῦτο φέροντα ἀθρόον ἐπιδραμόντων τῶν πολεμίων δείσαντα ἑτέρῳ παραδοῦναι καὶ ἑαυτὸν τῆς μάχης ὑπεξαγαγεῖν, ἤδη δὲ τῶν βελῶν ἔξω γενόμενον ἐξαπίνης πεσεῖν βληθέντα καιρίαν· τὸν δὲ παραλαβόντα τὸ θεῖον σύμβολον 1.4.4 ἄτρωτον διαμεῖναι πολλῶν ἐπ' αὐτῷ τοξευόντων. παραδόξως γάρ πως ὡς ὑπὸ θείας δυνάμεως ἰθυνόμενα τὰ βέλη τῶν πολεμίων τῷ σημείῳ