The legend of Sylvester as a tool of Papocaesarism

Abstract

This article examines the origins of the legend of the baptism of the Holy Emperor Constantine by Pope Sylvester, as well as its ideological and theological underpinnings. The stages of development of the legend of Constantine’s baptism are reconstructed, as well as the evolution of associated theological ideas. Initially, there is a simple mention of Constan­tine’s indoctrination into Christianity by Pope Sylvester (Ioann of Nikiu, relying on an earlier source), then a story is created about Constantine’s baptism by Sylvester (Ioann Malalas). In these versions, the attitude toward the emperor and the empire is favorable, and the replacement of Eusebius of Nicomedia with Sylvester may be connected to an attempt to rehabilitate the Holy Emperor. Next, a legend emerges about Constantine’s contraction of leprosy and his healing during baptism, likely connected to the story of King Abgar. It presents a diminished image of the empire, and the emperor is portrayed as weak and yearning for divine healing. The next step is Moses of Chorene’s addition of the legend of Constantine’s punishment with leprosy for persecuting Christianity, which derives from Agathangelos’s account of the Armenian king Tiridates, who persecuted Christians and was struck with “boar disease” for it. Here, one senses the influence of pagan propaganda, claiming that after the murder of Crispus, Constantine sought purification from the taint of murder. Influenced by Jewish legends about the pharaoh bathing in the blood of Jewish boys, Constantine was credited with intending to bathe in the blood of infants. In different versions of the legend, the refusal arises for different reasons. In the Acts of Sylvester, it is associated with Constantine’s generosity and mercy; in the memre of Jacob of Saruga, with supernatural intervention. In Moses of Chorene’s “History of Armenia”, as well as in Jacob of Sarug’s memorandum, Constantine (before his baptism) is portrayed as a persecutor of Christians and a tyrant, capable of mass infanticide for the sake of his own healing. Imperial power is here depicted as a tyranny that is transformed only through supernatural intervention and the miraculous influence of the Church, or more precisely, its hierarchy. This idea is later adopted by the Roman Papacy for self-assertion and the struggle against the Empire.