Paul & Constantine: Why Their “Same” Encounter Matters
Most people know that Constantine (325 CE) created what later became Christianity.
He was a sun-worshipping pagan who shifted:
Shabbat → Sunday
Pesach → Easter
Biblical moedim → Roman festivals
No biblical birth celebration → Christmas invented
But here’s what most people miss:
Paul and Constantine had the “same” encounter — a blinding sky vision that redirected the faith toward Rome.
Paul’s Vision (Acts 9):
A blinding light in the... morePaul & Constantine: Why Their “Same” Encounter Matters
Most people know that Constantine (325 CE) created what later became Christianity.
He was a sun-worshipping pagan who shifted:
Shabbat → Sunday
Pesach → Easter
Biblical moedim → Roman festivals
No biblical birth celebration → Christmas invented
But here’s what most people miss:
Paul and Constantine had the “same” encounter — a blinding sky vision that redirected the faith toward Rome.
Paul’s Vision (Acts 9):
A blinding light in the sky. A voice. Temporary blindness.
Afterward, he becomes the most influential Roman-world missionary.
Constantine’s Vision (Eusebius, Life of Constantine):
A blinding light in the sky. A message: “In this sign, conquer.”
Afterward, he becomes the emperor who shapes Christianity.
Both visions led to the same result:
A faith pulled away from Torah and pushed toward empire.
And this is why scholars urge caution:
Hyam Maccoby – Paul’s Roman citizenship shaped the future church.
Paula Fredriksen – Paul’s letters were later interpreted through Roman lenses.
John Gager – We must separate Paul’s Jewish voice from Rome’s version of him.
Rome used both stories — Paul’s vision and Constantine’s vision — to build a religion far from the Torah and far from the Jewish people.
But Torah still stands.
Shabbat still stands.
Israel still stands.
Empires collapse.
Covenant remains.
Questions to Think About
Why did both men have the same “sky vision” tied to Roman authority?
Who benefited when Torah was removed?
What version of Paul are we reading — Rome’s Paul or the Jewish Paul?
Why would an empire promote a faith it did not obey?
What does salvation mean when it is defined by Rome instead of the Torah?
Image Description:
A hyper-realistic desert scene at dawn. A simple wooden table rests under soft golden light with bread and wine upon it. In the distance, two silhouettes rise in the sky: one a Roman eagle, the other a menorah. Above them, two bursts of blinding white light echo the “encounters” of Paul and Constantine — but the light over the menorah is warm, steady, and true, while the light over the eagle is sharp and harsh. The image captures the tension between empire visions and covenant truth.
SGT Dinah Scivoletti
Joan of Arc Priory
God Above All
