Constantine the Emperor
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Constantine the Emperor
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Narrated by:
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Phil Holland
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By:
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David Potter
About this listen
This year Christians worldwide will celebrate the 1700th anniversary of Constantine's conversion and victory at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge. No Roman emperor had a greater impact on the modern world than did Constantine. The reason is not simply that he converted to Christianity but that he did so in a way that brought his subjects along after him. Indeed, this major new biography argues that Constantine's conversion is but one feature of a unique administrative style that enabled him to take control of an empire beset by internal rebellions and external threats by Persians and Goths. The vast record of Constantine's administration reveals a government careful in its exercise of power but capable of ruthless, even savage actions. Constantine executed (or drove to suicide) his father-in-law, two brothers-in-law, his eldest son, and his once beloved wife. An unparalleled general throughout his life, even on his deathbed he was planning a major assault on the Sassanian Empire in Persia. Alongside the visionary who believed that his success came from the direct intervention of his God resided an aggressive warrior, a sometimes cruel partner, and an immensely shrewd ruler. These characteristics combined together in a long and remarkable career, which restored the Roman Empire to its former glory. Beginning with his first biographer Eusebius, Constantine's image has been subject to distortion.
More recent revisions include John Carroll's view of him as the intellectual ancestor of the Holocaust (Constantine's Sword) and Dan Brown's presentation of him as the man who oversaw the reshaping of Christian history (The Da Vinci Code). In Constantine the Emperor, David Potter confronts each of these skewed and partial accounts to provide the most comprehensive, authoritative, and readable account of Constantine's extraordinary life.
©2013 Oxford University Press (P)2014 Audible Inc.What listeners say about Constantine the Emperor
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- August121
- 16-02-2021
Don’t waste your time. Go wash your car instead.
If there was ever an audio book that would bore you to an untimely demise, then this is the one for you.
Firstly, there are only chapter numbers not titles. So if you wanted to skip the most boring bits, you simply had to randomly pick a chapter, not knowing what the heck you were going to be listening to. Also, the chapters were out of sync by two chapters ie the narrator would say chapter 4 but you were actually on chapter 6.
Secondly, I understand giving some background into the time leading up to Constantine’s reign, but the first four chapters of, in my view, the most unnecessary granular details of emperors’ reigns leading up to the main event, left me already becoming impatient.
Thirdly, on the subject of granularity, it’s a wonder we weren’t told about what kind of toothpick Constantine used when having a chicken dinner. There are details that need to be told and then there are details that best be left alone. To Mr Potter’s credit there were some details that were interesting. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.!
Lastly, this author seemed to try to diminish the importance of Christianity in both Constantine’s life and the culture in general at the time. If Mr Potter quoted from a Christian author of the time, it was either excused for being biased or simply wrong. If the author quoted was pagan, then it was held to be more objective and credible. This theme of Potter’s became so prevalent throughout the book that one could easily be led to the conclusion that Mr Potter had a maybe not so subtle anti-Christian bias.
To conclude, when I either read or listen to history books, I wish to be taken on a fascinating journey back in time, while learning about people and places of long ago
The impression I was left with was one of irritation with unnecessary details and a clear indication of the author’s own biases. My advice is save your money or your credit and go wash your car instead. At least you’ll get far greater satisfaction.
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