Constantine’s victory was the first Christian symbolism endorsing military power.

Evidence

The marginalized status of Christians changed in the fourth century, when the Roman emperor Constantine began to favor Christianity and then converted to the faith. Before a battle in which his forces were greatly outnumbered, Constantine reported seeing a vision of light in the sky. It told him, “In this sign thou shalt conquer.” The sign—a combination of the Greek letters chi and rho—represented the first two letters of Christos. … Constantine and his forces were victorious in the battle. The prevailing explanation for the victory was that the Christian God favored the Roman army. This was likely the first adoption of Christian symbolism in service of military victory and might, of raw power over enemies. The relationship between the Christian faith and empire would never be the same. — Andrew L. Whitehead, American Idolatry, 271

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Centuries of Christian violence served protecting power and privilege — Andrew L. Whitehead, American Idolatry, 447; Constantine linked the Christian God with the sun. — Stephen Kershaw, A Brief History of the Roman Empire, 1542; Missionaries interpreted imperial conquest as divine endorsement of Christianity. — Peter Gottschalk and Gabriel Greenberg, Common Heritage, Uncommon Fear:…, 113 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Empire itself was read as proof of God’s favor on Christianity. #expands (0.85) — Carl W. Ernst, Islamophobia in America_ The Anatomy of…, 169
• Missionaries interpreted imperial conquest as divine endorsement of Christianity. #corroborates (0.82) — Peter Gottschalk and Gabriel Greenberg, Common Heritage, Uncommon Fear, 113
• Constantine linked the Christian God with the sun. #expands (0.75) — Stephen Kershaw, A Brief History of the Roman Empire, 1542
• Medieval believers read military victory as divine judgment on the merits of faiths #qualifies (0.70)