Christ, Constantine, Sol Invictus: the Unconquerable Sun
Christ, Constantine, Sol Invictus: the Unconquerable Sun
All the evidence suggests that Constantine viewed Christ as one of many gods in a crowded pantheon, a war god at that, who had provided him with his victory over Maxentius, and that this new Christian god could be used as a political tool to solidify his power and prestige in the empire, as well as bringing about a total homogeneity of culture to ancient Rome as witnessed by his calling of the council of Nicea in 325 C.E. to settle the Arian controversy, and also by the later solidification of the dates of Easter and Christmas, for he well knew that power and control in a complex organization depended upon common agreement in regard to the symbols that held it together.
For example, in May 330 at the dedication of the new Roman capital Constantinople Constantine was "[d]ressed in magnificent robes and wearing a diadem encrusted with jewels (another spiritual allegiance of Constantine's, to the sun, a symbol of Apollo, first known from 310 was expressed through rays coming from the diadem") (Freeman).
The ancient connection to the sun as a god clearly exemplifies Constantine's adoration and admiration for such a "heavenly" deity. After his death and the later collapse of the Roman Empire, the medieval civilization that arose on the ashes of shattered Rome, in particular the Catholic Church would continue the incorporation into the Christian pantheon of religious symbols far predating the beginning of Catholicism.
http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/c/christ_constantine_sol_invictus.html
everready