
Constantine and the Conversion of Europe
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $24.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Charlton Griffin
-
By:
-
Arnold Jones
About this listen
By the time of Constantine, they had spread everywhere within the empire. But one of these religions, Christianity, was chosen by the young emperor. His decision changed the course of history. By putting the bureaucratic weight of the empire behind the Christian church, Constantine brought the new religion into prominence. He gave it the breathing spell it needed to vanquish its rivals and establish its political dominance. But hardly had Constantine's proclamation been made before the new religion began to tear itself apart in a series of recriminations and heresies.
Listen and learn how Constantine guided this new force and placed his personal imprimatur on Christianity for all time.
©1948 Arnold Jones (P)2009 Audio ConnoisseurListeners also enjoyed...
-
The Jewish War
- By: Flavius Josephus
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 23 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In AD 66, nationalist and religious revolutionaries in Judaea led a ferocious revolt of the Jewish people against the authority of mighty Rome, culminating in the greatest upheaval and savagery the world had known up to that time. By the end of the conflict seven years later, over one million Jews had perished and tens of thousands were sold into slavery. Until the Holocaust, it remained the greatest tragedy ever endured by a people. How had this once prosperous region been laid low, and by what process did its fratricidal feuds take it down a slippery slope to utter annihilation? Fortunately for us, there was an eyewitness.
-
-
mispronunciations are irritating
- By DR on 01-22-18
By: Flavius Josephus
-
Julian
- A Novel
- By: Gore Vidal
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner, George Newbern, David de Vries, and others
- Length: 20 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Julian the Apostate, nephew of Constantine the Great, was one of the brightest yet briefest lights in the history of the Roman Empire. A military genius on the level of Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great, a graceful and persuasive essayist, and a philosopher devoted to worshipping the gods of Hellenism, he became embroiled in a fierce intellectual war with Christianity that provoked his murder at the age of thirty-two, only four years into his brilliantly humane and compassionate reign.
-
-
Brilliant narration!
- By Abhishek Deepak on 10-23-19
By: Gore Vidal
-
2,000 Years of Papal History: The History of the Popes, the Papacy, and the Catholic Church
- By: John W. O'Malley
- Narrated by: John W. O'Malley
- Length: 14 hrs and 28 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Internationally best-selling author, renowned professor, and the dean of American Catholic Historians, Fr. John O’Malley presents his monumental course on the papacy. This masterpiece series covers the most fascinating history in the Western world. Now, you can trace the amazing history of the papacy, the oldest still-functioning institution of any kind in the Western world in 36 erudite lectures.
-
-
Wonderful Narration!
- By Bob Bortolin on 01-11-20
By: John W. O'Malley
-
The Storm of Steel
- By: Ernst Jünger
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This classic war memoir, first published in 1920, is based on the author's extensive diaries describing hard combat experienced on the Western Front during World War I. It has been greatly admired by people as diverse as Bertolt Brecht and Andre Gide, and from every part of the political spectrum. Hypnotic, thrilling, and magnificent, The Storm of Steel is perhaps the most fascinating description of modern warfare ever written.
-
-
Horror and randomness of war
- By 9S on 12-26-14
By: Ernst Jünger
-
A People’s Tragedy
- By: Orlando Figes
- Narrated by: Roger Davis
- Length: 47 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Opening with a panorama of Russian society, from the cloistered world of the Tsar to the brutal life of the peasants, A People’s Tragedy follows workers, soldiers, intellectuals and villagers as their world is consumed by revolution and then degenerates into violence and dictatorship. Drawing on vast original research, Figes conveys above all the shocking experience of the revolution for those who lived it, while providing the clearest and most cogent account of how and why it unfolded.
-
-
It would be 5 stars
- By Michael Polevoy on 01-31-19
By: Orlando Figes
-
The Restoration of Rome
- Barbarian Popes and Imperial Pretenders
- By: Peter Heather
- Narrated by: Allan Robertson
- Length: 18 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In AD 476, the last of Rome's emperors, known as "Augustulus", was deposed by a barbarian general, the son of one of Attila the Hun's henchmen. With the imperial vestments dispatched to Constantinople, the curtain fell on the Roman empire in Western Europe, its territories divided among successor kingdoms constructed around barbarian military manpower. But, if the Roman Empire was dead, Romans across much of the old empire still lived, holding on to their lands, their values, and their institutions.
-
-
Byzantine Empire Stands Tall!
- By Placeholder on 05-22-14
By: Peter Heather
-
The Jewish War
- By: Flavius Josephus
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 23 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In AD 66, nationalist and religious revolutionaries in Judaea led a ferocious revolt of the Jewish people against the authority of mighty Rome, culminating in the greatest upheaval and savagery the world had known up to that time. By the end of the conflict seven years later, over one million Jews had perished and tens of thousands were sold into slavery. Until the Holocaust, it remained the greatest tragedy ever endured by a people. How had this once prosperous region been laid low, and by what process did its fratricidal feuds take it down a slippery slope to utter annihilation? Fortunately for us, there was an eyewitness.
-
-
mispronunciations are irritating
- By DR on 01-22-18
By: Flavius Josephus
-
Julian
- A Novel
- By: Gore Vidal
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner, George Newbern, David de Vries, and others
- Length: 20 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Julian the Apostate, nephew of Constantine the Great, was one of the brightest yet briefest lights in the history of the Roman Empire. A military genius on the level of Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great, a graceful and persuasive essayist, and a philosopher devoted to worshipping the gods of Hellenism, he became embroiled in a fierce intellectual war with Christianity that provoked his murder at the age of thirty-two, only four years into his brilliantly humane and compassionate reign.
-
-
Brilliant narration!
- By Abhishek Deepak on 10-23-19
By: Gore Vidal
-
2,000 Years of Papal History: The History of the Popes, the Papacy, and the Catholic Church
- By: John W. O'Malley
- Narrated by: John W. O'Malley
- Length: 14 hrs and 28 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Internationally best-selling author, renowned professor, and the dean of American Catholic Historians, Fr. John O’Malley presents his monumental course on the papacy. This masterpiece series covers the most fascinating history in the Western world. Now, you can trace the amazing history of the papacy, the oldest still-functioning institution of any kind in the Western world in 36 erudite lectures.
-
-
Wonderful Narration!
- By Bob Bortolin on 01-11-20
By: John W. O'Malley
-
The Storm of Steel
- By: Ernst Jünger
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This classic war memoir, first published in 1920, is based on the author's extensive diaries describing hard combat experienced on the Western Front during World War I. It has been greatly admired by people as diverse as Bertolt Brecht and Andre Gide, and from every part of the political spectrum. Hypnotic, thrilling, and magnificent, The Storm of Steel is perhaps the most fascinating description of modern warfare ever written.
-
-
Horror and randomness of war
- By 9S on 12-26-14
By: Ernst Jünger
-
A People’s Tragedy
- By: Orlando Figes
- Narrated by: Roger Davis
- Length: 47 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Opening with a panorama of Russian society, from the cloistered world of the Tsar to the brutal life of the peasants, A People’s Tragedy follows workers, soldiers, intellectuals and villagers as their world is consumed by revolution and then degenerates into violence and dictatorship. Drawing on vast original research, Figes conveys above all the shocking experience of the revolution for those who lived it, while providing the clearest and most cogent account of how and why it unfolded.
-
-
It would be 5 stars
- By Michael Polevoy on 01-31-19
By: Orlando Figes
-
The Restoration of Rome
- Barbarian Popes and Imperial Pretenders
- By: Peter Heather
- Narrated by: Allan Robertson
- Length: 18 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In AD 476, the last of Rome's emperors, known as "Augustulus", was deposed by a barbarian general, the son of one of Attila the Hun's henchmen. With the imperial vestments dispatched to Constantinople, the curtain fell on the Roman empire in Western Europe, its territories divided among successor kingdoms constructed around barbarian military manpower. But, if the Roman Empire was dead, Romans across much of the old empire still lived, holding on to their lands, their values, and their institutions.
-
-
Byzantine Empire Stands Tall!
- By Placeholder on 05-22-14
By: Peter Heather
-
The Thirty Years War
- By: C. V. Wedgwood
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 19 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Initially, the Thirty Years War was precipitated in 1618 by religious conflicts between Protestants and Catholics in the Holy Roman Empire. But the conflict soon spread beyond religion to encompass the internal politics and balance of power within the Empire, and then later to the other European powers. By the end, it became simply a dynastic struggle between Bourbon France and Habsburg Spain. And almost all of it was fought out in Germany. Entire regions were depopulated and destroyed.
-
-
One of the World's Great History Books.
- By Judith A. Weller on 08-25-12
By: C. V. Wedgwood
-
Emperor of Rome
- Ruling the Ancient World
- By: Mary Beard
- Narrated by: Mary Beard
- Length: 14 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In her international bestseller SPQR, Mary Beard told the thousand-year story of ancient Rome. Now she shines her spotlight on the emperors who ruled the Roman empire, from Julius Caesar (assassinated 44 BCE) to Alexander Severus (assassinated 235 CE). Emperor of Rome is not your usual chronological account of Roman rulers, one after another: the mad Caligula, the monster Nero, the philosopher Marcus Aurelius.
-
-
Wasn't sure but won me over
- By John S. on 01-26-24
By: Mary Beard
-
Alexander the Great
- By: Philip Freeman
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 12 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alexander was born into the royal family of Macedonia, the kingdom that would soon rule over Greece. Tutored as a boy by Aristotle, Alexander had an inquisitive mind that would serve him well when he faced formidable obstacles during his military campaigns. Shortly after taking command of the army, he launched an invasion of the Persian Empire, and continued his conquests as far south as the deserts of Egypt and as far east as the mountains of present-day Pakistan and the plains of India.
-
-
Great book!
- By BadGuidance on 06-18-17
By: Philip Freeman
-
The Story of the Goths
- By: Henry Bradley
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Goths are the most enigmatic of all the ancient German tribes. Their name today is still widely in use for a variety of cultural and artistic movements. But unlike other famous German tribes whose names are still descriptive of nations they founded - the Franks, the Lombards, the Angles, the Saxons and the Alemanni - the Goths simply disappeared. The subject of Henry Bradley's splendid short history is tracing the rise, the migrations, and the impact of the Goths on European history along with their spectacular fall.
-
-
Interesting Book about a little understood people
- By Mark on 07-29-15
By: Henry Bradley
-
Roman History, Volume 1
- By: Dio Cassius
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 29 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dio Cassius was a Roman statesman and historian of Greek origin. He published 80 volumes of history on ancient Rome, beginning with the arrival of Aeneas in Italy. The volumes documented the subsequent founding of Rome (753 BC), the formation of the republic (509 BC), and the creation of the empire (31 BC). The history continues until AD 229.
-
-
Charlton Griffin is amazing as usual!
- By Placeholder on 07-12-18
By: Dio Cassius
-
1848
- Year of Revolution
- By: Mike Rapport
- Narrated by: Hugh Kermode
- Length: 16 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1848, a violent storm of revolutions ripped through Europe. The torrent all but swept away the conservative order that had kept peace on the continent since Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo in 1815 - but which in many countries had also suppressed dreams of national freedom. Political events so dramatic had not been seen in Europe since the French Revolution, and they would not be witnessed again until 1989, with the revolutions in Eastern and Central Europe.
-
-
1848 by Mike Rapport
- By Aria Amirbahman on 02-07-22
By: Mike Rapport
-
Dynasty
- The Rise and Fall of the House of Caesar
- By: Tom Holland
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 16 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Author and historian Tom Holland returns to his roots in Roman history and the audience he cultivated with Rubicon—his masterful, witty, brilliantly researched popular history of the fall of the Roman republic—with Dynasty, a luridly fascinating history of the reign of the first five Roman emperors. Dynasty continues Rubicon's story, opening where that book ended: with the murder of Julius Caesar. This is the period of the first and perhaps greatest Roman emperors. It's a colorful story of rule and ruination, from the rise of Augustus to the death of Nero.
-
-
Accessible, enjoyable history
- By Mary on 01-28-16
By: Tom Holland
-
The Histories
- The Persian Wars
- By: Herodotus, A. D. Godley Translator
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 27 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Herodotus was a Greek historian born in Halicarnassus, subject at the time of the great Persian Empire. He lived in the fifth century BC (c. 484 - c. 425 BC), a contemporary of Socrates. He is often referred to as "The Father of History", a title originally conferred by Cicero. Herodotus was the first historian known to have broken from Homeric tradition in order to treat historical subjects as a method of investigation, specifically by collecting his materials in a critical, systematic fashion and then arranging them into a chronological narrative.
-
-
Popular for a reason
- By Reader on 11-17-18
By: Herodotus, and others
-
The Master and Margarita
- By: Mikhail Bulgakov
- Narrated by: Julian Rhind-Tutt
- Length: 16 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Devil comes to Moscow, but he isn't all bad; Pontius Pilate sentences a charismatic leader to his death, but yearns for redemption; and a writer tries to destroy his greatest tale, but discovers that manuscripts don't burn. Multi-layered and entrancing, blending sharp satire with glorious fantasy, The Master and Margarita is ceaselessly inventive and profoundly moving. In its imaginative freedom and raising of eternal human concerns, it is one of the world's great novels.
-
-
Satisfying Satanic Satire
- By Jacob on 12-06-11
By: Mikhail Bulgakov
-
A History of Rome, Volume 1
- By: Cyril Robinson
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 10 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A History of Rome is the story of a tiny market town on the Tiber, its rise to world domination, and then its slow, terrible plunge to utter ruin. It is the single greatest event in all human history.
-
-
Excellent work!
- By Jason R. on 03-11-03
By: Cyril Robinson
-
Paradise Lost
- By: John Milton
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
John Milton's Paradise Lost is one of the greatest epic poems in the English language. It tells the story of the Fall of Man, a tale of immense drama and excitement, of rebellion and treachery, of innocence pitted against corruption, in which God and Satan fight a bitter battle for control of mankind's destiny.
-
-
The most accessible reading of Paradise Lost
- By Tony McClung on 02-21-10
By: John Milton
-
Expanded Universe, Vol. 1
- By: Robert A. Heinlein
- Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
- Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Robert A. Heinlein has been hailed as one of the most forward-thinking science fiction writers of all time, and Expanded Universe (presented in two volumes) offers the perfect collection of his works to provide listeners with true insights into his uniquely creative mind.
-
-
Old friends spoiled by poor narration
- By Gary on 06-07-21
What listeners say about Constantine and the Conversion of Europe
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Book Junkie Mom
- 12-10-20
A Wonderful Insight to the Life of Constantine
This audiobook was a very thoughtful non-partisan look at the life of Constantine. The narrator did a very good performance of the book and I highly recommend it. I warn you however, it is abridged. I have a paperback copy of the book, and it does not exactly match what the narrator says.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Electra Avenger
- 05-09-21
Informational but biased
This book has much useful information and even some right deductions and opinions but in making pretentions for scholarly reasoning it cannot hide it's bigotry displayed in irony against Christianity and any Christian opinion. The narrator's tone emphasizes this irony. In fact it barely ever steps out of its ironic and overly theatrical tone so it is unpleasant.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
- Christopher
- 07-08-10
A Lot of Potentially Boring Detail
I might have enjoyed this book more if I listened to the last chapter first, which summarizes the entire book. Much of the book is filled with detail of bishops and church officials and arguments and antics during Constantine's lifetime. Very interesting if this extremely narrow time period and topic appeals to the listener. Furthermore, the arguments between these long-forgotten characters are completely alien to the modern Christian, and the author acknowledges that fact occasionally. Most readers will simply be unable to associate with any of the sects battling with each other over early church doctrine. Theological hair-splitting that is very dense to the modern ear. Also, I thought there would be more material about the actual spread of Christianity throughout Europe. Instead the book chronicles the actions taken by Constantine that eventually resulted in the spread of the faith. Nonetheless, the book is reasonably interesting to anyone curious about the period. Most histories of Rome that I've read don't have any where near as much detail as this book does about Constantine's life and personality. I'm a history buff, but not a professional or academic historian and quite frankly it amazes me how much detail and actual dialog and day-to-day rundown of events has been preserved from this period. I have to assume that the actual dialog and text and correspondence quoted in the book is in fact accurate. I'd love to know what the primary sources are and where they are kept.
Regarding the reader, Charlton Griffin has the best reading voice for this kind of material and it's a pleasure to listen to. Direct quotations and speeches are produced with a reverb on his voice to set such quotations aside from the author's own writing. Listeners may or may not like it.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND A History of Rome, read by Charlton Griffin, also available on Audible.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
12 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Coramdeo540
- 03-06-17
Every Student Of History & The Church Should Read This Excellent Book
A must for ALL Theologians, it is Clear Constantine was a devoted Christian Post Conversion
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mark
- 09-20-14
Interesting, but a little misleading
While there is actually very little in this book about the conversion of Europe, it is nevertheless an interesting portrait of Constantine. The book focuses on Constantine's conversion and his subsequent push towards making Christianity the formal religion of the Empire. The book has a few sections that get a little dry when it focuses on the schisms and sects that began to emerge within Christianity is it grew within the Empire. Most of the focus in this book is actually on North Africa and the near east.
Constantine, and the actions that he took had huge impacts that can be felt to this day. His decision to make Constantinople a Capitol for the Eastern Provinces I believe created a divide in Europe that can still be seen. Western Europe and the religion that evolved there is to this day very different from the Orthodox Christianity that exists in Easter Europe. And the fact that the Roman Empire, and later Europe became the bastion of Christianity was certainly impacted by the actions of Constantine. The book points out many flaws and strengths that he seemed to have, certainly he was no Saint but he was markedly different from previous Emperors.
Charlton Griffin is one of the premier narrators for audio books and does an outstanding job in this one. I would recommend this book if you enjoy Roman History, it is however very slow in some parts, particularly those focused on the various infighting among the sects.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Michael
- 03-08-18
Not perfect
Sometimes rambly and un-linear, sometimes overly or underly detailed. It was ok for an introduction to Constantine, but not great. That said, I don't know why people praise Constantine as a Christian saint. Was he even a Christian? He postponed baptism till his deathbed because he believed baptism removed sins, and he had plenty of them; the murder of his wife and son in a fit of rage over their transgressions being just one of the standouts in his less than saintly life. It sounds like Christianity was to him a tool for unifying his empire. His theological motif was: Obviously God is with me because I have conquered my enemies.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Greg K.
- 03-21-12
Absolutely Spellbounding
Where does Constantine and the Conversion of Europe rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Probably one of the finest ever downloaded.
What did you like best about this story?
The history of this period basically set the stage for the entire rise of Christianity and the western world. The insights I gained gave me a better foundation for understanding the world then and now. The narrator was superb.
Have you listened to any of Charlton Griffin’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
No, but I will now - I would download an Audible.com book just for his narration.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
No extreme reaction - but the 4th century Christians were damn lucky Constantine was around.
Any additional comments?
I almost believed that Griffin's narration were the words of the emperor speaking them.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
7 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Eric
- 11-29-21
Great Book
I loved this book. You should probably have some prior knowledge about Constantine and his conversion; and there is sometimes way to much detail about the inner broils of the early Church. But it’s fascinating to see how one man’s conversion changed the entire history of Europe. The narrator is wonderful. I particularly enjoyed his deep voiced impressions while quoting an edict or letter of Constantine.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Tim
- 10-02-12
Either poorly written or poorly read
What didn’t you like about Charlton Griffin’s performance?
This narrator has an pompous English accent, which is a constant annoyance. In addition, for some reason, an echo effect is applied to quotations, which sounds ridiculous.
Apart from that, I'm not sure if the book is poorly written, or if it is all the narrator's fault.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful