FL HELENA AVGVSTA
History, also Church history, is mostly written by men about men...
So I find it so amazing how Jesus Christ, the King of Kings, has used women in crucial tasks in the battle. Quietly, humbly, in the background - yet so essential operators against the enemy unable to fathom the power of love.
Birth and youth of Helena
The hero of our story, Flavia Iulia Helena Augusta, was born between 246 and 250 possibly in the city of Drepanum (modern village of Hesek in Turkey). Little is known about her youth. As a young woman she was possibly working as a stabularia that is inn-keeper or as a maid in an inn.
She must have been an attractive woman because despite of her low social status nobleman Constantius Chlorus (250-306) noticed her and the two became lovers. This very human event is an important early step in the long-term strategy of Christ against Rome. Crucial detail in this love story are the identical silver bracelets they happened to be wearing when they met in Drepanum. Albanian born Constantius was there possibly in 270 during Emperor Aureliu's eastern campaign against the revolt of Queen Zenobia of Palmyra. Helena would have been a little over twenty years old at the time.
From our point of view, things did not go so smoothly for the King's great plan. The two fell in love, Helena was now either Constantius's wife or concubine. On 27th of February 272 she gave birth to their first child, a boy. in the city of Naissus in Serbia. The father called his son Constantine.
Divorce and life in Nicomedia
But when life began to smile to Constantius the low social status of his wife was a real burden to success in the palace. So he promptly divorced Helena before 289 to marry a noblewoman, daughter of the mighty general Maximian. The mother and her son were expelled and taken from the palace to the city of Nicomedia where Emperor of the East, Diocletian (ruler 284-305), kept court. We do not know much about Helena at this time. She must have followed from near the education of her only son in the palace and we know that she never married again.
"Constantine received a formal education at Diocletian's court, where he learned Latin literature, Greek, and philosophy. The cultural environment in Nicomedia was open, fluid and socially mobile, and Constantine could mix with intellectuals both pagan and Christian. He may have attended the lectures of Lactantius, a Christian scholar of Latin in the city. Because Diocletian did not completely trust Constantius — none of the Tetrarchs fully trusted their colleagues — Constantine was held as something of a hostage, a tool to ensure Constantius' best behaviour. Constantine was nonetheless a prominent member of the court: he fought for Diocletian and Galerius in Asia, and served in a variety of tribunates; he campaigned against barbarians on the Danube in 296, and fought the Persians under Diocletian in Syria (297) and under Galerius in Mesopotamia (298–99). By late 305, he had become a tribune of the first order, a tribunus ordinis primi." (wikipedia)
Diocletian Persecution
What madness from the King to send His key fighter to Nicomedia!
For we do know that the persecution of the Kingdom of God reached its horrific peak during the time of this same Emperor Diocletian with merciless cruelty and lethal force. While laws against Christians had been enforced more strictly since 250 Diocletian now wanted to destroy utterly this sect from the face of Earth.
"Constantine had returned to Nicomedia from the eastern front by the spring of 303, in time to witness the beginnings of Diocletian's "Great Persecution", the most severe persecution of Christians in Roman history. In late 302, Diocletian and Galerius sent a messenger to the oracle of Apollo at Didyma with an inquiry about Christians. Constantine could recall his presence at the palace when the messenger returned, when Diocletian accepted his court's demands for universal persecution. On 23 February 303, Diocletian ordered the destruction of Nicomedia's new church, condemned its scriptures to the flame, and had its treasures seized. In the months that followed, churches and scriptures were destroyed, Christians were deprived of official ranks, and priests were imprisoned."
(wikipedia)
What terrible times and at what risk Christ had put His key fighter when sending Helena to Diocletian's court.
We know that mother Helena would not leave her son and that she wanted to live or die near him. In our minds and hearts we can imagine those lonely nights of prayer by this woman who could have been the Queen proudly standing beside her husband Constantine Chlorus who ruled Rome from 293 to 306. She was hidden from the public and just a forgotten mother in the night. Theodora, daughter of Maximian, had the honour of standing with the Emperor in the glory of the state.
Everything changes
Church historians see the horrible death of sick Emperor Diocletian as divine punishment for the universal cruel persecution of the Kingdom of God. Politicians made plans about his successor but something much bigger was now happening.
Mother Helena was perhaps forgotten by the people but not by our Lord. Absolutely everything changed in her life.
I believe that because of her mother's prayers, holy angels guided Constantine actions and he got permission to leave treacherous court of Galerius to join the British campaing against the Picts led by his father. When Constantius fell sick in York he named his eldest son as successor and at his death on 25 July 306 the Roman legion promptly shouted Constantine the new August.
When the now 34 year old Constantine entered his task as the ruler of Britain, Gaul, and Spain he brought two persons with him to the heart of Rome - his mother Helena showered with honours and the King of the Kings knocking the door of his heart.
The living God of his mother.
(The historical details in the text are taken from various Wikipedia articles. I hope this little introduction encourages the reader to study the articles in detail.)
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