she is likely to have left from rome. to reach jerusalem is almost 2,000 miles over land. for an elderly lady in her 70s at this point, this journey is an enormous undertaking. it is so unbelievably far away, in the american context, if new york is rome, jerusalem is something like guam or american samoa. but by all accounts, helena is a remarkable woman. we know only a couple of things about the empress helena. we know that she was christian. and we know that she was a commoner. and yet she gets together with a traveling roman and gives birth to the man who will one day become emperor of rome. since its creation in 27 b.c., the roman empire has been
to reach jerusalem is almost 2,000 miles over land. for an elderly lady in her 70s at this point, this journey is an enormous undertaking. it is so unbelievably far away, in the american context, if new york is rome, jerusalem is something like guam or american samoa. but by all accounts, helena is a remarkable woman. we know only a couple of things about the empress helena. we know that she was christian. and we know that she was a commoner. and yet she gets together with a traveling roman and gives birth to the man who will one day become emperor of rome. since its creation in 27 b.c., the roman empire has been
with a traveling roman and gives birth to the man who will one day become emperor of rome. since its creation in 27 b.c., the roman empire has been ruled by pagans. then in 312 a.d., helena s son, constantine, has a dramatic change of faith. the story goes that on the eve of a great battle outside rome, he has a vision. he sees a cross of light in the sky. and he hears a voice that tells him by this, you will conquer. he takes it to mean that by the symbol of the cross and by christianity, he s going to become the lone emperor and the supreme figure in the known world. he wins the battle and becomes the first christian emperor. christianity is very much a
when helena herself went to the holy land, nobody s ever done this before. she is likely to have left from rome. to reach jerusalem is almost 2,000 miles over land. for an elderly lady in her 70s at this point, this journey is an enormous undertaking. it is so unbelievably far away, in the american context, if new york is rome, jerusalem is something like guam or american samoa. but by all accounts, helena is a remarkable woman. we know only a couple of things about the empress helena. we know that she was christian. and we know that she was a commoner. and yet she gets together with a traveling roman and gives birth to the man who will one
the actual cross jesus died on. when helena herself went to the holy land, nobody s ever done this before. she is likely to have left from rome. to reach jerusalem is almost 2,000 miles over land. for an elderly lady in her 70s at this point, this journey is an enormous undertaking. it is so unbelievably far away, in the american context, if new york is rome, jerusalem is something like guam or american samoa. but by all accounts, helena is a remarkable woman. we know only a couple of things about the empress helena. we know that she was christian. and we know that she was a commoner. and yet she gets together with a traveling roman and gives