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Constantine' s basilica gave Rome' s Christians a new focus for devotion. It stood for over a thousand years, until it was rebuilt during the Renaissance. Jesus said that Peter would be the rock on which his church was built. Constantine' s basilica literally fulfilled that prophecy. Over the centuries, St Peter' s was to become the cornerstone of the Catholic Church and the headquarters for an empire of Christian souls. But when Constantine commissioned it, it was still an act of wishful thinking. Constantine' s St Peter' s promoted Rome as a Christian centre. But he died leaving a hybrid holy city, part Christian, but part pagan. The temples of the old gods still dominated the skyline. Pagans still dominated the city. Constantine' s divine gamble now lay in the hands of Rome' s new high priests. It was now down to the Popes, Rome' s Bishops, to really make Rome Christian. |
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kāng sī tǎn dīng de bā xī lì kǎ gěi le luó mǎ jī dū tú men yí gè xīn de qí dǎo zhōng xīn. tā chù lì dá yī qiān duō nián, zhí dào wén yì fù xīng shí dài dé dào chóng jiàn wéi zhǐ. yē sū shuō guò bǐ dé jiāng chéng wéi tā jiào huì lài yǐ yī kào de jī shí. kāng sī tǎn dīng de bā xī lì kǎ què shí shí xiàn le zhè gè yù yán, shèng bǐ dé dà jiào táng jiàn yú shèng bǐ dé mù xué de zhèng shàng fāng. duō shǎo gè shì jì guò qù le, shèng bǐ dé dà jiào táng chéng wéi le tiān zhǔ jiào huì de jī shí, yǐ jí jī dū jiào jīng shén dì guó de zǒng bù. dàn shì dāng kāng sī tǎn dīng wěi tuō yì shù jiā jiàn zào tā shí, zhèi xiē hái jǐn jǐn shì yī xiāng qíng yuàn. kāng sī tǎn dīng de shèng bǐ dé dà jiào táng cù shǐ luó mǎ chéng wéi le jī dū jiào de zhōng xīn. dàn zài tā sǐ de shí hòu, liú xià de shì yī zuò jiào pài hùn hé de shèng chéng, yī bù fen shì jī dū jiào de, dàn lìng yī bù fen què shì yì jiào tú de. shàng gǔ zhī shén de miào yǔ yī rán yìng mǎn tiān jì. yì jiào tú yī rán tǒng zhì zhe luó mǎ chéng. kāng sī tǎn dīng de shén shèng yī dǔ xiàn zài jiāo yóu luó mǎ de xīn zhǔ jiào men lái wán chéng, tā xiàn zài bèi chuán chéng gěi le jiào huáng luó mǎ de zhǔ jiào, zhēn zhèng dì shǐ luó mǎ chéng jī dū jiào huà le. |