CONSTANTIUS II (Flavius Julius Constantinus), EMPEROR. - Son of CONSTANTINE THE GREAT and of FAUSTA, born on 7 Aug. 317, probably at Sirmium, appointed Caesar on 8 Nov. 324, he became Augustus before he was twenty at the death of his father on 22 May 337, together with his brothers CONSTANTINE II and CONSTANS. Their father had assigned to him, as his share of the Empire, Egypt, Syria and Asia Minor. Immediately after Constantine’s death, the soldiers put to death his half-brother Julius Constantius with his sons Dalmatius Caesar, Hannibalianus king of Pontus and other relatives. It is not certain whether C. was the author of these crimes or merely aware of them, but all believed him guilty and he himself felt remorse for them all his life (Gregory Naz., Orat., 21, 26).
COSTANZO II — Gold medallion.
When in 361 the troops of Julian at Paris proclaimed him Augustus, Constantius suspended his expedition against the Persians and marched to fight the rebel, but death overtook him at Mopsucrene in Cilicia on 3 November 361, baptized by the Arian bishop Euzoios at the age of only forty-five.
Although it is possible to follow Constantius’ movements almost year by year, less is known about his personality and character than about those of Constantine. Constantius appears rather mediocre, lacking in drive and personal charm; under him the prestige of the Empire declined noticeably. He surpassed his father, however, in the obstinacy of his religious policy. Constantine wished to appear and be the benefactor of the Church; Constantius wished to be its master, and he was the first true representative of the so-called caesaropapism.
He was a convinced Arian, thanks to the religious formation he received in the last years of Constantine’s reign, when the influence of Eusebius of Nicomedia dominated the court. As long as his brother Constans, who adhered to the Council of Nicaea, was alive, Constantius felt somewhat constrained, although even at that time he protected Macedonius of Constantinople and fought Athanasius. But after his brother’s death (350) and his victory over the usurper Magnentius (351), he assumed the titles Aeternitas mea (Ammianus, Res gestae, XV, 13) and Episcopus episcoporum (Lucifer, Moriendum esse pro Dei filio, 13), terrorized the Synods of Arles (353) and Milan (355), and attempted to intimidate Pope Liberius (v.). After 358, under the influence of Basil of Ancyra, Constantius distanced himself from the extreme Arians (Anomoeans), indeed he began to persecute them, without, however, relaxing the pressure on the orthodox at the Synods of Rimini and Seleucia. With Constantius’ death, Arianism in the Empire quickly vanished, a sign that he had been its principal support.
Opinions among modern authors differ regarding the scope of Constantius’ laws against pagan sacrifices (Cod. Theod., XVI, 10, 2 of 341; 10, 4 of 356; 10, 5 of 353) and against diviners and astrologers (Cod. Theod., IX, 16, 4, 5, 6) (cf. Fliche-Martin-Frutsz, III, nn. 172, 184-87). Their repetition seems to indicate their limited efficacy. Like his father Constantine, Constantius retained the title of Pontifex Maximus.
