To Christians, Constantine was a great emperor, being given the accolade, Constantine the Great. But to the pagan majority, Constantine was a bad emperor because he did not carry out his duties as head of their religion and even began the long persecution of the pagan temples. He was among the most murderous of all roman emperors, even executing his long time friend and adviser, the pagan Sopater, on the pretext that he had magically 'fettered' the winds and thus prevented food from arriving at famine stricken Constantinople. His personal extravagance and the enormous sums he spent on public buildings and support for the Christian Church left the empire in a dire financial position. Lactantius, a Christian who usually supported Constantine, said that as the fatal time approached for the mi