Editing Deathbed conversion (section)

==Overview==
[[File:Raphael Baptism Constantine.jpg|thumb|right|''[[The Baptism of Constantine]]'', as imagined by students of [[Raphael]]]]
Conversions at the point of death have a long history.  The first recorded deathbed conversion appears in the [[Gospel of Luke]] where [[Saint Dismas|the good thief]], crucified beside Jesus, expresses belief in Christ.  Jesus accepts his conversion, saying "Today you shall be with Me in Paradise".

Perhaps the most momentous conversion in Western history was that of [[Constantine I]], [[Roman emperor|Roman Emperor]] and later proclaimed a Christian [[Saint]] by the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]]. While his belief in Christianity occurred long before his death, it was only on his deathbed that he was [[baptism|baptised]], in 337 by the [[Arianism|Arian]] bishop [[Eusebius of Nicomedia]],<ref name="Gonzalez 1984 176">{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/storyofchristian01gonz/page/176 |title=The Story of Christianity Vol.1 |last=Gonzalez |first=Justo |publisher=Harper Collins |year=1984 |isbn=0-06-063315-8 |page=[https://archive.org/details/storyofchristian01gonz/page/176 176]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05623b.htm |title=Eusebius of Nicomedia |access-date=18 February 2007 |encyclopedia=[[Catholic Encyclopedia]]}}</ref> While traditional sources disagree as to why this happened so late, modern historiography concludes{{Citation needed|date=July 2011}} that Constantine chose religious tolerance as an instrument to bolster his reign. According to [[Bart Ehrman]], all Christians contemporary to Constantine got baptized on their deathbed since they firmly believed that continuing to sin after baptism would ensure their eternal damnation.<ref name="Smithsonian">{{YouTube|xohkrxWCHyE|Smithsonian Part Four - Constantine and the Christian Faith}}</ref> Ehrman sees no conflict between Constantine's Paganism and him being a Christian.<ref name="Smithsonian"/>