One demonstration of the excellent character of the
Christians in those days was their dedication to charity and good works, and
the fact that they founded hospitals and philanthropic institutions. For
example, the first person to establish public clinics throughout the Roman
Empire where the poor, the injured and the helpless received medical care, was
the Emperor Constantine. This great king was the first Roman ruler to champion
the Cause of Christ. He spared no efforts, dedicating his life to the promotion
of the principles of the Gospel, and he solidly established the Roman
government, which in reality had been nothing but a system of unrelieved
oppression, on moderation and justice. His blessed name shines out across the
dawn of history like the morning star, and his rank and fame among the world’s
noblest and most highly civilized is still on the tongues of Christians of all
denominations.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (‘The Secret of Divine Civilization’)
