And yet. Eusebius of Caesarea reports that Constantine once had a vision of a christian cross with this legend "By this, conquer". This phrase was eventually transformed into the Latin "In hoc signo vinces" ('In this sign you will conquer') In AD 312 Constantine defeated Maxentius at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, becoming the first Christian Emperor. That was the beginning of the end for the empire so the earlier Romans were right to be suspicious of Christian fanatics.