I have been in correspondence with an Orthodox priest and we began discussing the baptism of St Constantine. He said that the liturgical texts for the feast day of Sts Constantine and Helen state that St Constantine was baptized by Pope Sylvester. I was initially skeptical because of the Donation of Constantine.
Now the majority of scholars say that St Constantine was baptized on his deathbed. If this is true, then what are we to make of these liturgical texts? I listened to a talk given by an Orthodox priest which said if something is in our Liturgy, then we have to accept it. How do we reconcile this contradiction of scholarly evidence that shows that St Constantine was baptized on his deathbed and the texts that sate the opposite? By the way, the priest did not send me the texts, so maybe someone can help me here as well. Are liturgical texts in effect infallible?
No, they are not, and yes, if they say that, here they are incorrect. The baptism of St. Constantine by St. Abp. (Rome had not yet taken the title "Pope") Sylvester is a later legend, the Vita Sylvestri, perhaps of Roman origin, made up by embarrassment that Abp. St. Sylvester was not a giant in an age of giants in the Church.
