How did Constantine's Edict of Milan support Christianity?

Answer 1

Constantine may have had several motivations. Some suggest he had a conversion experience in 312 while fighting Maxentius -- the story goes that he looked into the sky before the battle and saw a cross, a Christian symbol (the chi rho) and the words "in this sign, conquer." After winning the battle, he opted to support Christianity.

Other theories are that his mother was a Christian and that he wanted to honor her, or that he thought legalizing Christianity would be good for the empire.

Licinius is less clear, but he seems to be a Christian supporter as well. In his half of the empire, he participated in ecclesiastical life and even put Christian symbols on the army's uniforms.

Answer 2

The most important effect of the Edict of Milan was the restoration to the Christian Church of property that had been appropriated during the reign of Emperor Diocletian.

The Edict of Milan removed all conditions whatsoever, which were in the rescripts formerly given, concerning the Christians and instructed that anyone who wished to observe Christian religion may do so freely and openly, without molestation.

The edict also referred to "the Supreme Deity, to whose worship we freely yield our hearts," which some pagans could choose to read as referring to Jupiter, but which the context shows to be the Christian God. This would become a signature clause of Emperor Constantine.

Answer 3

The Edict of Milan of 313 by co-emperors Constantine I and Licinius reiterated the toleration of Christianity and provided for the restitution of Christian property which had been confiscated during the persecution and compensation by the state for those who returned it.

According to the tradition the Edict o Milan was issued when Constantine (emperor of the west) and Licinius (emperor of the east) met in Milan in March 313. However, it is not sure whether this was a formal edict. Some historians also doubt that there was an issuing of an Edict in Milan in March 313. The text of the document has been provided by Lactantius, an important advisor of Constantine's, who said that it was published in Nicomedia (in north-western Turkey), the capital of the eastern part of the Roman Empire, in May 313. It was not in the form of a formal edict. It was a letter from Licinius to the governors of the provinces in the Eastern Empire. The letter stated that Constantine and Licinius agreed on the religious policy when they met in Milan as part of a wider discussion on public welfare and security. However, it does not mention of any issuing of an edict in Milan.

The letter gave full application of the measures of the Edict by Galerius of 311, included the toleration of all religions, added further provisions and issued precise instructions to the provincial governors. The governors were made responsible for: 1) ensuring the freedom of worship of Christianity and other religions; 2) the immediate return of property used by Christians for congregation and of their churches, which had been confiscated during the persecution, by those who had bought them or received them as a gift without payment by the Christians; 3) the payment of compensation from the treasury to those who returned Christian property; 4) publishing the text of the decree and bringing it to the knowledge to all; 5) executing these orders efficiently.

It is likely that Constantine and Licinius decided to reissue Edict by Galerius of 311, give full application of its measures and additional measures by issuing precise instructions to the provincial governors. The Edict by Galerius had not issued precise instructions besides the ending of the persecution. The aim of the edict was counter Maximinus Daia, a junior emperor resumed the persecution of Christians in the Asian territories when Galerius died in 311, ignoring his edict.

When Galerius died, Licinius and Maximinus partitioned the eastern part of the Roman Empire. The former took the European provinces and the latter took the Asian ones. In 313 Maximinus made an alliance with Maxentius, a usurper emperor who took over Italy in coup. After Constantine defeated Maxentius, he and Licinius responded by joining forces and met in Milan in March 313 for the wedding between Licinius and the half-sister of Constantine, which was arranged to form an alliance between the two men. This is why it was assumed that the edict was issued in Milan. The next month Maximinus attacked Licinius. The latter won this civil war when Maximinus died four months later. Therefore, it is likely that the so-called edict of Milan was related to power politics as well as religious policy.

Answer 4

It was an edict of tolerance, and Christianity gained legal recognition. releasing it from the persecutions under Diocletian. It was authorised by Constantine as emperor of the Western Empire and the Caesars of the Western and Eastern Empires - that is western and central Europe. This was a prelude to Constantine exploiting Christianity's system of bishops as a secondary method of controlling the empire to add to his secular control. As a Mithraist, he could have tried to use that, the religion of the army, but it did not have the sort of hierarchical system available from the bishops. The religious amalgamation of the Imperial cult of Sol Invictus (invincible sun) with Christianity is reflected in the original halos used in Christianity which were the sun behind the heads, later changed to rings to avoid that connection.