Was Constantine right to grant aid to Christians?

Answer 1

AnswerConstantine's financial assistance to the Christians was grossly disproportionate to their numbers, particularly during the early part of his reign. This effectively resulted in a transfer of wealth from the majority of citizens to a privileged elite. Even to offer bribes for conversion, as Gibbon reports, is not only a form of corruption, but undermines the standing of religion.

While economics was not yet a field of study in the time of Constantine, it is now recognised that the massive expenditure that Constantine incurred, and the legacy that he passed on to his sons and successors, were an important contributing factors in the decline of the Roman Empire. Had Constantine been less spendthrift and more even-handed, history could have been different.

While Constantine emptied his treasury in support of the Christian Church and other projects, he supplemented the treasury by plundering the pagan temples. As the army was unwilling to undertake this task, Constantine sent Christians from the palace to do this. Not only Constantine, but his Christian supporters were guilty of crimes on an enormous scale.

A non-financial form of aid that Constantine provided to Christianity came in the form of preferences given to ambitious Christians. Roman citizens soon realised that those with ambition ought to become, or seem to become, Christians. Today, this would be regarded as a serious form of corruption.

Not only was the extent of Constantine's aid wrong, his motives were wrong and his treatment of the pagans was wrong.