What would have happened to Christianity if Constantine had not become Christian?

Answer 1

A:

I believe that Christianity would have continued to grow slowly, although it would probably never have entirely replaced Roman paganism. Without imperial support and the right to demand absolute obedience, it would have been a more tolerant religion. We have a parallel in early Nestorian Christianity, which spread from the Middle East right across Asia, although it eventually suffered major setbacks with the rise of Islam and the political changes in China. Away from the influence of western Christianity, Nestorianism seems to have been a religion that not only taught principles such as tolerance, but practised them.

Answer 2

It matters little whether Constantine became a Christian, but what matters is the state patronage he lavished on the Church, the persecution of the pagan temples that he began, and the fact that his successors continued to persecute and eventually ban the pagan religion. Without this lead from Constantine, Christianity would never have achieved absolute dominance in the Roman Empire. Christianity would no doubt have continued to grow, and perhaps even become the largest single cult in the Empire, but it would have shared the stage with the older religions as well as emerging ones. Christianity would no doubt have adapted to being less dominant, and would have been more tolerant and charitable than it became in the course of the Middle Ages.

Answer 3

The world would still be waiting for Emmanuel the son spoke of in the Old Testament's prophecy. The descendant of King David.

Answer 4

The world would still be waiting for Emmanuel the son spoke of in the Old Testament's prophecy. The descendant of King David.