After the defeat of Maxentius, Constantine solemnly entered Rome, and then annexed the former possessions of Maxentius - Italy, Africa and Spain - to his possessions (i.e. Gaul and Britain). In the same (or the next) year, Constantine and Licinius met in Milan. Here they issued the famous edict (“Edict of Milan”), which recognized the equality of the Christian religion with the pagan cult. This was an extremely smart political move. As a pledge of alliance and friendship, Licinius married Constantine's sister Constance.
However, the peace between both Augusts did not last long - only until they were left alone as rulers of the empire. This happened after Licinius defeated Maximin Daza in 313, and he died in Asia Minor. By this time, all members of the remaining imperial families had died. Diocletian also died in 313.
The last stage of the struggle has arrived. Already in 314, the Augusti quarreled over the borders of their possessions and started a war. However, it did not lead to decisive results. The rivals concluded a peace under which Licinius retained Thrace, Egypt and the Asian provinces. Everything else was to be under the authority of Constantine. Several years passed in a state of “bad peace.” In 323 a new war began. Constantine defeated Licinius at Adrianople, occupied Byzantium and besieged his enemy in Nicomedia. He surrendered, having received Constantine’s oath that his life would be spared (323). But the very next year, Licinius, sent to Thessalonica, was killed.
The text of the Edict of Milan was preserved only in the works of two Christian writers - in the work of Lactantius “On the Death of the Persecutors” and in the “History of the Church” by Eusebius. Lactantius gives a short and clear version of this edict: “We, Constantine and Licinius, the Augustans, having gathered in Milan to discuss all matters relating to the welfare and security of the state, decided that among the subjects occupying us nothing could be so useful to our peoples as the establishment first of all, a way of serving the deity. We have decided to grant Christians and all others the rights to freely practice the faith they prefer. It seems to us that it would be good and prudent not to deny to any of our subjects, whether Christian or belonging to another cult, the right to follow the religion that is more suitable to him. Thus, the supreme deity, whom from now on each of us can freely worship, will bestow upon us his mercy and usual favor” (Lactantius. On the Death of the Persecutors, XLVIII, transl. according to the book: Sergeev V.S. Essays... part II. P. 709).
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There are few events in the history of the Christian Church that can be compared with what happened 1,700 years ago, when the emperors Constantine and Licinius signed an edict that went down in history as the Edict of Milan. For Christians who lived in subsequent centuries, and for modern Christians as well, this edict became a clear boundary separating two eras. We can say that after 313 both the appearance of the Christian Church and the appearance of the entire Roman Empire changed, so that we continue to eat the fruits of the Edict of Milan to this day. The Edict had a significant influence on the formation of European civilization, on the formation of Christian civilization as a whole. But in this report I would like to draw attention to the role that the Edict of Milan played in the history of the Church, to the changes in church life that resulted from its adoption.
When a modern Christian hears about the Edict of Milan, he first of all remembers the end of the persecution of Christians. Indeed, during the first three centuries of its existence, the Church was practically outside the law and all followers of Christ were potential martyrs. The Divine Founder of Christianity himself suffered a violent death due to an unjust verdict; almost all the direct disciples of Jesus Christ ended their journey with a violent death. Under the conditions of the existence of the imperial cult, Christians were criminals both in relation to the Roman government and in relation to the Roman pagan religion. What made them criminals was also the fulfillment of one of the main covenants of Jesus Christ - to preach the Gospel to all nations (Matthew 28:18-20). In the Roman Empire, proselytism was outlawed, so what was a Divine commandment for Christians was a direct call to break the law for the Roman administration. In these circumstances, the history of the Church of the first three centuries became the history of martyrs.
The legalization of Christianity began even earlier, in 311, when Emperor Galerius, realizing the futility of persecuting Christians, issued an edict that said: “We have decided that Christians should live freely again, and let them organize their meetings, but so that none of them I didn’t disturb them.” This decree actually abolished persecution for the very name of a Christian, but did not provide permission for conversion to Christianity from other religions. Church historians believe that in 312 the emperors issued another edict limiting the possibility of converting to Christianity. Therefore, the persecution of Christians could only cease completely after the Edict of Milan in 313.
However, the Edict of Milan did not just put an end to the persecution of the Church. He proclaimed the principle of religious freedom. The words of the edict about freedom of choice of faith sound very modern: “We have granted Christians and everyone the opportunity to freely follow whatever religion anyone wishes... we have decided that it is necessary to legitimize what we have always considered necessary, namely, that no one should be denied at all in the choice, if someone devoted his thoughts to Christian worship or the religion that he considered most suitable for himself; so that the highest divinity, whose holiness we would follow of our own free will, could show its reverence and mercy in everything” (Lactantius. On the Deaths of the Persecutors, 48: 2-3). This religious freedom opened up legal way for the work of Christian mission, which would bear significant fruit by the end of the fourth century.
The sympathy of the imperial authorities for the Church, expressed in the Edict of Milan, and the strengthening of missionary activity led to mass conversions to Christianity. For some, the transition to a new faith was a tribute to fashion or was dictated by selfish considerations. We, who survived the collapse of atheistic ideology and the revival of the Church in the countries of the former Soviet Union, it is not difficult to imagine a picture of a mass coming to the Church, which at times had a formal character. Mass conversions also had some negative consequences, manifested in the partial destruction of the communal life of Christians and a decline in the general moral level. But the widespread dissemination of the gospel teaching turned out to be very beneficial for society as a whole, contributing to the softening of social mores and humanization public life. The Christian concept of the high dignity of man influenced the abolition of the branding of criminals in 315, the official abolition of the execution of the cross, and the adoption of a ban on throwing away children, which was a common practice among the Romans. In 325, bloody spectacles were canceled - gladiatorial battles, which were very loved by the inhabitants of many regions of the empire. Attitudes towards the institution of slavery gradually changed.
The Edict of Milan proclaimed freedom of religious choice. And its modern reader has a desire to correlate the freedom that the ancient decree speaks of with the freedom of religion that they speak of modern politicians. However modern understanding freedom of religion borders on religious indifference; it is not associated with either the desire for truth or the desire to gain Divine favor. This was not the spirit of the Edict of Milan. There was no indifference in him. The Edict was issued in the interests of Christians and was a sign of favor towards Christianity. In the context of the entire edict, drawn up in favor of Christians, the words about freedom of choice of faith imply, first of all, the possibility of free choice of the Christian faith. We can say that already in 313 Saint Constantine, Equal to the Apostles, was on the path to Christianity. In any case, already in 312 he contemplated a vision of the Cross and, with the help of a Christian symbol, defeated the superior forces of his opponent Maxentius. Religious freedom was thus proclaimed in favor of Christianity and, at the same time, was fully consistent with the Gospel teaching about love.
In the era that began in 313, the state, represented by the emperor, began to accept Active participation in the affairs of the Church, including limiting the rights of Christian heretics and schismatics. Unfortunately, the forceful methods used by the emperors often contradicted the evangelical spirit and the Church began to be used to achieve political goals. But the fact that it is impossible to eradicate dissent by force was already understood by Saint Constantine, who ultimately showed leniency towards both the schismatic Donatists and the heretics Arians, returning them from exile. The subsequent departure from the idea of religious tolerance and the fight against church divisions were dictated not only political motives, but also with deep conviction in the truth of Orthodoxy and the desire to see the whole world in Christian unanimity. This is evidenced by the letters of the same Saint Constantine, addressed to Arius and Alexander of Alexandria before the Council of Nicaea and to Arius when he was in exile after the council. These letters are imbued with a genuine spirit of Christian love and a thirst for Christian unity.
The benevolent and patronizing attitude towards the Church, attested in the Edict of Milan, as well as sympathy for the Church on the part of the imperial authorities subsequently grew into Christianity becoming the state religion. The Church began to acquire a whole series of rights and privileges, which, to be fair, sometimes became a source of temptation for clergy. Having given the Church special rights and privileges, imperial power did not give up attempts to interfere in church affairs. But despite the closeness of the Church and the state, the Christian religion, unlike ancient Roman paganism, did not turn into a function of state power, retaining its autonomy. This autonomy was already recognized by the first Christian emperor, the author of the Edict of Milan. When the Donatists turned to the emperor with a request to act as a judge in the consideration of their case, Saint Constantine replied: “What madness to demand a trial from a person who himself awaits the judgment of Christ! The court of priests should be viewed as the court of God Himself!” This emperor adhered to the same way of thinking after the Council of Nicea, when he wrote in the “Message to the bishops who were not present at the council”: “Everything that is done at the holy councils of bishops must be attributed to the will of God.” And later, at the end of the 4th century, Saint Ambrose of Milan did not allow even the emperor under whom Christianity became the state religion, Theodosius the First, to cross the borders of the Church. In response to the emperor’s attempt to interfere in church affairs, Saint Ambrose wrote: “What could be more honorable for the emperor than to be called the son of the Church? But the emperor is in the Church, and not above the Church.” In the history of the relationship between the Church and the Orthodox state of the first millennium, there were no ideal periods; perhaps, the very model of these relationships was not ideal, but it was precisely this model, set by the Edict of Milan, that was accepted along with Christianity itself in Rus'.
The Edict of Milan ended the era of open persecution of Christianity. After this, Christians had almost no opportunity left to be martyrs, to be imitators of the death of Jesus Christ, to follow the path of Christ to an unjust violent death. In this regard, the Church received special development an ascetic movement that we call monasticism. Already the founder of Egyptian hermitage, the Monk Anthony the Great, perceived monasticism as an analogue of martyrdom, as voluntary martyrdom. St. Athanasius the Great writes in the “Life of St. Anthony”: “It was desirable for him [Reverend Anthony] to become a martyr. And he himself seemed to be sad that he was not worthy of martyrdom. /…/ And when the persecution had already ceased, /…/ then Anthony left Alexandria and retired to his monastery, where he was daily a martyr in his conscience and labored in the deeds of faith.” Thus, to a certain extent, the development of monasticism can also be considered one of the consequences of the Edict of Milan.
After 313, the Church faced circumstances it had never had to deal with before. The Church never had the kind of protection that the state began to provide it with. The Church and the bishops were revered by the emperors, some of whom still bore the pagan title of high priest. But now people were not executed for refusing to participate in the imperial cult; moreover, the emperor himself bowed his head before Christ. In the minds of some Christians, there was a temptation to see in this extraordinary change the advent of Christ’s kingdom on earth. The famous first church historian, Eusebius of Caesarea, was also captured by this temptation. The remedy against this temptation was born in the depths of the Church itself, when the best of Christians fled from the imaginary Kingdom of Heaven on earth into the desert. The most sincere followers of Christ were unable to realize the Christian ideal in the conditions of a Christian state. Against the background of the external triumph of the Church, the construction of large churches, against the background of all the privileges that the Church received, they served as a quiet reminder that true Christianity is created inside a person, in his soul, and the success of Christianity is not determined by external flourishing. Monasticism became the great spiritual fruit of the great accomplishment of 313.
However, it cannot be denied that even those external fruits that the Edict of Milan brought in 313 cannot but delight the eye. The policy of patronage gave impetus to the development of all types of church art. That unprecedented flowering of church architecture, painting, sculpture, applied arts, church poetry, music, literature, which became possible thanks to the edict, still amazes all civilized humanity.
Scholars can argue a lot about the Edict of Milan itself, about where it was issued and by whom, about the degree of its authority at the time of its publication, but it is undeniable that it played the greatest role in the history of mankind. Based on respect for man and his freedom, based on the idea of the high dignity of man, the edict stopped the almost three-hundred-year period of cruel persecution, it opened the way for the broadest Christian mission, caused the flourishing of Christian material and spiritual culture, strengthening it in the minds of many people and in the public consciousness the most important Christian ideals, the ideals of love, goodness and justice, everything that underlies modern European civilization.
See: Akimov, V.V. History of the Christian Church in the Ante-Nicene period / V.V. Akimov. Minsk: Kovcheg, 2012. pp. 38-57.
Lactantius, Firmian Lucius Caecilius. To the confessor Donatus about the deaths of the persecutors / Firmian Lucius Caecilius Lactantius // Lactantius. On the Deaths of the Persecutors (De mortibus persecutorum) / Translation from Latin language, introductory article, comments, index and bibliography of V. M. Tyulenev. St. Petersburg: Aletheya, 1998. P. 212.
Bolotov, V.V. Lectures on history Ancient Church. T. 2: History of the Church in the period before Constantine the Great / V.V. Bolotov. M., 1994. S. 162-163.
Lactantius, Firmian Lucius Caecilius. To the confessor Donatus about the deaths of the pursuers. pp. 245-246.
See: Bolotov, V.V. Lectures on the history of the Ancient Church. T. 3: History of the Church during the period of the Ecumenical Councils / V.V. Bolotov. M., 1994. P. 137.
Bolotov, V.V. Lectures on the history of the Ancient Church. T. 2: History of the Church in the period before Constantine the Great. P. 404.
Eusebius Pamphilus. Life of Blessed Basileus Constantine / Eusebius Pamphilus. M., 1998. P. 112. (Book 3. Chapter 20).
See: Bolotov, V.V. Lectures on the history of the Ancient Church. T. 3: History of the Church during the period of the Ecumenical Councils. P. 76.
Saint Athanasius the Great. Creations / Saint Athanasius the Great. M., 1994. T. 3. P. 217.
See: Akimov, V.V. Transformation of early Christian eschatological views in the church-historical writings of Eusebius of Caesarea / V.V. Akimov // Proceedings of the Minsk Theological Academy. No. 3. Zhirovichi, 2005. pp. 66-70.
June 26 will mark the 1700th anniversary of the promulgation of the decision of the emperors of St. Constantine and Licinius gave Christians freedom throughout the Roman Empire. On the eve of this date and on the eve of the birthday of the Church - Pentecost - we talk about Milan, the city in which this historical decision was made, its shrines and the life of its Orthodox community today. We open the series of articles with a story about how the Edict of Milan was adopted. Statue of Emperor Constantine in front of the Basilica of San Lorenzo, Milan
The main thing in the Edict of Milan: paganism lost the status of the state religion
The most significant innovation of the edict was not the end of the persecution of Christians, but the recognition of all religions of the Empire as equal in rights. Lactantius, in his essay “On the Death of the Persecutors,” quotes the document: “We grant both Christians and everyone else the opportunity to freely follow the religion that anyone wishes, so that whatever divinity may be on the throne of heaven may be in favor and mercy to us and to all those under our authority. Therefore, we decided to think carefully and in the most balanced manner about this undertaking, since we considered that no one should be denied opportunities at all, whether anyone turned his mind to the Christian rite or dedicated it to that religion which he considered most suitable for himself, so that the highest deity, whose cult we observe with soul and heart, could give us the usual favor and approval in everything.”
Freedom of faith was agreed upon at the wedding
The decision to give Christians freedom of assembly throughout the Roman Empire was made at the wedding of Constance, the half-sister of St. Constantine, and his co-ruler Licinius. Flavia Julia Constance was one of the six children of Emperor Constantius Chlorus and Theodora, daughter (or stepdaughter) of Emperor Maximinus. For the sake of his marriage to Theodora, which was important for his political career, Constantius had to leave St. Elena. The wedding took place in Mediolana (modern Milan). Constance's date of birth is unknown, but at the time of her wedding she was no more than 18 years old. Licinius's age was approaching 50 years.
The wedding took place after Constantine's victory over Maxentius
The celebration probably took place in February 313. A few months earlier, on October 28, 312, the famous victory of Constantine’s troops over the Praetorians of the usurper Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge took place, on the eve of which St. Constantine saw in the sky the sign of the Cross and the inscription “By this victory” (In hoc signo vinces, Εν Τούτῳ Νίκα). Constantine triumphantly entered Rome. The marriage cemented the political union of the co-rulers. The decision about the wedding was made even before the victory, probably in 311-312. Constantine arrived in Milan from Rome and remained in the city until about April.
The main persecutor of Christians could have been invited to the wedding
According to one version of historians, Diocletian could have been invited to the wedding. The retired emperor was ill at that time; he had less than a year left before his death, and he did not leave his solitude in Dalmatia. Otherwise, a historical curiosity would have arisen: the main persecutor of Christians, who appropriated the name of Jupiter, would have been present at the establishment of the faith he persecuted. The version about Diocletian’s invitation is based on the fact that in 313 his relations with Constantine and Licinius deteriorated. According to the report, Aurelius Victor's former ruler was even poisoned. Refusal to come could be perceived as a manifestation of disloyalty to the new government and led to hostility.
The Edict of Milan was not immediately promulgated
When exactly the Edict of Milan was signed and whether it was signed at all or whether an oral agreement was reached between the co-rulers is not known. For historians, the reference date is June 13 (26 according to the new style) 313. This day was indicated by Lactantius: on the Ides of June, according to the Roman calendar, Licinius ordered the president of Nicomedia (now Izmit, a city in Turkey) to promulgate a decree on the new position of Christians in the empire.
Vasily Bolotov, a classic of Russian church history, explains: “Imperial edicts were not communicated particularly quickly. They were sent out (presented - perfulgere) first to the prefects, who sent them to the lower commanders. The prefects accompanied these rescripts with their own comments. In the end these clarifications turned out sufficient quantity. Each acted within the limits of his authority. One might think that the first edict of Galerius caused such a massive movement in favor of Christianity that the government considered it necessary to surround this transition with certain conditions in order to prevent the spread of Christianity.
The text of the Edict of Milan has not survived
As mentioned above, Lactantius cites Licinius’ letter to the president of Nicomedia, but the text of the edict is absent in Theodosian Code of Laws (Codex Theodosianus 438). The existence of the edict is mentioned and briefly recounted by Eusebius in his “Church History”, and also gives its Greek translation in the X book of his work.
The Edict of Milan was not the first law in favor of Christians
In 311, an edict on tolerance towards Christians had already been issued in Nicomedia. The Edict of Milan expanded the provisions of another decree on religious tolerance, which was issued in Nicomedia on April 30, 311 by Galerius, in the past the most cruel persecutor of Christians. The Edict of Nicomedia, unlike the Edict of Milan, did not apply to the entire territory of the empire (co-ruler Galerius Maximin Daza did not accept the edict), did not equate Christianity with paganism, only showed Christians the “most lenient mercy”, did not return confiscated property to Christians, and allowed them to gather together for prayer without fear persecution and ordered prayer for the prosperity of the Empire.
At the end of the Ninth Book of “Church History,” Eusebius of Caesarea cites the text of another law that granted Christians freedom to profess their faith, the rescript of Maximinus of 312. Russian church historian Vasily Bolotov sees in it either the tyrant’s portrayal of his nobility, or a reaction to the insignificance of the results of the persecution against Christians , arranged by Maximin himself.
After the Edict, the Church was granted privileges
According to the Edict, property confiscated during the persecution was returned to Christians, and compensation was also provided for the victims. After the Edict of Milan, St. Emperor Constantine adopted other acts that strengthened the financial position of the Church. Clerics were exempt from municipal duties, and the Church as a whole from real estate taxes (except for land plots). The Church was able to free slaves with the consent of their owners, Christian churches received the right to provide shelter, which had previously been the privilege of pagan sanctuaries. The collection from a certain part of the land of each city was transferred to local churches, i.e. they received direct regular funding from the government.
At the time of the Edict of Milan, the pope was an African.
The Edict of Milan was proclaimed under Pope Miltiades (Melchiades), who was from North Africa and may have been dark-skinned. His bishopric began in 311, i.e. even before the victory of St. Konstantin. In the same year 313, the residence of the Roman bishops was established in the Lateran, the former estate of the Lateran family, donated to the Church of St. Konstantin. The next pope was St. Sylvester, under him Christianity began to establish itself in Rome, magnificent basilicas were built, and the Church quickly began to turn into a serious force in the state.
The bride became the defender of the Arians
How did the fates turn out? characters that Milanese wedding? Less than a year later, war broke out between St. Constantine and Licinius. By 324, the latter was completely defeated and took refuge with his wife Constance and 9-year-old son in Nicomedia. Constance asked her brother for mercy for her husband - to live in exile in Thessalonica. St. Constantine yielded to her requests, but a year later Licinius was strangled, having been accused of inciting the garrison to revolt. Constance became the spiritual daughter of Bishop Eusebius of Nicomedia, one of the zealous Arians, and she herself became their patroness at court and supported them during the First Ecumenical Council.
The meaning of the Edict of Milan for Christians.
During its formation, the young religion, Christianity, experienced severe upheavals. In the first decades after the crucifixion of Christ, his followers were subjected to oppression and persecution not only by the state authorities of the Roman Empire and the people, but also by the Jews. The first document ending the oppression of Christians was the Edict of Milan.
Christianity originated among Judaism, Jesus himself and his followers were Jews, the Apostle Peter called himself a Pharisee. For a long time The teachings of Christ were regarded by the high priests and Pharisees as the “Nazarene heresy.” Naturally, the Roman public also perceived the new religion as a Jewish sect and treated it with disdain, but did not experience negative feelings. During this time, most of the Great Roman Empire worshiped a countless pantheon of gods. But the state apparatus itself was tolerant of local religious teachings, without imposing its religion.
The special attitude of the Romans towards Christianity has two main reasons. Firstly, the public did not accept Christian values, which required humility and moderation in everything. The Romans worshiped wealth and power; any restrictions on food and pleasure were a sign of ignorance and barbarism. Lush decorations of houses, various dishes and endless libations were familiar to wealthy residents. The hardships experienced were interpreted as the discontent of the gods; the continuation of the usual way of life even after death was ensured by sacrifices to idols.
Secondly, emperors and politicians saw in Christian teaching a threat to his power. The increasing number of followers of Jesus Christ was considered dangerous to himself state system. The rulers, responding to the unrest among the people, began to oppress and limit Christians in every possible way. The first emperor to attack Christians was Neuron. They were accused of organizing a fire that destroyed half of Rome. This was the reason, according to Tacitus, to attack the believers with accusations of hatred of the human race.
In many ways, the pagans’ fear of Faith in Christ was hidden in the fickleness of their gods. Traditional fastidiousness and malice, attributed to the windy deities and their numerous offspring, kept constant fear people. The fear that disrespect shown by Christians could disrupt the peace of the great powers made the Romans intolerant. Particular irritation was caused by the Church’s desire to spread and carry the Word of God, as it was commanded, among other nations. This behavior of missionaries began to pose a threat national traditions numerous peoples that made up the Roman Empire. All this gave rise to persecution of Christians on an unprecedented scale.
During the first three centuries of the religion's existence, many people were tortured and killed. Emperors issued edicts restricting Christians, prohibiting meetings and rituals, and even obliging law-abiding citizens to hand over lawbreakers to the authorities. But gradually the Christians’ conviction that they were right, numerous martyrdoms for the faith and the moral character of its adherents overcame the people’s mistrust. People began to think about the truthfulness of the teaching and increasingly resorted to the sacrament of Baptism. The oppression of the Church by the state has become unfounded. More statesmen received Baptism and became zealous Christians.
The first step towards restoring justice and stopping the abuse of the Church and the followers of the teachings of Christ was taken with the help of Galerius’s edict of toleration, which allowed Christians to openly celebrate their rituals and stopped all oppression. The edict was issued in 311
year, a few days before the death of Galerius. It's interesting to note that most Throughout his life, Galerius led an active struggle against Christianity. According to some historians, it was he who initiated the persecution of Diocletian. According to one version, the ruler of the eastern part of the Roman Empire changes his attitude towards God due to a serious illness that struck him. And with such an indulgence, he wanted to earn the favor of God of Christians and the prayers of believers for his recovery. As a result, one of the most zealous pagans and persecutors shows fear of the Lord.
However, Galerius' document was incomplete. The Christians were finally justified by the Edict of Milan, issued in 313
Augustus Constantine and Licinius. It was not easy for Christians to free themselves from oppression, but all of its lands and property were returned to the Church. If, as a result of the implementation of this law, private citizens suffered losses, their property was returned to the Church, as previously taken, then the state treasury reimbursed everything. Donations and bequests of property in favor of the Church were legalized, and subsequently its ministers were exempted from many taxes and duties. Emperor Constantine himself patronized Christianity in every possible way, contributed to the spread of its teachings and accepted Baptism at the end of his life.
The text of the Edict of Milan has not survived. The main provisions and meaning of the document came to us from a message to the president of Bithynia. In this regard, many historians and even theologians deny its existence at all. The weakening of the persecution of Christianity is associated with the edict of Galerius. However, in historical documents that were translated from Roman to Greek several centuries later, there are references with quotes to the Edict of Milan.
Despite the controversy among researchers, the Church recognizes the existence of the Edict of Milan and its significance for all Christianity. Thanks to Constantine, Christianity was not easily legitimized; with the Edict of Milan, its formation as a state Roman Empire began, which would later become the Holy Empire. The Church, under the protection of the state, becomes able to preach the teachings of Christ on a large scale. The formation of the familiar image of the state and the world begins.
The Edict of Milan was a letter from the emperors Constantine and Licinius proclaiming religious tolerance in the territory of the Roman Empire. The Edict of Milan was an important step towards making Christianity the official religion of the empire. The text of the edict has not reached us, but it is quoted by Lactantius in his work “The Death of the Persecutors.”
"1. Among other things that we plan (to do) for the eternal good and benefit of the state, we, for our part, would like first of all to correct, along with the ancient laws, also government system the Romans in general, and also take measures to ensure that Christians, who have abandoned the way of thinking of their ancestors, turn to good thoughts.
2. After all, for some reason these Christians were seized with zeal and such unreason took possession (of them) that they ceased to follow those ancient customs, which were first, perhaps, established by their own ancestors, but by their own arbitrariness, as well as by whims, they made laws for themselves that were revered by them alone, and for contrary reasons they brought together various peoples.
3. When our decree finally appeared that they should turn to ancient customs, some obeyed them out of fear, while others were punished.
4. However, since the majority persisted in their fundamental principles, and we saw that just as the cult and proper service of these gods fails, the god of Christians is not respected, then, based on considerations, to show our most condescending mercy and in accordance with constant custom our custom of granting forgiveness to all people, we considered that our favor should be extended to them as quickly as possible, so that Christians would again exist (within the law) and could organize their meetings, (but) without doing anything against order.
5. In another message we intend to indicate to the judges what they should do. Therefore, in accordance with our generosity, they must pray to their God for the well-being of ours, the state and their own, so that the state everywhere remains impeccable, and they can live serenely in their homes.”
1. This edict was promulgated in Nicomedia on the eve of the Kalends of May in the eighth consulate (Galeria) and the second of Maximian (30.04.311).
1. Licinius, having received part of his army and distributed it, transported the army to Bithynia a few days after the battle. Arriving in Nicomedia, he gave praise to God, with whose help he won the victory. On the Ides of June (06/13/313), during his and Constantine’s third consulate, he ordered the publication of the messages presented to the governor on the restoration of the church with the following content:
2. When I, Constantine Augustus, and also I, Licinius Augustus, were safely assembled in Milan and occupied myself with everything that concerned the people's benefits and welfare, then, having engaged in those matters that would, among other things, be useful to the majority of people, we decided that first of all it should be decreed regarding those who have retained the worship of God that we grant both Christians and everyone else the opportunity to freely follow the religion that anyone wishes, so that whatever divinity may be on the heavenly throne , could remain in favor and mercy towards us and all those who are under our authority.
3. Therefore, we decided to think carefully and in the most balanced manner about this undertaking, since we considered that no opportunity should be denied to anyone at all, whether anyone turned his mind to the Christian rite or devoted it to that religion which he considered most suitable for himself, so that the highest deity, whose cult we observe with soul and heart, might show us the usual favor and approval in everything.
4. Therefore, your honor should know that we wish to cancel all, without exception, withdrawn agreements regarding Christians, which were previously written down and given to you out of duty for safekeeping, and which have come to be considered by our grace as completely illegal and alien, and that any of those who have shown a desire to perform Christian rites can freely and simply allow themselves to participate in them without any worry or trouble.
5. We have decided that your duties should find the fullest expression in this, for, as you know, we have granted these Christians the opportunity to conduct their religious rites freely and independently.
6. When you are convinced that they are under our protection, your honor will also understand that others have also been granted the opportunity to celebrate their rites equally openly and freely in the peace of our government, so that everyone is free to choose their religion. We did this so as not to see any infringement of anyone either in official status (honor) or in cult.
7. In addition, we have considered it expedient to decree in relation to persons professing Christianity that if those places in which they previously customarily assembled were captured in accordance with the messages also given to you previously in the prescribed form on duty, and were soon bought by someone from our fiscus or anyone else, they must be returned to the Christians without collection of payment and without any monetary claims, without resorting to deception and chicanery (ambiguitate).
8. Those who acquired (land) as a gift should return them to these Christians as quickly as possible, but if those who received them for service or acquired them as a gift demand anything from our favor, let them ask for a substitute so that about him and about they themselves were taken care of by our mercy. All this must be conveyed through your mediation and without delay directly to the Christian community.
9. And since it is known that these Christians owned not only those places in which they usually gathered, but also others that were under the authority of their communities, that is, churches, and not individuals, all of them, according to the law we set forth above , without any doubts or disputes, you will order the return of these Christians, that is, their community and assemblies, observing, of course, the above principle so that those who returned it without compensation according to what we said, hope for compensation for losses from our favor.
10. In all this, you must provide the above-mentioned Christian community with your most active mediation in order to fulfill our order as quickly as possible and thereby show concern for the peace of the people by our mercy.
11. Therefore, as was said above, may God's favor be with us, which has already been experienced by us in so many enterprises, and our people remained in prosperity and bliss at all times under our successors.
12. And so that everyone can have an idea about the form of the decree and our favor, you should display these instructions everywhere in the form that you prefer, and convey (them) to general information so that no one will remain ignorant of the decree from our favor."
13. The orders submitted in writing were also accompanied by oral recommendations that the meetings should be restored to their previous position. Thus, 10 years and about 4 months passed from the overthrow of the church to its restoration.