Episode 4 – I Have The Power!

* This is the first episode of the premium series! * October 28, 312. * The Battle of Milvian Bridge. * Conny wins and marches into Rome, with the head of Maxentius carried on a spike. * Just like Jesus would have done. * Another thing Conny does to emulate his lord and saviour, is to have Maxentius’ family all killed. * Including his wife and youngest son. * Praise the lord. * One of the first things he does after his victory is disband the Praetorian Guard. * They had raised Maxentius to the throne when Galerius tried to disband them in 306. * They are sent out to guard the frontiers of the empire, the Rhine and the Danube. * Then in February 313 Conny and Licinius met in Milan where Licinius married Constantine’s sister. * And they issued their famous Edict of Milan. * “We have decided, therefore, to grant both to the Christians and to all others perfect freedom to practise the religion which each has thought best for himself, that so whatever Divinity resides in heaven may be placated, and rendered propitious to us and to all who have been placed under our authority. Consequently, we have thought this to be the policy demanded alike by healthy and sound reason — that no one, on any pretext whatever, should be denied freedom to choose his religion, whether he prefers the Christian religion or any other that seems most suited to him, in order that the Supreme Divinity, whose observance we obey with free minds, may in all things vouchsafe to us its usual favours and benevolences.” * This wasn’t entirely new – they had both signed the edict of toleration issued by Galerius two years earlier. * But now they are giving Christianity not only toleration but legal status. * Constatine might have been a Christian at this point – although I’m not convinced – but Licinius certainly wasn’t. * He was still a traditionalist. * I think it’s likely that both them were just trying to make sure the Christian god wasn’t going to intervene against them, just like they tried to keep ALL of the Roman pantheon of gods happy. * But also they wanted to keep the Christians happy. * Persecution hadn’t really accomplished anything. * On the contrary, it lead a bunch of Christians to demand torture and death. * Con referred to it as a civil war that had torn the empire apart. * Constantine and Licinius are trying to heal the empire. * It’s been through the crisis of the third century, where there were 26 Emperors in 50 years. * Then Diocletian brings stability but has to deal with the Christians. * Remember, they were 10% of the empire. * Roughly the same percentage as African American’s in the United States (12%). * You don’t want 10% of the population causing trouble. * He could have done what America does and just try to put all of them in prison, but he didn’t have the infrastructure. * So the next best thing is just to bring them into the fold. * But while the document provides amnesty for Christians, states they should have all of their property returned to them, along with other financial benefits, it isn’t making Christianity the state religion. * That doesn’t happen for another year 70-odd years. * But it’s a huge turning point for Christians. * The document is found in Lactantius’ De Mortibus Persecutorum (OF THE MANNER IN WHICH THE PERSECUTORS DIED) and in Eusebius of Caesarea’s History of the Church. * But there are pretty huge differences between the two versions. * Whether or not there was a formal ‘Edict of Milan’  is debatable. * It might have just consisted of letters Licinius and Conny wrote to their governors. * That’s certainly the way it’s presented in Lactantius. * BTW, Lactantius’ letter was itself a big discovery of the l...