Edict of milan (Edictum Mediolanense)
introduction |
The Edict of Milan is an edict published in
313 AD by Roman Emperors Constantine the Great and Licinius in Milan. It is an
agreement between the two Emperors from the Western Roman Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire to
legitimize Christianity, including all the operations of the Churches, and
it promised to return the confiscated properties back to Christians.
contents
The Edict admitted the basic rights of Christians, such as the right to believe their own God like other non-Christians at that time. The Edict also returned the confiscated churches and properties to the Christians and extricated the them from mandatory, Christian-only duties of corvee. Bishops were given rights to judge the cases within their own Churches. For the complete content of the Edict, please click the “download” button on the right side.
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history
Before the Edict came out, Christians had been commonly persecuted by the Roman Government for centuries because Christianity, the religion that praises only one God, was different from the polytheism that most Romans believed at that time. However, with the widespread of the religion, Christianity gained its strength within the Roman Empire, and there were about seven millions of Christians when the Edict was underwritten.
A previous Edict of Toleration had been issued by the Emperor Galerius from Serdica and posted at Nicomedia on 30 April 311. By its provisions, the Christians, who had "followed such a caprice and had fallen into such a folly that they would not obey the institutes of antiquity", were granted an indulgence. "Finally when our law had been promulgated to the effect that they should conform to the institutes of antiquity, many were subdued by the fear of danger, many even suffered death." Edict of Toleration by Galerius |
Reasons
- Just before the Edict came out, there were millions of Christians in the Roman Empire, and the power of Christianity was indelible. If the Emperors continued to persecute Christians, Constantine would loss their support, and he might be affronted by rebellions. Also, because Christianity could unite the masses, to the Emperors, it is better to use Christian as a tool of politics rather than to deny its presence.
- At the night before Battle of the Milvian Bridge against Maxentius, Constantine saw a huge burning Cross in the sky with a sentence near it: it is the premonition of you defeating the enemy. Constantine thought in his mind: if I win, then I will believe in Christianity. Indeed, he won the war and converted to Christianity then. So it also contributes to the admission of the Edict.
influence
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