Map 1.2: Christian Churches Founded before the Great Persecution of Diocletian (303–304)
This it received in 313, in the so-called Edict of Milan. Emperors Licinius and
Constantine declared toleration for all the religions in the Empire “so that whatever
divinity is enthroned in heaven may be gracious and favorable to us.”^1 In fact, the
Edict helped Christians above all: they had been the ones persecuted, and now, in
addition to enjoying the toleration declared in the Edict, they regained their property.
Constantine was the chief force behind the Edict: it was issued just after his
triumphant battle at the Milvian Bridge against his rival emperor Maxentius in 312, a
victory that he attributed to the God of the Christians. Constantine seems to have
converted to Christianity; he certainly favored it, building and endowing church
buildings, making sure that property was restored to churches that had been stripped
during the persecutions, and giving priests special privileges. Under him, the ancient
Greek city of Byzantium became a new Christian city, residence of emperors, and
named for the emperor himself: Constantinople. The bishop of Constantinople
became a patriarch, a “superbishop,” equal to the bishops of Antioch and Alexandria,
although not as important as the bishop of Rome. In one of the crowning measures of
his career, Constantine called and then presided over the first ecumenical (universal)
