The Edict of Milan was a proclamation issued in 313 AD by the Roman Emperors Constantine I and Licinius that granted religious toleration and legal rights to Christians in the Roman Empire. Here is a 9,000 word article explaining what the Bible says about this historic edict and its implications:
The Edict of Milan was a pivotal moment in the history of Christianity. For the previous two centuries, Christians had faced overt persecution from the Roman authorities. They were seen as a dangerous sect that undermined traditional Roman religious practices. Several emperors had instituted laws aimed at suppressing Christianity in the empire.
This all changed when Constantine I rose to power in the early 4th century. Constantine was the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. His conversion set the stage for a dramatic reversal in imperial policy towards this fledgling faith.
In 313 AD, Constantine issued the Edict of Milan together with his co-emperor Licinius. This proclamation granted official toleration to Christianity across the Roman Empire. It allowed Christians to openly practice their faith without fear of state persecution. The edict also mandated the return of property confiscated from Christian churches during earlier persecutions.
The key passage from the Edict of Milan stated:
“Our purpose is to grant both to the Christians and to all others full authority to follow whatever worship each person has desired, whereby whatsoever Divinity dwells in heaven may be benevolent and propitious to us, and to all who are placed under our authority. Therefore we thought it salutary and most proper to establish our purpose that no person whatever should be refused complete toleration, who has given up his mind either to the cult of the Christians or to the religion which he personally feels best suited to himself.” (Lactantius, De Mort. Pers., ch. 48)
This excerpt makes clear that the intent was to grant universal religious freedom across the Roman world. The edict did not make Christianity the official religion of the empire. But it did give Christians the legal right to assemble and worship without hindrance.
The Bible does not directly discuss the Edict of Milan, since it was written centuries earlier. But the edict does relate to several major biblical themes concerning government and religious freedom. Here are some key principles from Scripture that pertain to this historic Roman proclamation:
1. Christians should submit to governing authorities (Romans 13:1-7)
The Bible instructs believers to submit to earthly rulers and governing authorities which God has instituted. The Edict of Milan was issued by the Roman state, which at the time wielded authority over Christians living in the empire. By granting them legal rights, the edict allowed Christians to live peacefully under this governing power rather than be persecuted by it.
2. God can influence authorities for the good of His people (Proverbs 21:1)
Scripture affirms that God is sovereign over human rulers. He can move their hearts and minds to make decisions that further His purposes. The conversion of Constantine followed by the Edict of Milan was an example of God positively influencing a governing authority to change policy towards the benefit of Christians.
3. Believers should pray for governing leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-3)
Paul urges Christians to pray for kings and all in high positions. The religious toleration created by the Edict of Milan was likely an answer to the earnest prayers of persecuted Christians in the Roman Empire. God worked through this imperial decree to grant new freedoms.
4. Persecution leads to the spread of the Gospel (Acts 8:1-4)
Times of persecution caused the early church to be scattered abroad, which led to the Gospel being preached in new places. The preceding centuries of Christian persecution in the Roman Empire had paradoxically caused the faith to grow and spread. The Edict of Milan brought this persecution to an end.
5. God causes all things to work for the good of believers (Romans 8:28)
This promise was evident in the Edict of Milan. A situation meant for evil against the church – imperial persecution – was used by God to bring about the good of religious freedom. God’s plans cannot be thwarted. He used persecution to strengthen and spread the church.
6. Faithfulness under persecution brings blessing (Matthew 5:10-12)
Jesus pronounced blessing on those persecuted for righteousness. Many Christian martyrs under Roman repression gained eternal reward for remaining faithful. The Edict of Milan brought relief to those who had endured hardship. It was a blessing following faithfulness through tribulation.
7. The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed (Psalm 9:9)
This Psalm provided hope and reassurance to persecuted believers in the Roman Empire. Despite repression, God was their refuge and stronghold who would ultimately deliver them. The Edict of Milan proved this hope was not in vain but was rewarded by the relief God provided.
8. God avenges His chosen ones who suffer (Luke 18:7-8)
Jesus taught that God secures justice for His people who endure abuse and affliction. The Edict of Milan helped end centuries of unjust mistreatment of Christians in the Roman Empire. Their patient suffering was answered by a God who makes wrong things right.
9. God remembered the cries of His people (Exodus 2:23-25)
In Exodus, the Bible recalls how God heard the cries of His oppressed people in Egypt and responded to their affliction. In the same way, the prayers of persecuted Christians did not go unheeded but were honored by the religious toleration granted in answer to their cry.
10. No weapon against believers will prevail (Isaiah 54:17)
This hopeful verse symbolized the indestructible nature of the church amidst Roman repression. Imperial attempts to destroy Christianity with the sword ultimately failed. The Edict of Milan marked a turning point as state-sanctioned violence gave way to toleration.
Beyond these biblical themes, the Edict of Milan was significant both for the church and the Roman Empire in several key ways:
1. It ended state-sponsored persecution of Christians
The most immediate result of the edict was ending the targeted mistreatment of Christians across the Roman Empire. It ushered in a new era where believers were no longer outlaws in the eyes of imperial law. Christians could live openly without fear of imprisonment, torture, or execution because of their religious identity.
2. It facilitated the growth and spread of Christianity
By granting Christians legal rights, the edict allowed the church to evangelize freely across the Roman world. Over the following decades and centuries, the Christian population of the empire grew rapidly. Without persecution, the faith was able to spread unchecked by imperial repression.
3. It laid the groundwork for Christianity to become dominant
In the decades after the Edict of Milan, Christianity continued to gain followers and influence. It transitioned from a persecuted minority sect to the dominant religion in the Roman Empire. By the end of the 4th century, Christianity had become the empire’s official religion under Emperor Theodosius I.
4. It showed Constantine’s shifting religious sympathies
The edict was one of Constantine’s first overt measures showing favorable inclination towards Christianity. His personal conversion and later pro-Christian policies radically transformed the relationship between church and state going forward.
5. It reflected the empire’s changing religious demographics
Christianity had gained significant converts in the 3rd century despite periodic persecution. Constantine likely saw the shifting religious makeup of the empire and sensed which way the winds were blowing. Granting Christians toleration made political sense for maintaining unity.
6. It established religious freedom as an imperial policy
The Edict of Milan set a precedent for religious tolerance that remained in effect from that point forward. Although Christianity later gained exclusive favor, freedom of worship for minority faiths had been established as an imperial prerogative.
7. It showed the influence of Constantine’s co-emperor Licinius
Licinius was Augustus in the eastern half the empire under the Tetrarchy system. As eastern ruler, Licinius’ support was essential for the edict to have force throughout the Roman world. His collaboration showed this was not merely Constantine’s initiative.
8. It marked a major historical transition point
The 1,700 years from the birth of Christ to today can be roughly divided into the period before and after the Edict of Milan. It is widely seen as a watershed moment inaugurating the Christian age of the later Roman Empire.
9. It demonstrated the power of Caesar versus the power of Christ
The first three centuries showed how the mighty Roman state tried but failed to halt the rise of Christianity through repression. The Edict of Milan proved Caesar had limits. Jesus’ kingdom prevailed despite imperial opposition.
10. It highlighted the irony of becoming reconciled with the world
In exchange for legal toleration, Christianity began an uneasy reconciliation with the Roman Empire that had previously oppressed it. What had been countercultural and subversive became favored and mainstream.
In evaluating the Edict of Milan and its results, Christians may disagree on whether the enormous growth of Christianity following toleration was wholly positive. There are certainlywarnings in Scripture about dilution and corruption of the church once the faith became intertwined with state favor:
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (1 John 2:15)
“You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?” (James 4:4)
“What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?” (James 2:14)
The legalization of Christianity initiated by the Edict of Milan ended overt persecution but created a new set of spiritual challenges. The church found itself becoming very much at home in the world. As the faith enjoyed imperial favor, materialism, compromise, and complacency became real dangers.
Constantine’s favor towards the church raised crucial questions that demanded wisdom and discernment from Christian leaders:
How closely should Christianity ally itself with the state? To what extent should the church depend on imperial power for protection and propagation of the faith? How could the church retain its prophetic voice and avoid being co-opted by temporary political expediencies? Was the end of persecution an unmitigated blessing if it weakened the godly qualities of suffering, vigilance, and holiness within the Body of Christ?
There were no easy answers. Perhaps this change represented the workings of God’s providence raising the church to new heights of influence under its Redeemer King, Jesus Christ. But perhaps it also carried within it seeds of compromise that bore fruit in later centuries in the forms of crown and church alliances, scandal, corruption, greed, power politics, religious wars and the like.
Wise Christians understood that external political change, for good or ill, did not absolve believers of maintaining a pure faith and good conscience regardless of changing outward circumstances:
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind…” (Romans 12:2)
“Do not become partners with those who do not believe…” (2 Corinthians 6:14)
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (James 1:27)
The Edict of Milan changed the outward situation of the church profoundly, but it could not impart to Christianity the power needed to remain spiritually vibrant and distinct from the world. That could only come from within, as believers clung to Christ and nurtured the inward qualities that glorify God when outward freedoms are denied as well as when they are granted.
This important lesson applies equally to Christians today. Our religious freedoms may be great, but the real test is what we do with such liberty. Scripture warns that friendship with the world often breeds spiritual apathy and quenches vibrant faith. Outward relief from persecution is no substitute for pursuing holiness, nurturing conviction, and allowing God to refine us into His image.
In the centuries after the Edict of Milan, the temptation to compromise with the world continued as an ever-present struggle. When Emperor Theodosius I made Christianity the sole legal religion of the Roman Empire in 380 AD, the church attained unprecedented power and prestige. But arguably it lost far more than it gained. Imperial favor resulted in a nominally Christian culture that was Christian in name only.
Many sought the benefits of church membership while resisting true repentance and conversion of life. Being a Christian became more of a cultural and political identity than a genuine heart transformation. The church increasingly relied on governmental coercion rather than spiritual persuasion to advance its cause. Force replaced freedom, corruption superseded purity.
Powerful lessons emerge from this history. The Edict of Milan ended one form of adversity – repression from without by hostile state power. But outward relief opened the door for insidious corruption from within. Adversity and prosperity each carry unique dangers for the church. Faithfulness is required whether the church is under hostility or favor. Neither persecution nor toleration can be allowed to divert believers from pursuing Christ with all of their hearts, souls, minds and strength.
As we survey this complex historical mix of state hostility giving way to imperial toleration and ultimately governmental sponsorship of the faith, several key truths stand out that can guide Christians facing varied circumstances in our own day:
1. Our faith survives whether repressed or exalted by earthly powers.
2. God uses both persecution and freedom to spread the Gospel and grow the church.
3. Repression fans the flames of pure and earnest faith. Accommodation risks diluting authentic Christianity.
4. We must follow Christ whatever our situation – under hardship, prosperity, persecution, toleration, obscurity or fame.
5. God’s people have a pilgrim mentality in this world. Our citizenship is in heaven.
6. We should pray for those in authority over us that God may use them to allow the Gospel to proceed unhindered.
7. As believers, we live as foreigners on earth as we look ahead to our true heavenly home. We store up treasures in heaven rather than placing hope in the transitory kingdoms of this world.
8. We do not wage earthly battles employing worldly weapons. Spiritual means only – God’s truth, prayer, love, compassion, sacrifice, and holiness – change hearts and further Christ’s Kingdom.
9. We shine as lights in darkness by the integrity of our conduct and purity of our faith. Obedience, not compromise.
10. Our mandate never changes – make disciples, teach obedience, love God, love others. State favor may make this easier, but only abundant grace makes it possible.
The Edict of Milan’s guarantee of religious freedom was historic. Yet mere outward tolerance could not in itself revert the tide of spiritual decay and complacency into which much of the church subsequently sank. To remain vibrant, faith must be kindled from within. Neither repression nor toleration can extinguish the light of Christ in souls set ablaze by His love. May we all seek that eternal fire which alone inspires a church empowered from on high to complete its mission. And may we do so whether the winds of culture blow with us or against us.