WHAT WAS THE EDICT OF MILAN? - HISTORY - 2025

The Edict of Milan was a proclamation promulgated by the Roman Empire in the 300s that declared freedom of religion and the cessation of persecution of believers from different religious groups in Rome.

The main beneficiary of this enactment was Christianity. This edict was the result of an official meeting between Emperor Constantine I the Great (who ruled the western region of Rome) and Licinius (ruler of the Balkans and the eastern region).

The Edict of Milan expands religious tolerance by granting Christianity legal status within the Roman Empire.

It was not until more than half a century later that Christianity would become the official religion of the Roman Empire. The Edict of Milan is considered an important antecedent of that event.

When the Edict of Milan came to be promulgated, Christianity had a presence in the Roman Empire that amounted to approximately 1,500 episcopal sees and at least some 6 million parishioners, out of the 50 that made up the total population of the empire.

Background and history of the Edict of Milan

Since the second century the constant growth of the Christian population resulted in measures of persecution and violence taken by the emperors of that time: Diocletian and Galerius, who conspired a series of atrocious measures with the intention of decimating Christianity within the Roman Empire.

Demolition and burning of Christian churches and temples, destruction of copies of the Bible, capture, torture and murder of priests and ecclesiastical authorities, deprivation of civil rights to citizens who proclaim themselves Christian faithful, death penalty for Christians and sacrifices as tribute to the Roman gods were some of the measures that sought to destroy Christianity.

However, seeing that the results of these decisions did not end up eradicating the Christian presence within the Roman territories, other decisions had to be made, this time driven by Galerius, who sought a safe-conduct that would be socially and politically advantageous by then.

The closest antecedent to the Edict of Milan was the Edict of Tolerance promulgated by Emperor Galerius just two years earlier.

This, although it did not make Christianity official, it made it legally tolerable, as long as Christians prayed to their God for the good of the empire and their fellow citizens. Despite tolerance for believers, the Roman authorities would confiscate all their property.

Prior to this event, during the second century, cultures and groups adverse to the imperial throne would find themselves in the diatribe of defending or persecuting Christians, in consonance or dissonance with the imperial decisions.

Historical studies estimate that the Edict of Tolerance of Galerius, which would be reinforced by the Edict of Milan (at which time all the goods usurped from the Christians would be returned to them), was a plot against the ruler, at that time of the eastern region of the empire: Maximinus Daia, which promoted Christian persecution in their territories.

Another phenomenon related to the conception of the Edict of Milan is attributed to Licinius and his ambition to reunify the Roman Empire, positioning himself against Constantine I.

Licinius freed the army under his command from the obligation to obey the Edict of Tolerance, allowing them to continue the persecution and hunting of Christians in order to gain his support.

From this version some legends have been born about the horrendous torture to which Christians were subjected, and the appearance and intervention of the angels of God in favor of the martyrs who never abandoned their faith in front of the Romans.

Characteristics and influences of the Edict of Milan

There are those who consider the possibility that the Edict of Milan was never promulgated as such.

The vestiges and the discovered correspondence belonging to Constantine I, have presented the final intentions that the Edict would have, but not in this format, but as wishes of the Emperor.

Another version manages that the Edict of Milan was not promoted and promulgated by Constantine I, but by Licinius. Both versions of the initiation enactment feature their own batch of skepticism and criticism.

As mentioned, the Edict of Milan legitimized respect and recognition for the Christian religion. The persecution and torture of Christian parishioners was stopped and all confiscated property and assets were returned.

The Edict would not mean instant officialization, but it would provide Christians, who represented more than 10% of the population of the Roman Empire, the security to strengthen their beliefs and expand their fellowship fellowship.

It is stated that the promulgation of the Edict of Milan generated two phenomena of great impact: the gradual expansion of the Church and a strong internal transformation of the Roman Empire.

The power and influence of the Church began to increase to the point of introducing its religion into the higher ranks within the empire, which served as an impetus to end up consolidating as an official religion.

Although the promulgation of the Edict of Milan is considered one of the main acts of Constantine as emperor in favor of Christianity, studies have considered that this decision was not necessarily due to a high level of Christian faith inherent in Constantine and his concern for Christians But rather a fear of the divine intervention of the Christian God, whom the emperor considered the only great deity.

Other connotations about the Edict of Milan

It has been a common conjecture that the Edict of Milan does not arise as an enactment directly conceived in terms of the welfare of Christian citizens, but on a basis of divine satisfaction.

It would try to enact a series of measures that could win the sympathy of God and thus guarantee the survival of prosperity of the Roman Empire for decades and centuries to come.

Perhaps it was the theological importance that was given to the Edict of Milan one of the factors that ended up turning the Roman Empire, after centuries of resistance, into a Christian society, giving the Church the strength to overcome it for centuries, until today.

References

1. Anastos, MV (1967). The Edict of Milan (313): A Defense of its Traditional Authorship and Designation. Revue des études byzantines, 13-41.
2. Chapa, J. (April 12, 2016). What was the Edict of Milan? Obtained from Opus Dei.
3. Martínez, JM (1974). Constantine the Great and the Church. Janus, 80-84.
4. Medina, C. d. (2013). Edict of Milan of the year 313. Obtained from the Catholic University of the Holy Conception: ucsc.cl
5. Petts, D. (2016). Christianity in Roman Britain. In The Oxford handbook of Roman Britain (pp. 660-681). Oxford: Oxford University Press.