THE PATH TO THE EDICT OF MILAN: RELIGION IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE

For much of its history, the Roman Empire was a polytheistic civilization. Many gods

such as Jupiter, Saturn, and Venus, were adapted from Greek culture into Roman culture and

were worshipped. Due to this fact, monotheistic groups who were under the control of the

Roman Empire were often persecuted. In the 1st century CE, Jewish citizens of the Roman

Empire, angry at being forced to worship Roman gods, rebelled in the city of Jerusalem. The

Roman military crushed this rebellion in the year 70 CE and burned down the Jewish temple

in Jerusalem. All that remained was its western wall, a location that still stands today and is

very sacred for Jewish people across the world. The emperor of Rome ordered Jerusalem to

be rebuilt as a Roman city, and a statue of Jupiter was constructed on top of the ruins of the

Jewish temple. (The statue of Jupiter is no longer there.)

Another monotheistic religion that developed near Jerusalem at this time period was

Christianity. Again, due to their monotheistic beliefs and rejection of Rome’s gods, Christians

were often persecuted early in their religion’s history. The emperor Nero blamed Christians for

the great fire that burned the city of Rome in 64 CE., and many were executed as a result

(Although some historians believe Nero may have planned the fire himself!). Until the year

313 CE, Christianity was not endorsed by the Roman Empire. In many instances, Christians

were arrested, offered a choice to give up their beliefs and convert Roman religions or face

public execution (sometimes in Gladiatorial combat, by wild animals, or other methods for en-

tertainment) in the Colosseum.

The fate of Christianity changed, however, when the Roman emperor Constantine

came to power. Constantine was not born a Christian. In 312 CE, Constantine was leading

his military to the Tiber River outside of Rome to confront and fight a rival leader who wanted

power in Rome, Maxentius. On the day before the battle, Constantine prayed for divine help;

however, he did not pray to the Roman gods, he prayed to one God. Constantine claimed a

vision appeared to him from heaven: a symbol of the cross. Constantine ordered a cross be

painted on the shields of all of this soldiers the following morning. That day, Constantine and

his army won an overwhelming victory over Maxentius, and Constantine attributed his victory

to the power of the Christian God. Constantine soon publicly converted to Christianity himself.

The next year, in 313 CE, Constantine officially announced an end to the persecution

of Christians in the Roman Empire. He granted, “both to the Christians and to all men free-

dom to follow the religion that they choose.” By this famous decree, known as the Edict of

Milan, Constantine changed Christianity from an outlawed sect, seen as a cult in the eyes of

many Romans, into a religion endorsed and approved by the Emperor of Rome himself. Over

the next several centuries, Christianity became the dominant religion of much of Europe. Fur-

thermore, Christianity would become the most powerful social, political, and economic institu-

tion across Western Europe throughout those centuries.

Helpful Vocabulary

Persecute: to subject a

person or group to bad

treatment, especially due

to race, political, or reli-

gious beliefs

Endorse: to declare one’s

public approval or support

of something.

Edict: an official law or

proclamation issued by a

high ranking official

Name:_______________________

Directions: Answer the following questions using the reading on the reverse side.

1. What type of religious system did the Romans have?

2. What led the Jews to rebel against the Romans?

3. How did the Roman Empire treat Christians before the Edict of Milan was declared?

4. Draw a comic strip below to show Constantine’s reasons for converting to Christianity.

5. What was the Edict of Milan? (What did it do? Why was it important?)