piece near the point, a gold wreath containing the initials of Jesus Christ (I and X) as an anagram (
) mounted above and a banner hanging below the cross-piece. After his victory over Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge, Constantine was welcomed by the citizens of Rome as their deliverer from an odious tyranny, and by none more warmly than the Christians. The emperor justified their enthusiastic support by having a statue of himself with a cross in his hand erected in the most frequented part of the city. An inscription ascribed his victory to "this salutary sign." Constantine now showed favour to the Christians at every opportunity, and no persecution of Christianity was possible under his government.
It would appear from a phrase in the edict of Milan that at an early date Constantine had issued rescripts to his officials favourable to the Christians. But the legal pronouncement which granted them complete religious liberty followed a meeting of Constantine with Licinius at Milan on the 13th of June a.d. 314. This Magna Charta of religious liberty is one of the most significant documents in all history. It grants absolute freedom in religion, though it mentions Christians as especially needing the boon, declaring that "the Christians and all others should have liberty to follow that mode of religion which to each of them appeared best." It applies to the whole empire—to all races, all creeds, all cults. There is no restriction of the heathen in favour of the Christians. Further, it permits people to change their religion, allowing them to adopt Christianity or any other religion. Lastly, it orders the confiscated property of the Christians to be restored, "and that without hesitation or controversy"; there are to be no lawyers' quibbles with this delicate question of property. Compensation to the present holders of Church buildings may be paid out of the imperial treasury.[1]
Here is the ideal of religious liberty, though not Cavour's "Free Church in a Free State"; for until the
- ↑ Lactantius, De Morte Pers. 48, for the Latin form of the edict; Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. x. 6, for a Greek version of it.
