Edictum Mediolanense of Milan ( Lat. Edictum Mediolanense ) - an agreement reached in 313 by the Roman emperors Constantine and Licinius at a meeting in Milan , known as the "Edict of Milan" , which proclaimed religious tolerance in the Roman Empire . The Edict of Milan was an important step towards the conversion of Christianity into the official religion of the empire . The direct text of the edict has not reached us, however, it is quoted by Lactantius in his work “ On the Death of Persecutors ”.
Timeline
This edict was a continuation of the April 30, 311 , issued by the Emperor Galerius . The Nicomedian edict legalized Christianity and permitted the practice of rituals , provided that Christians pray for the welfare of the republic and the emperor . However, it should be noted that the Nicomedian Edict did not give the Christians what they requested, in general, not playing the role that Galerius ascribed to him in words. Religious buildings were not returned: temples, cemeteries, monuments and other real and movable property of Christians. Compensation for destroyed monuments, temples, jewelry, etc. was also not agreed.
The Edict of Milan went much further. He was sent to all the heads of the provincial administrations of the empire. Eusebius of Caesarea writes: “ ... Constantine and Licinius with him, who had not yet fallen into madness, who later possessed him, worshiping God as the grantor of all the blessings he had been sent, unanimously issued a law that was absolutely excellent for Christians. They sent him to Maximin, who still reigned in the East and fawned on them ” [1] .
Contents
In accordance with the Edict of Milan, all religions were equalized in rights, so traditional Roman paganism lost the role of official religion . The edict especially singled out Christians and provided for the return to Christians and Christian communities of all property that was taken from them during the persecution. The edict also provided for compensation from the treasury to those who took possession of property that previously belonged to Christians and was forced to return this property to their former owners [2] .
According to some scholars, the Edict of Milan proclaimed Christianity the only religion of the empire. According to others, this point of view does not find confirmation both in the surviving paraphrases of the edict and in the circumstances of its compilation [3] . The well-known church historian V.V. Bolotov notes that "the edict gave freedom to the entire population of the empire to adhere to their religion, while not restricting the privileges of the pagans and opened the possibility of transition not only to Christianity, but also to other pagan cults" [4] .
Notes
- ↑ Eusebius Pamphilus Church History. IX: 9
- ↑ Eusebius Pamphilus Church History. X: 5
- ↑ Posnov M.E. History of the Christian Church .
- ↑ Vorobyova N.N. The problem of relations between the Christian church and the state in the Roman Empire I-IV centuries. in coverage of domestic historiography of the second half of the XIX - beginning of XX centuries. Omsk, 2005.P. 110. ISBN 5-7779-0585-4