The Living Tradition An Orthodox Archive of the Church Fathers and Early Church

The apostolic and early Church — lesson 4

Constantine and the Church in the empire

What changed when persecution ended, and how to describe it without either triumph or cynicism.

  • Historical consensusBroadly agreed among historians working from the surviving evidence. Consensus can shift when the evidence or the method changes.
  • Disputed historyHistorians genuinely disagree. The page gives the range the evidence supports rather than choosing the most striking version.

Primary evidence verified Content last reviewed 2026-08-29

What still needs checking (1)
  • Add tier D scholarship on Constantine's religious policy and on the reliability of Eusebius as his biographer.

Report an accuracy issue on this page

What this lesson covers

  • Describe what changed for the Church in the fourth century.
  • State what Constantine did and did not do.
  • Recognise both the gains and the costs of imperial patronage.

About 7 minutes to read.

Read aloud. Your browser speaks the page using the voices installed on this device. Nothing is uploaded — the text never leaves your computer. Voice quality varies by browser and device.

Within a single generation the Church went from being an illegal association whose members could be executed to being a favoured institution with imperial funding, legal privileges and public buildings. That is one of the sharpest transitions any religious community has undergone.

What Constantine did

He ended the persecution, restored confiscated property, exempted clergy from certain obligations, funded church building, convoked the Council of Nicaea and took part in its proceedings. He was not baptised until near his death, was not a bishop, and did not author the council's doctrine.

He also intervened repeatedly in Church disputes, and his successors did so more heavily. Athanasius was exiled five times, by emperors of several theological persuasions.

The monastic movement begins in the same period, and the connection is not accidental. When being a Christian stopped costing anything, some Christians went looking for a cost.

Key Scripture

  • Romans 13:1-7 — The passage most used to describe the Christian relation to the state.
  • Revelation 13 — The passage least compatible with that use, and equally scriptural.

On Scripture references. References are given so you can read the passage in the translation your parish uses. This site does not reproduce a modern copyrighted Bible text.

Council and canon connections

  • Nicaea, 325: convoked by an emperor, and confessing what Christians had died for.

Why this matters in lived Orthodoxy

Orthodox worship commemorates Constantine and his mother Helen as saints, and this sometimes surprises Western readers. The commemoration honours the end of persecution and the calling of the council; it is not a judgement that his reign was without violence or his conduct exemplary.

Review

What did Constantine actually do in relation to the Council of Nicaea?
He convoked it, funded the bishops' travel, and took part in its proceedings. He was unbaptised at the time, was not a bishop, and did not author its doctrine.
What is the connection between imperial patronage and monasticism?
The monastic movement grows in the same period; when being a Christian stopped costing anything, some Christians sought a cost.

Your notes

Stored in this browser only. Never uploaded, never visible to anyone else, and marked as your own words if you add this page to a study packet.

Going deeper

Sources for this page

  1. Tier C Eusebius: Church History, Life of Constantine, Oration in Praise of Constantine Philip Schaff and Henry Wace (eds.); Arthur Cushman McGiffert (trans.) Eusebius, Church History, Book X translated edition of primary texts Source record
  2. Tier C Socrates and Sozomenus: Ecclesiastical Histories Philip Schaff and Henry Wace (eds.) Socrates, Ecclesiastical History, Book I translated edition of primary texts Source record
  3. Tier C The Seven Ecumenical Councils of the Undivided Church Henry R. Percival (ed.); Philip Schaff and Henry Wace (series eds.) The First Council of Nice: Historical Introduction annotated edition of conciliar texts Source record

Tiers are explained in the methodology. No page on this site has been reviewed or approved by any bishop, priest, synod or seminary.