What was the Edict of Milan and when did it occur?
The Edict of Milan occurred in February 313. It legalized Christianity within the Roman Empire through a meeting between Western Roman Emperor Constantine I and Emperor Licinius in Mediolanum.
Questions about Edict of Milan
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Who actually issued the document known as the Edict of Milan?
Emperor Licinius composed the letter that functions as the edict in Nicomedia later in 313 after defeating Maximinus Daza. Lactantius records this letter while Eusebius of Caesarea translated both documents into Greek for his History of the Church.
Why did Romans conflict with Christians before 313?
Judeo-Christian insistence on one God could not fit into the Roman theological hierarchy requiring collective piety to many deities. Christians refused to swear loyalty oaths at emperor's divinity and stopped paying the Jewish tax after 96 AD which threatened state cult and state itself.
How did the Edict of Milan restore property to Christians?
State ordered restoration expense of state without payment or any claim recompense from individual Romans. Instructions directed provincial magistrates execute order at once with all energy so public order may restored.
What is the historical accuracy regarding the Edict of Milan attributed to Constantine?
Scholars generally reject the story as it has come down in church history because David Potter states there was never such thing attributed to Constantine. The version found in Lactantius is not in form of an edict but a letter from Licinius to governors of provinces in Eastern Empire.