A free collection of earlier Christian sources to inform political ideas.
Constantine the Great (274-337) is one of the most colorful figures in church/state controversies. Converted dramatically in 312,[1] he became the first Roman Emperor who explicitly professed the Christian faith. The next year (313) he established toleration for Christianity. Furthermore, churches received back their lands which had been previously confiscated, financial aid was decreed for the Roman Church, and the bishops were allowed civil jurisdictions. Other cultists (Donatists) complained about the newly-decreed benefices, but to no avail. Constantine did indeed lead toward the establishment of the Church under the protection and financial sponsorship of the state. Subsequent to the Nicene Council, Constantine also decreed civil sanctions to accompany church discipline. It is unfortunate that Constantine never left systematic writings articulating his views. In the absence of such, his actions must speak rather than his words.
Constantine presents several difficulties to conscientious Christians. Even with zeal for the Kingdom and with pure motivations, one ought not confuse the leadership of church and state. With the rise and conversion of Constantine, however, numerous new issues rose to the forefront. For the first time in its young history, the church had a confessing Christian as the monarch of an empire. The church, therefore, faced an instantaneous change in status: from disestablished to established. One major new question was how the believing civil ruler was to treat those who were not Christians: Should the state force external confession? Despite allegations, it is dubious that Constantine practiced religious intolerance as ruthlessly as alleged. He did, however, declare the faith of the empire, acting as the nursing father of the faith. However, it would quickly become apparent to all, that no ruler could dictate conscience or true belief.
Theodosius I (346-395) danced with difficult issues involving church and state. As Emperor, he outlawed departures from the Nicene Faith in 381. Furthermore, he confiscated the property of heretical churches and donated it to the orthodox. However, even his power was limited. In 390, after slaughtering 7,000 citizens to quell a riot, he was called to repentance by Ambrose. Finally, Theodosius submitted and was publicly restored, illustrating that even the king was not above God’s law. In 392, he made Christianity the sole legal religion of the realm, accelerating the trend toward the magistrate assuming functions of the clergy.
[1] Without entering into the debates over the authenticity of Constantine’s conversion, this work takes at face value the contemporaneous records of Eusebius and Lanctantius.