Page 108 - LD215 History of the Church in Africa A4 final

A History of the Church in Africa

to the imperial crown after Diocletian abdicated, and this led to military
conflict, as Renwick notes:

Maxentius and Constantine…met in battle at Milvian Bridge on
the Tiber [River], ten miles from Rome, A.D. 312.… Constantine
claimed to have seen in the sky a shining cross bearing the motto
“By this sign thou shalt conquer,” and afterward adopted it as the
standard of his army. The victory was with Constantine, and
Maxentius was drowned in the river. (50)

Soon afterward in A.D. 313, Constantine issued the Edict of Milan,
which officially ended the persecution of Christians and granted
unconditional religious liberty to all people in the west. Sometime
later Constantine became sole emperor, and he favored Christianity
over other religions. While there is some doubt about the conversion
of Constantine, it appears that he was not baptized in water until just
before death. Perhaps he thought that water baptism would wash away
his sins, or perhaps he was a wise politician who chose to align himself
with the Christian movement for ulterior motives. In the same way,
there are politicians today who claim to have “converted” to Christianity
without actually acknowledging the lordship of Christ in their lives and
relationships. If Constantine did accept Christianity for political reasons,
he may have been the father of “nominal” Christianity. One of the major
challenges in Africa today is the perception some people have when
they observe nominal Christianity.

The sudden change of fortune brought far-reaching results to the
church. The following is a list of these results adapted from The Story of
the Christian Church (Hurlbut, 59–63):

• Persecution ceased and churches were restored.
• Heathen sacrifices were discouraged and temples were dedicated
as churches.
• Government funds were used to support the church and the clergy.
• Special privileges were granted to clergy; they were set free
from taxes.
• The first day of the week was proclaimed as a day of rest
and worship.

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