When Constantine, through his “Edict of Milan,” opened the door to pluralism in religious belief in the Empire, his goal was unification of the Empire. Before him, Diocletian had tried persecution as a unification process, but in his retirement, observed it’s failure.
Meanwhile, Christianity expanded throughout the Empire. Christian belief came out of the closet, helped by the agreement of both Chalcedonian and non-Chalcedonian Christians “that it was the duty of a bishop to act as the high priest of his city.”[1] Christianity already had a tenuous relationship with Judaism, and once the Christians were thrown out of the synagogues for refusing to join the Bar-Kochba revolution (132-136 A.D.) the relationship was mostly downhill from thereon. It was not helped by Marcion’s view at that same time, even though his view was subsequently declared heretical.
But 300 years have passed, and it’s the midst of the fifth century. The bishops in the cities of the Empire celebrated the Eucharist at the Great Liturgy, a public rite that was designed to ensure God’s favor for the entire community. “The bishop’s relations with his city were expressed by formal ceremonies.”[2] He led his clergy through the city chanting supplications. It was a grand spectacle, a parade of the triumph of Christianity, even if the faith was mixed with error, as it was in many instances.
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