Abstract
Constantine's conversion to Christianity in 312 at the battle of the Milvian Bridge is highly debated among scholars. There is on the other hand no doubt that the Roman population was widely pagan at that time and did not convert to Christianity overnight on October 28, 312. The fourth century AD was however that of the triumph of Christianity. From an ardently persecuted religion in the first decade of the fourth century, Christianity had clearly become the most powerful and prevalent one in the Empire by the end of the emperor Theodosius I's reign in 395. This paper aims to explain the progressive shift of the Christian emperors' attitude toward paganism throughout the fourth century AD from toleration under Constantine to proscription under Theodosius. To a large extent, our knowledge of Christian emperors' legislation is based on the Theodosian Code, it is therefore essential to be aware of its limits. The Theodosian Code was compiled between AD 429 and 437. It contained only a part of the imperial legislation of the fourth century and moreover the compilers of the Code edited the laws so that only the essential aspects of each were included.
