ABSTRACT
No century has seen greater change in the role played by the Christian church in society than the fourth. In 303 the last of the great persecutions began, but the tide turned decisively during the reign of the first Christian emperor, Constantine (306-337), and by the end of the century the pagan temples were closed and sacrifices prohibited. The progress of the Christian religion from being the victim of state-sponsored persecution to definitive triumph had occurred comfortably within the span of two generations. It is true that pockets of paganism displayed disquieting resilience and that Judaism remained a tolerated faith, but the status of Christianity as the religion of the state had become overwhelmingly secure long before the reign of Justinian.
