The Edict of Milan
June 13, 313
At some time during the 36 years that Alex Trebek hosted Jeopardy! on TV, a contestant must have answered “What was the Edict of Milan?” after Trebek read the following clue: “This law granted tolerance to all religions and ended the persecution of Christians within the Roman Empire.”
The traditional historical view for the last couple of centuries has been that pagan worship was in decline in the years leading up to 313 and thus that Emperor Constantine was simply going with the flow by promulgating an edict that granted religious toleration to pagans and Christians alike.
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William J. Tighe is Professor of History at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and a faculty advisor to the Catholic Campus Ministry. He is a Member of St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Church in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He is a senior editor for Touchstone.
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