Output details
33 - Theology and Religious Studies
University of Oxford
Chapter title
Il potere di Costantino. Dimensioni e limiti del potere imperiale
Type
C - Chapter in book
DOI
-
Publisher of book
Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana, fondata da Giovanni Treccani
Book title
Costantino I.
Enciclopedia Costantiniana sulla figura e l’immagine dell’imperatore del cosidetto Editto di Milano 313-2013
ISBN of book
9788812001712
Year of publication
2013
URL
-
Number of additional authors
0
Additional information
-
Interdisciplinary
-
Cross-referral requested
-
Research group
None
Proposed double-weighted
No
Double-weighted statement
-
Reserve for a double-weighted output
No
Non-English
Yes
English abstract
The Emperor Constantine (306-37) has been credited with a massive impact on the church, especially after his victory at the Milvian Bridge (212) and through the so-called ‘Edict of Milan’ (313). This chapter explores the limits on Constantine’s ability to bring about change, stresses the contradictions in the available sources and argues for the practical and legal limits of his authority. In recent secondary literature Constantine’s religious convictions have been played down or explained in terms of sun-worship. This chapter argues for a different and more complex analysis, emphasizing Constantine’s own difficulties and the ambiguities in the evidence.
