Christianity and Politics - The Christian Empire

The Christian Empire

See also: State church of the Roman Empire and Christendom

When the Roman persecution of Christianity was ended under Constantine I, and Roman Catholicism became the favoured religion of the Roman empire, Christians confronted issues that they had not hitherto had to confront. Could a Christian ruler legitimately wage war? If Roman Catholics were discouraged in Scripture from entering litigation against one another, how were Roman Catholics supposed to function as officers within a judicial system? What civil rights were to be afforded to non-Roman Catholics in a civil commonwealth governed by Roman Catholics?