Edict of Milan
History Rewritten The issuing of the Edict of Milan caused monopoly of Christianity with support from the Roman Empire. Before the issuing of the Edict of Milan, Christianity was prohibited from the Roman Empire and Christianity was considered as underground religion in that believers could not officially reveal their belief. However, the Edict of Milan legitimized religious tolerance toward Christianity. The Roman Empire did not only allowed religious tolerance but the Roman Empire decided to support churches and church earned authority through subsidies and protections. The Roman Empire promoted religious monopoly of Christianity. The religious economists view religions as firms and believers as consumers. According to the religious economy theory, there will be specific outcomes from religious monopolies such as decrease in overall religious participation, corruptions within clergies and church and state bargain. For example from corruption, when the Christianity gained power, state legitimized laws which favoring only Christians such as Italian law classifies criminal offenses against catholic clergy as aggravated while similar offenses against other religions are not. Since the Edict of Milan authorized state support to Christianity, the society sacralized because the Roman Empire officially allowed religious activities of Christianity in the society. Also, bureaucracy of church led corruption of clergies and the overall participation declined because clergies lost their exertion on satisfying religious consumers’ preferences. However, if the Edict of Milan had never been issued, Christianity would not have become a religious monopoly, and the outcomes of religious monopolies would have been altered. Not only could the outcomes of religious monopolies have changed but the religious landscape in Europe would have been altered. If the Edict of Milan have never issued, the church population could have increased steadily through the competition, there would be
Bibliography: Smith, Adam, and Hector Carsewell Macpherson. Adam Smith 's Wealth of Nations. Edinburgh: Oliphant Anderson and Fletcher, 1903. Print Stark, Rodney. For the Glory of God: How Monotheism Led to Reformations, Science, Witch-hunts, and the End of Slavery. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2003. Print. Witham, Larry. Marketplace of the Gods: How Economics Explains Religion. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2010. Print. Lee, Won Bok. Sinui Nara, Ingan Nara: Sinhwaui Segye. Seoul: Dusan Dong-A, 2003. Print. Stark, Rodney, and Laurence R. Iannaccone. "A Supply-side Reinterpretation of the "secularization" of Europe." Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 33 (1994): 230-52. Print. Hus, Alain. Greek and Roman Religion. New York: Hawthorn, 1962. Print. Wong, Francis. "Official Survey Reports 23 Million Christians in China." Christian Post. N.p., 12 Aug. 2010. Web. 27 Feb. 2013. Chuswick, Carmel U. "Competition vs. Monopoly in the Religious Marketplace: Judaism in the United States and Israel." (n.d.): n. pag. Web.