It is a bitter thought, how different a thing the Christianity of the world might have been, if the Christian faith had been adopted as the religion of the empire under the auspices of Marcus Aurelius instead of those of Constantine.

John Stuart Mill
About This Quote

When Charles Dickens wrote in his essay, “What I Saw of Shakespear,” he said: “It is a bitter thought, how different a thing the Christianity of the world might have been, if the Christian faith had been adopted as the religion of the empire under the auspices of Marcus Aurelius instead of those of Constantine.” He was not completely wrong. Constantine confused Christianity and Roman Law. He would bring the church back to the state and make it a subordinate branch of government. Constantine mistakenly believed that Christianity and Roman law were one and the same. From this point forward, Christianity would be used as a means to justify all manner of abuses against people like Jews and Christians.

Source: On Liberty

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