Constantine fostered an atmosphere of religious liberty … Since it favored all religions equally, the edict expressed a policy of religious liberty, not toleration. ... All should try to share the benefits of their religious understanding with others, but no one should force his or her truth upon another. … (for according to Constantine)... "It is one thing acting with free will to enter into contest for immortality, another to compel others to do so by force through the fear of punishment. No one should greatly trouble another, rather, everyone should follow what his soul prefers. ... This edict is a paradigmatic statement of concord. … Since Constantine hopes that common fellowship and the persuasion "of those who believe" will lead everyone freely to choose (what he called) the straight path, he indicates his wish that religious unity will ultimately evolve.

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Constantine fostered an atmosphere of religious liberty … Since it favored all religions equally, the edict expressed a policy of religious liberty, not toleration. ... All should try to share the benefits of their religious understanding with others, but no one should force his or her truth upon another. … (for according to Constantine)... "It is one thing acting with free will to enter into contest for immortality, another to compel others to do so by force through the fear of punishment. No one should greatly trouble another, rather, everyone should follow what his soul prefers. ... This edict is a paradigmatic statement of concord. … Since Constantine hopes that common fellowship and the persuasion "of those who believe" will lead everyone freely to choose (what he called) the straight path, he indicates his wish that religious unity will ultimately evolve." in the context of "Elizabeth DePalma Digeser, in The making of a Christian Empire: Lactantius & Rome" to mean that wisdom is timeless.