The Council of Nicaea in 325 as a Logical Step After 324

Academic research has often debated Emperor Constantine’s identity. In 313, after defeating his rival Maxentius in 312, Constantine demonstrated that he had become a sincere worshiper of Christ by demanding that Christians be granted freedom of religion in the eastern and western parts of the Roman Empire. Because paganism was still very strong in 313, Constantine could not go beyond guaranteeing freedom of religion for Christians and, from a legal point of view, facilitating the return of church property confiscated during the persecution. In 325, however, Constantine went a step further by organizing an ecumenical council. After his victory over Licinius in 324, this can be seen as a logical step. That Constantine hastened the Edict of Milan and the Council of Nicaea shows him to be a devout Christian, especially as it would have been more tactical not to convene a council.