"For far too long, historians have accepted the claim that the conversion of the Emperor Constantine (ca.285-337) caused the triumph of Christianity. To the contrary, he destroyed its most attractive and dynamic aspects, turning a high-intensity, grassroots movement into an arrogant institution controlled by an elite who often managed to be both brutal and lax. ...Constantine's 'favor' was his decision to divert to the Christians the massive state funding on which the pagan temples had always depended. Overnight, Christianity became the most favored recipient of the near limitless resources of imperial favors. A faith that had been meeting in humble structures was suddenly housed in magnificent public buildings."
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Rodney Stark, excerpt from
For the Glory of God: How Monotheism led to Reformations, Science, Witch-hunts, the End of Slavery
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