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Message:: [QUOTE="Drusus, post: 1634383, member: 6370"]You may be right Bart although I believe Diocletian and later Julian found that it was rather difficult to stem that tide. Julian was a devout pagan and there can be no doubt he was no fan of Christianity as is revealed by his own writing such as 'Against the Galilean' where he disparages Christianity and laments that their tactics are what causes them to be popular with the people and even suggests that pagans should adopt such tactics. Because it was the masses that filled the ranks of the early Christians. While he did not persecute Christians, he attempted to revive Paganism that, by this time, had faltered and their temples were in disrepair. This did not go over well in Antioch (Julian and the people of that city did not hit it off) and I question the idea many put forth that if he had lived longer, he would have been able to check the rise and dominance of Christianity. I think that movement, the growing popularity of that religion, happened quite on its own and without any imperial help and by the time of Constantine it was already a force that may have caused a smart man like Constantine to see the wisdom in courting them. I think the emperors, in the end, did not make Christianity the force it became but instead they simply saw the train leaving and got on board.[/QUOTE]