Roman Edict of Toleration (Edict of Serdica) and Western liberal concepts of freedom of religion

Roman Emperor Valerius [Galerius] in 313 CE issued an Edict of Toleration permitting Christians to practice their religion without state persecution: "the first time ever in history a major government issued an declaration of freedom of religion," according to Biblical scholar Bart Ehrman.

But it took quite a while after the Edict of Serdica until the Europeans of the post-Roman Empire centuries figured out that it might be preferable for governments to focus on keeping peace and order rather than backing one or the other side in armed conflicts over how to worship God. Or not to worship, as the case may be.

Full post: https://brucemillerca.substack.com/p/roman-edict-of-toleration-edict-of