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38 exempted the clergy from the obligation of filling municipal offices—a costly, burdensome obligation. This was already enjoyed by the pagan priesthood, so that in granting the privilege to the Christian clergy Constantine was only putting them on a level with the priests in the old temples. Similarly, when in England Nonconformist ministers share with Established Church clergymen exemption from the obligation of serving on juries, they do not regard this as a peculiar favour to Nonconformity. Still, in both cases there is a clear recognition of official status. Constantine's order was confined to North Africa in the first instance; subsequently it was extended to the whole empire.

Second, Constantine granted contributions from the imperial treasury for the building of churches and towards the support of the clergy. It may be said that similar grants had been made to the pagan temples and their officers, so that this was a case of concurrent endowment. But, as far as we know, all Constantine's favour in this form was shown to the Christians. Here was indeed a dangerous power—the power of the purse. In accepting the money of the State the Church was deliberately putting herself more or less under the control of the State. Besides, this favouritism, which was a departure from the large liberalism of the Edict of Milan in spirit, though not in the letter, roused the jealousy and alarm of the old temple authorities. Constantine was thus provoking to enmity a party with huge vested interests at stake. This party found a champion in Licinius, the second Augustus. Licinius could have been only a half-hearted supporter of the Edict of Milan; he was unable to resist Constantine's desire for his concurrence when it was issued, had he wished to do so. But at a later time he threw in his lot with the disaffected pagan party, and by means of the support he thus obtained broke connection with Constantine and claimed independence. So long as he could hold his own he pursued an openly pagan policy, forbidding the Christians to assemble in their churches,