Since its birth, Christianity had been outlawed and persecuted. No fewer than ten waves of severe persecution (the last of which was by Emperor Diocletian) had been leveled against the early (Ante-Nicene) Church between a.d. 64 and 313. There was clearly no church-state confusion; but that would all change in a.d. 313. Constantine the Great, a man who demonstrated exceptional military talent under Diocletian, would finally conquer Maxentius at the Milvian bridge to claim Rome. It was said that Constantine witnessed the supernatural strength of the Christian faith and that before the battle of Milvian, he had appealed to the Christian God for help and prepared a standard in the form of the cross for his army. He claims to have had a vision with the cross and an inscription, in hoc signo vinces (“by this sign you will conquer”). Well, he did conquer, and the Roman senate declared him Caesar Augustus and Pontifex Maximus on October 27, 312. In view of his victory, Constantine published the Edict of Milan in January 313, which decreed religious toleration of Christianity and even issued the restoration of some property belonging to Christians that was confiscated during Diocletian’s reign.