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This famous decree made Christianity one of the Empires officially tolerated religions
這條赦令宣布基督教在羅馬帝國合法化，
and it officially permitted Christians to serve in public life.
正式允許基督教徒在公共生活擔任職務。
After Licinius broke with Constantine and fought against Constantine for control of the Empire,
后來兩人爆發了沖突，李錫尼烏斯和君士坦丁爭奪帝國統治權，
he Licinius that is, resumed persecuting Christians.
李錫尼烏斯重新開始迫害基督教徒。
Constantine's defeat of Lucinious in 324 established him permanently as sole ruler of the Roman world,
324年，君士坦丁打敗李錫尼烏斯，君士坦丁成為了帝國的唯一統治者，
in turn Constantine established Christianity once more and for all as a legitimate Roman religion, with his official, personal blessing as sole Emperor.
由此，君士坦丁作為唯一的統治者，再次個人正式認可，把基督教確立為羅馬的合法宗教。
As sole Emperor Constantine reserved the right to get involved in church matters, such as the Arian controversy.
作為唯一的皇帝，君士坦丁保留了參與宗教事務的權力，例如阿里烏斯教派事件。
At the synod of Nicaea in 325, even though he wasn't baptised himself,
325年，在尼西亞城的宗教大會上，雖然君士坦丁自己沒有接受洗禮，
Constantine compelled the Christian bishops to select the so called orthodox view that God the father and Christ the son were of exactly the same substance.
即卻迫使基督教主教選擇了所謂的正統觀點：圣父和圣子就是同一個神。
This was against the so called Arian view that God the father and Christ the son were merely "similar" substance.
這和阿里烏斯教的觀點不同阿里烏斯教認為圣父和圣子僅僅是“相似”。
In Constantine's defence though, Christian theological disputes often threatened the peace of the Empire,
站在君士坦丁的角度，這可以理解。基督教的神學分歧經常威脅到帝國的和平穩定，
especially when they lead to rioting and especially over matters that we would consider, well not worth dying over,
特別是這些爭端會引發暴亂 而這些爭論在我們看來，根本就不值得為此據死力爭。
but the streets of the eastern Empire's great cities were chocked by Christian's brawling to the death
然而事實上，東羅馬帝國的街頭到處都是基督教徒
over whether Christ the son was of the same substance as God the father or whether he was merely similar.
為了圣父和圣子到底是同一個神，或者是“相似”的神而互相激烈的爭吵。
Obviously the Christians could persecute each other even worse than the Pagans did.
顯而易見，基督教徒互相殘害起來會比異教徒對他們的殘害更加血腥殘酷。
When Constantine founded his second Rome on the former site of Byzantium in 330 BC the city known as Constantinople or Istanbul or Constantinople was intended as a Christian community,
君士坦丁把“第二羅馬”建造在公元前330年的拜占庭遺址，新城叫做君士坦丁堡，或伊斯坦布爾。君士坦丁堡目的就是做為基督教城市。
although Christianity was still not the Empire's only official religion,
盡管基督教當時并不是羅馬帝國的唯一的官方正式宗教，
Constantine likely saw it moving in that direction.
但是君士坦丁希望基督教朝著積極的方向發展。
Baptised at last upon his deathbed in 337 AD, Constantine left the Empire to his three sons.
君士坦丁在337年去世時接受洗禮，把帝國留給了三個兒子。
