Was Constantine really a Christian, or was he more of an opportunist?

There is no difference

>>1526700
most sources do hold up that he was a Christian in his later life.

but the decision to decriminalize Christianity was mostly because the religion was by that time too big to stamp out, if they continued to forbid Christian practices, they would be alienating 20-25% of their entire empire, which probably would've led to civil war and collapse much faster.

He died an Arian. But that takes away from Christfags glory, so they create the noble lie of "Christian Saintlike Emperor". His son was openly Arian and he himself was baptized by an arian, go figure.

>>1526793
They were ~5% of the empire at the time of Constantine

>>1526793
>most sources

Most sources were written by Christians who !axe him out to be a good boy

>>1526793
nah, christianity was mostly ignored with brief harsh persecutions, and when persecutions arrived most of the christians basically sold out their religion rather than being martyred

Donatists were heretics for a good reason, they were in the minority

>>1526831
They were however becoming a disproportionate amount of the bureaucracy and were gaining huge admiration from the lower classes due to their practices of social welfare (Or rather, regular social welfare).

>>1526860
Not at the time of Constantine I'm afraid, do read Making of Christian Aristocracy, an excellent book btw.

Now it is true that elite did converted to Christianity far more, far faster and far earlier than masses and Christian elite did dominated the empire, but definitely not in the time of Constantine I would say the most liberal estimate would be Theodosius I, but I'm open to your arguments if you think otherwise.

Something I noticed, there is a misconception ( I dont know whether you have this als) that Christianity was like pyramid that reached the emperor. First the poor masses, than the middle class than the elite and finally Constantine himself. What happened was the opposite, majority of the elite was pagan and conversion of Constantine came as a shock, both to pagans and christians alike. The elites gradually became Christian due to Emperor being Christian. In other words It was Emperor who made elites Christian not the other way around.