This is so gracious of the government to grant the Christians forgiveness (indulgence) provided they don't do anything else to upset the powers that be. Do what you want, but stay in line and don't upset the order. I can see why the reaction to this for some was to take to the deserts in the fourth century. (Gonzales, 2010, p. 148) It is in the desert they can truly worship as they want without worrying about somebody calling their worship as disruptive to the order of the day.

So, I understand this to say that if there were Christian churches previously purchased by the Treasury and being used for other purposes, the property now reverts back to the Christians with repayment by the Treasury to the individuals/organizations who have to give back the property? This would seem to cause confusion to remember how much was the original transaction for and was there more than one sale made. The government may have had records, but I wonder how accurate those would have been. Maybe it was simpler in 313.

One of the ways pagan group created pressure was through rumors about Christian practices and worship. I had not thought of the Eucharist as being a "love feast" (Gonzalez, 2010, p. 59). When references to brothers and sisters in Christ were used in connection with a love feast, I can see where imagination of worship could be seen as a orgy of incest. How quickly ignorance and judgement move us to persecution in error.

Another reason for early success of Christianity was it's appeal to the broken and every day people. Jesus welcomed all those not highly regarded in society and Gonzalez notes, "the vast majority of Christians during the first three centuries belonged o the lower echelons of society." (p. 105) So when life beats you up, as it usually does at some point, Christianity offers a place to belong, and to explore forgiveness and hope. This appeal can speak to all of humanity.