“Even if three centuries of outsider status and intermittent persecution had tested the endurance of individuals and communities, coping with the patronage of a newly Christian emperor posed a challenge. The challenge was all the more threatening for its moral complexity. Was it right for the churches to accept the Emperor's favour, knowing full well that if they did so, they also tacitly accepted his right, so evident in all other aspects of life in the Roman Empire, to call the shots?” Church And StateConstantineEarly Christianity Book:Band of Angels: The Forgotten World of Early Christian Women Source: Band of Angels: The Forgotten World of Early Christian Women
“The new ideal of virginity and widowhood opened up a new era of sympathetic collaboration between men and women, and for male-female friendship. By establishing a category of women who were understood to be off-limits with respect to romantic entanglements, writers like Gregory were able to support and even celebrate a feminine version of Christianity without being afraid to seem as if they had fallen under the influence of feminine charms.” WomenEarly ChristianityGregory Of Nyssa Book:Band of Angels: The Forgotten World of Early Christian Women Source: Band of Angels: The Forgotten World of Early Christian Women