Yet, in spite of all of this, many Christians embraced Constantine and his self-pronounced Christian faith. Why? Partially because—whether legitimate or not—his conversion meant for them the end to hundreds of years of horrific persecution. But that wasn’t the only reason for their willingness to accept Constantine’s olive branch. Along with the ceasing of persecutions, Constantine offered the Christian church—and especially their leaders—a place of great honor and respectability within the Empire.
