[wbarmy]

Respectfully, did you not see your own logical error.

You state that Christianity was hated, but then turn around and show why it was so attractive.

Just because certain political groups currently existent want to minimize Christianity as much as possible, does not mean they were not there. The number of corroborating stories about Christians in all facets of Roman life means they were not some small insignificant group. Senior Christian leaders showed up to counsel Constantine, so somebody had to know who they were, even in that time of persecution.

[Antoninus]

You state that Christianity was hated, but then turn around and show why it was so attractive.

There's no logical error there. Something can be hated and attractive at the same time. Julian hated Christianity but recognized what made it attractive. Christianity was hated by those who embraced paganism, and especially those who viewed the pagan divinities as the official cult of the empire. It was attractive to those who appreciated the charitable aspects of the faith, the virtues of Jesus and the saints, and the fervor of the Christians who actually seemed to believe their doctrines, whereas ordinary pagans increasingly did not.

My point is not to say that there weren’t any Christians in AD 312. It’s simply to point out that they were a small minority and that Constantine’s decision to follow Christianity was less a political calculation than an act of almost reckless faith.