Earlier conversion of the Roman Empire to Christianity

Hi all.

I'd like to ask, as the title says, what evolution could Christianity and the Roman Empire have had if the conversion/tolerance, or better, the positive constantinian policy towards Christianity began earlier.

Let's say Diocletian realizes what's going on and puts the zeal that in OTL used to persecute christians to promote Christianity instead.

What effects do you foresee?
 
An earlier conversion would probably involve eastern structures : even in the early IVth century, Christianity was only but a minor part of Western Romania life and it's partially the "easternisation" of Romania that explain his status as an imperial cult in the latter part of the previous century?

The latter part is quite important : without the importance of imperial cult after the crisis of IIIrd century, and its monarchical resolution, a successful conversion would be hard to have. Basically, it means the PoD window of opportunity is quite reduced to the latter half of IIIrd century, and that a persecution of Christian cults seen as anti-civic are probably bound to happen (except some big early change to Christianity, that would turn it into an almost unrecognizable gnostic mash-up) before a social acceptance.

Roughly, Diocletian's conversion may be hard to achieve giving the context and his personality; but it may not be true for his colleagues.
Maybe an earlier death for Galerius weaken the anti-christian faction, and Constantius Chlorius or Maximinus II (or any equivalent) is chosen as Caesar then Augustus.

It would certainly imply an earlier distinction between western and eastern Romania, less because west would be more anti-christian (at the contrary, and mostly because it was less of a problem there), but because it would imply structural changes in the east when the reason for the IOTL conversions weren't that well determined at this point in the west.

Either it's resolved by an unification of Romania under only one imperial ruler (and possibly his auxiliary), either you'd have a situation where WRE is earlier distinguished and have to learn to hold his own alone : maybe a more important crisis for both parts of Romania?

But frankly, I don't think the immediate changes, giving the reduced timeline considered, would be that important, except when it comes to theological development of Christianism (possibly no donatism, different arian then homean development, etc.) which eventually will translate into different quite real political problems.
 
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