State church
The Great Church grew in the 2nd century and entered the 3rd century mainly in two empires: the [[Roman Empire|Roman]] and the [[Persian Empire|Persian]], with the network of bishops usually acting as the cohesive element across cultural zones. In 313, the [[Edict of Milan]] ended the persecution of Christians, and by 380 the Great Church had gathered enough followers to become the [[State church of the Roman Empire]] by virtue of the [[Edict of Thessalonica]].