Utjecaj Konstantinova „obraćenja“ na rast društvenog položaja biskupâ: koja strana se više okoristila?

The purpose of this article is to suggest an answer to the question: who benefited the most from the Constantinian turn – the bishops or the Emperor? Trying to encompass and present relevant content from a complex historical context and consulting opinions of prominent scholars in the field, while keeping focused on finding concrete answers, the author suggests a conclusion which could be summarized as follows: after the Constantinian turn, the bishops became the social elite of the Roman Empire, which the Emperor deftly utilized by controlling their work. Bishops in the west gradually and partially freed themselves from that control (thus, benefiting more than the Emperor(s) from the newly created circumstances), while their eastern colleagues eventually found themselves entirely dominated by the state authorities.