Emperor Constantine, advised and inspired by men of the Church and by Christian laity since the Edict of Milan in 313, began to imbue Christian ideas with the old Roman law with elements such as respect for the person and a new spirit of justice. We find ourselves with rules to prevent catching the oxen of the peasant and protect him against the usurpations of the wealthy owners, the defense of the inheritance of the orphaned children of the mother in front of the father and the prohibition to mark the criminals on fire in the face because this "has been formed in the image of celestial beauty."
In the socio-economic, charitable and moral issues, there are facts that are equally important: the institution of Sunday as a compulsory day of rest, the condemnation of the kidnapping of girls and the prostitution of domestic hostages, the protection of prisoners against the brutality of the jailers and the slaves against their owners. The State also took over the guardianship of orphans and widows.
An important measure was to grant the Church the right of asylum, that is, the recognition of the churches as places of refuge. Likewise, the bishops were given the right to intercede with the judges in order to obtain the grace of the condemned, and in this sense St. Augustine and St. Ambrose intervened on several occasions.
