English: The Christians suffered little persecution from the Imperial authorities between the time of Marcus Aurelius and that of Decius, who in the middle of the third century cruelly oppressed them. When his persecution ceased in 260 A.D., the Church, fortified and fertilised by her period of martyrdom, began a time of rapid expansion. The conversion of Armenia took place towards the end of the third century. In 303 persecution broke out again under Diocletian, but in 311 Constantine adopted Christianity, and in 325 presided at the Council of Nicaea. It was, however, under Theodosius (378-395) that orthodox Christianity triumphed and the final divorce took place between the Empire and Paganism.