15
edits
Changes
→List of Martyrs under the Diocletianic Persecution (303-313)
The persecution of Diocletian (r. 284-305) and his immediate successors was the longest and most destructive persecution the Pagan Roman state waged against the Orthodox Church. It is also the most well documented period of anti-Christian persecution in the pagan Roman Empire. The persecution began on February 23, 303 with the demolition of a large and prominent church in Diocletian's capital Nicomedia. The following day, Diocletian and his co-emperors issued the first of four edicts against the Christian Church. It forbid Christian assemblies, order the Church buildings and [[Holy Scriptures]] to be burned. Christians in the Roman government were reduced to slavery and pagan sacrifice required to be done at court. Any Christians who resisted were to subjected to torture and imprisonment. The second edict was issued in summer of that year ordering all Christian [[clergy]] to sacrifice on pain of torture and imprisonment. The third edict was issued on the 20th November (Diocletian's ''Vicennalia''). Diocletian promised amnesty to any Christian who performed a pagan sacrifice. The fourth and final edict was issued early the following year (304 A.D.) and demanded that all inhabitants of the Roman Empire were to offer sacrifice or else suffer torture and death. Of these four edicts, only the first was enforced in the Western Empire by Diocletian's co-Augustus Maximianus Herculius (r. 285-305). However, Frend argues that Herculius (who had authority over Italy, Africa, and Spain) enforced the fourth edict as well based on evidence from Africa (Frend 503). The Christians of Gaul and Britain faced almost no persecution (except for the demolition of some churches) given that the Caesar of the West Constantius (father of [[Constantine]]) was well disposed towards Christianity.
The persecution came to end in the west shortly after the mutual abdications of the Augusti Diocletian and Maximianus Hercuius on March 1, 305 A.D. Diocletian was succeeded by his Caesar Galerius and Herculius by Constantius. Galerius performed a dynastic ''coup'' and managed to have his appointees made Caesars, Flavius Severus in the West (r. 305-307) and Maximinus Daia in the East (r. 305-313). Severus showed no interest in continuing the persecution, but Daia proved himself to be every bit as cruel a persecutor as Diocletian and Galerius. Constantius died in Britain on the 25 of July 306. His troops hailed his son Constantine as Augustus, who immediately end persecution in his territories (Gaul, Britain, and later Spain) and ordered Christian have their property restored to them. Short there after, on October 28, Maxentius, son of Herculius, issued toleration in Italy and Africa, although he did order property restitution until 311 (Barnes 2010, 150). The Great Persecution in the West ended after about two years.
In the east however, persecution continued under the fanatical pagan emperors Galerius and Maximinus Daia. However, on the 30 or April 311, after eight years, the dying Galerius issued toleration to the Christians of the east. The peace was short lived though for Christians in Anatolia, the Levant, and Egypt, where in November Maximinus Daia renewed the persecution with enthusiastic vigor. The Great Persecution finally ended come to an end in 313. Constantine by this point had defeated Maxentius, controlled the entire west, and converted to Orthodox Christianity. His co-Augustus Licinius extended his policy of toleration and restitution to his eastern provinces in February of 313 (the so-called "Edict of Milan"). Licinius then proceeded to defeat Maximinus Daia and take over the entire Eastern Empire. Knowing defeat was immanent, Maximinus finally issued toleration for Christians in May of 313. He was decisively defeated by Licinius and died in August that same year. The Great Persecution finally came to an end.
