- Chronology of the cessation of persecutions against Christians in the Roman Empire
- Edict of tolerance
- Edict of Milan
- Edict of Constantinople
- The State - Church approach
- References
The cessation of persecutions against Christians in the Roman Empire occurred around the year 311 AD, when Emperor Gaius Galerius Valerius Maximiano decreed the Edict of Tolerance. This edict recognized several rights to Christians, among them were to freely profess their religion and to build their churches.
Now, these persecutions against Christians in the Roman Empire began in the period of Emperor Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus on October 13, AD 54.
Christ before Herod. Author: Master of Sigena
On that date, this monarch accused them of having caused the fire of Rome. This accusation was to quell rumors that he himself had been the culprit.
From this complaint, they declared the followers of the Christian religion as enemies of the empire. Then - on the orders of successive emperors - they were besieged, hunted down, captured and executed. The sanctions also included the destruction of temples and sacred books as well as the confiscation of property.
After the Edict of Tolerance, coexistence with Christians improved. In 313 AD, the emperors Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantine and Flavius Galerius Valerius Licinianus Licinius decreed the Edict of Milan, which allowed freedom of worship.
This gave a great boost to Christianity, which experienced a period of sustained growth and development.
Chronology of the cessation of persecutions against Christians in the Roman Empire
Edict of tolerance
The Edict of Tolerance marked a turning point in the escalating persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire. This systematic persecution had continued throughout the 3rd and early 4th centuries.
During all this time, Christianity was considered illegal and Christians were marginalized by the state. The penalties to which they were subjected included the destruction of temples and religious texts, loss of civil rights and even jail.
In AD 311, Emperor Galerius (AD 260-AD 311) issued this edict from Sardica (present-day Sofia, Bulgaria). With this measure, the emperor went from being a fierce persecutor of Christians to a timid sponsor of their activities.
Then, this religious group began to influence other sectors of Roman life who began to see monotheistic practices with different eyes. Later, other emperors also began to profess sympathies towards Christianity.
Around AD 312, Emperor Constantine won an important battle whose victory he attributed to the "God of the Christians." He was convinced that a Christian monogram on his banner had benefited him.
From that moment, he made decisions to improve the status of all of them. These sustained efforts crystallized years later with the promulgation of another edict that brought an end to the persecutions against Christians in the Roman Empire.
Edict of Milan
The emperors Constantine (272 AD-337 AD) and Flavius Galerius Valerius Licinius Licinius (250 AD-325 AD) were responsible for the edict of Milan.
This had a major impact on the goal of ending the persecutions against Christians in the Roman Empire. It consisted of the practical application of what was established by Galerio two years earlier.
Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity. For this fact he is considered the savior of all the faithful of this religion. He is credited with all the credits for the cessation of persecutions against Christians in the Roman Empire that were systematic and widespread.
Likewise, the contributions that this decree made to different areas of human knowledge such as history, art, law, philosophy and theology are recognized. The Edict of Milan brought about the appearance of the concept of religious freedom, which did not really exist until then.
In the same way, it marked a new status in the relations between the Christian religion and the Roman State. This fact definitely marked western culture from the time of the Roman Empire to the contemporary era.
Edict of Constantinople
The edict of Constantinople (392 AD) was the epilogue of a series of measures implemented by Flavius Theodosius or Theodosius I (according to the Christians, Theodosius the Great). This Roman emperor undertook a systematic campaign of elimination of pagan groups and their rites.
Despite the political and economic influence that these groups had within the empire, the campaign began in 381 AD. In that year an edict of the Emperor Aurelius Constantine was ratified that prohibited sacrifices for divinatory purposes.
Later, a series of measures were implemented aimed at cornering and restricting all the practices of these pagan groups. These included, among others, the destruction of temples, elimination of state subsidies and the prohibition of non-monotheistic rites
After the promulgation of the Edict of Constantinople, Emperor Theodosius imposed Christianity on all of Rome. All multi-god groups were banned from demonstrations of faith both publicly and privately. But, to prevent a possible rebellion on the part of the military sector that was pagan, the persecution was not contemplated.
As an immediate consequence, Christian bishops began to participate in political life. Thus, they took sides and defended positions on issues far from the divine and belonging to the earthly realm.
Then, the boundaries between the human and the divine began to blur until, in some cases, they became non-existent.
The State - Church approach
After the promulgation of the three edicts, Christians began to exercise their worship freely. They even went from being persecuted to persecutors (specifically the pagans declared illegal under the Edict of Constantinople).
Emperor Constantine himself began to implement and follow up on a series of measures that he considered necessary. In a series of letters sent to his state officials in different areas of Roman geography, Constantine gave express instructions that had as their objective the restitution of his citizenship rights.
For example, in AD 313, a letter addressed to Anulinus, the proconsul of Africa, requested the restitution of Church property.
Later, in another letter to Anulinus himself, the emperor informed him of his decision to free the Catholic Church from paying taxes. With this, he wanted them to have enough resources to attend to their ministry.
In letters addressed to other officials, Constantine ordered both military and economic protection measures for Christian prelates.
Similarly, in order to promote the development of Christianity, he ordered the location and re-education of personalities and groups that were against the now official religion of Rome.
Likewise, he actively participated in the internal complaints of the Christians. This originated in the groups that held different interpretations of the sacred books.
In this way, the cessation of persecutions against Christians in the Roman Empire became an evident and lasting rapprochement between the State and the Church.
References
- Alija Fernández, RA (2011). Persecution as a crime against humanity. Barcelona: Publications and editions of the University of Barcelona.
- Patiño Franco, JU (2001). History of the Church - I. Madrid: Editorial San Pablo.
- Carbó, JR (2017). The Edict of Milan. Interdisciplinary perspectives. Taken from unav.edu.
- National Geographic. (2012, November 8). Theodosius I the Great and the triumph of Christianity. Taken from nationalgeographic.com.es.
- Alarcón, ML (1987). Legal dimensions of the religious factor: studies in homage to Professor López Alarcón. Murcia: Secretariat for publications and scientific exchange.