23rd February 303 was the day on which Diocletian,
Emperor of Rome, declared the beginning of one of the worst episodes of
persecution of the growing sect known as Christians.
Diocletian governed a vast empire that stretched across much
of northern Europe, including southern Britain, and right round the
Mediterranean Sea. In order to maintain the stability of the Empire, which
incorporated many different nationalities, it was essential for all its
subjects to recognise the supremacy of its central figure, namely the Emperor.
Diocletian took this necessity to the extreme of declaring
himself to be a living god who must therefore be worshipped. This was something
of a Roman tradition, so he was not doing anything new. However, what he could
not tolerate was the existence within his empire of people who did not accept
this state of affairs. If they worshipped a different god they were not part of
a united empire and were therefore likely to cause disruption to the overall
“pax Romana” (Roman peace).
Diocletian’s persecution was therefore based on political
rather than religious motives. It did not help that the Christians were also
given to arguing among themselves, which was therefore a potent cause of public
disorder. Christians were also in the habit of condemning the lax morals of
non-Christians, which caused much resentment. By suppressing Christians of all
persuasions, Diocletian therefore hoped to remove a source of potential
conflict.
The first order given was to destroy all Christian churches
throughout the Empire. This led to resistance from Christians, and governors of
Roman provinces countered this opposition with increasing degrees of severity.
Although Diocletian had not originally envisaged the wholesale slaughter of
Christians, this became inevitable when other forms of suppression proved
ineffective.
Later edicts proposed harsher punishments for refusal to
worship the Emperor, and local governors became highly imaginative in their
methods of torturing and executing Christians. Many saints in the Christian
calendar were victims of the Diocletian persecution, being done to death in
particularly horrific ways.
Horrible though it was, the period of persecution did not
last long. Diocletian retired from office in the year 305 and within a few years
the emperor was Constantine, who famously became a Christian himself as did
nearly all his successors.
© John Welford
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