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Of the Manner in Which the Persecutors Died

Lactantius

Chapter 36

About this work

Author: Lactantius

Chap. XXXVI.

Daia, on receiving this news, hasted with relays

‹ Chapter 35 Chapter 37 ›

of

horses

from

the

East

,

to

seize

the

dominions

of

Galerius

,

and

,

while

Licinius

lingered

in

Europe

,

to

arrogate

to

himself

all

the

country

as

far

as

the

narrow

seas

of

Chalcedon

.

On

his

entry

into

Bithynia

,

he

,

with

the

view

of

acquiring

immediate

popularity

,

abolished

Galerius

’

tax

,

to

the

great

joy

of

all

.

Dissension

arose

between

the

two

emperors

,

and

almost

an

open

war

.

They

stood

on

the

opposite

shores

with

their

armies

.

Peace

,

however

,

and

amity

were

established

under

certain

conditions

.

Licinius

and

Daia

met

on

the

narrow

sees

,

concluded

a

treaty

,

and

in

token

of

friendship

joined

hands

.

Then

Daia

,

believing

all

things

to

be

in

security

,

returned

(

to

Nicomedia

)

,

and

was

in

his

new

dominions

what

he

had

been

in

Syria

and

Egypt

.

First

of

all

,

he

took

away

the

toleration

and

general

protection

granted

by

Galerius

to

the

Christians

,

and

,

for

this

end

,

he

secretly

procured

addresses

from

different

cities

,

requesting

that

no

Christian

church

might

be

built

within

their

walls

;

and

thus

he

meant

to

make

that

which

was

his

own

choice

appear

as

if

extorted

from

him

by

importunity

.

In

compliance

with

those

addresses

,

he

introduced

a

new

mode

of

government

in

things

respecting

religion

,

and

for

each

city

he

created

a

high

priest

,

chosen

from

among

the

persons

of

most

distinction

.

The

office

of

those

men

was

to

make

daily

sacrifices

to

all

their

gods

,

and

,

with

the

aid

of

the

former

priests

,

to

prevent

the

Christians

from

erecting

churches

,

or

from

worshipping

God

either

publicly

or

in

private

;

and

he

authorized

them

to

compel

the

Christians

to

sacrifice

to

idols

,

and

,

on

their

refusal

,

to

bring

them

before

the

civil

magistrate

;

and

,

as

if

this

had

not

been

enough

,

in

every

province

he

established

a

superintendent

priest

,

one

of

chief

eminence

in

the

state

;

and

he

commanded

that

all

those

priests

newly

instituted

should

appear

in

white

habits

,

that

being

the

most

honourable

distinction

of

dress

.

And

as

to

the

Christians

,

he

purposed

to

follow

the

course

that

he

had

followed

in

the

East

,

and

,

affecting

the

show

of

clemency

,

he

forbade

the

slaying

of

God’s

servants

,

but

he

gave

command

that

they

should

be

mutilated

.

So

the

confessors

for

the

faith

had

their

ears

and

nostrils

slit

,

their

hands

and

feet

lopped

off

,

and

their

eyes

dug

out

of

the

sockets

.

Notes

1
[Singular that he does not assert that in this he imitated the Christian discipline.]