Diocletianic Persecution

Diocletianic Persecution

The Diocletianic Persecution was some times called the Great Persecution in the Roman empire.[1] In 303, The Emperors including Diocletian at the beginning of the 4th century issued a series of edicts rescinding the legal rights of Christians. This tells us that Christians had rights at that point. Freedom of religion had existed but there had been changes concerning the Christian conflict.

They had outlawed foreign religions through the edicts of Emperor Septimius Severus but now they demanded that everyone comply with traditional Roman religious practices.

What were those practices?

They demanded all inhabitants to sacrifice to the gods.

What did that mean?

The Latin word salus means "safety", "salvation", "welfare". Salus was the goddess of security and well-being this would include individual welfare, health and prosperity bit was also imortant to the peace of the state.

Pax deorum (“peace of the gods”) was the goal of Roman state religion.

Being at peace with the gods was mutually beneficial to the state and the Roman public welfare (salus publica; cf. Cic. Rab. perd. 5). If the Romans were not providing the gods their desired worship there would be shortages in the welfare line and riots would ensue.

Fortūna, equivalent to the Greek goddess Tyche) was the goddess of fortune while Spes was the goddess of hope

These were cults and the word cult was a noun from cultus originates from the past participle of the verb colo, colere, colui, cultus, which means "to tend, take care of, cultivate".

Cultus was an aspect of the contractual nature of Roman religion.

You could choose any cult but you had to contribute to one and would need the symbol of that temple displayed by you out side or in your house. You might carry a pendant.

A votive deposit or votive offering was an objects displayed or deposited, with no intention of recovery it. It was a sacred given for religious purposes.

In ancient Roman religion, Annona (Latin annōna “corn, grain; means of subsistence”, from annus "year") is the divine personification of the grain supply to the city of Rome. She is closely connected to the goddess Ceres, with whom she is often depicted in art.

Later edicts targeted the clergy and demanded universal sacrifice, ordering all inhabitants to sacrifice to the genius of the gods.

The persecution varied in intensity across the empire—weakest in Gaul and Britain, where only the first edict was applied, and strongest in the Eastern provinces. Persecutory laws were nullified by different emperors at different times, but Constantine and Licinius's Edict of Milan (313) has traditionally marked the end of the persecution.

In the Balkans during the autumn of 285, he encountered a tribe of Sarmatians who demanded assistance. The Sarmatians requested that Diocletian either help them recover their lost lands or grant them pasturage rights within the empire. Diocletian refused and fought a battle with them, but was unable to secure a complete victory.