Fourth Century C hristianity

Abstract

Abstract Soon after Christ's ascension, the early Christians encountered persecutions, for them fulfilling one of Christ's predictions. “They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service” (John 16:2). History shows that early Christians endured ten major persecutions during the first three centuries. Many were empire‐wide. One of these took place under Emperor Diocletian (284–305), whose reign began in ad 284. Together with Maximian (co‐emperor), Diocletian launched a reign of terror against all Christians. In 303, he issued an edict to destroy all Christian churches and New Testament books (the Scriptures). That same year he also cancelled the right of citizenship for all Christians. The next year, another edict ordered all Christian clergy and laity to sacrifice to pagan gods or suffer death. Persecutions continued even after Diocletian retired in 305, although they were less intense under his successor Emperor Galerius, who six years later issued an edict favorable to the Christians, the Edict of Toleration, in 311 on his deathbed. Two years later, in 313, when Constantine and Licinius were co‐emperors, they signed the Edict of Milan. The edict recognized Christianity as a legal religion, giving it essentially the same rights that the pagans had. But persecutions were still occurring in the eastern empire where Licinius was emperor. Although Licinius had cosigned the Edict of Milan in 313 with Constantine (emperor in the West), in about 320 he resumed persecuting Christians in the East where he was in control. His persecutions did not end until 324 and then only because Constantine in the Battle of Chrysopolis defeated Licinius and soon had him executed.