30
April 311 A.D. Edict of
Toleration by Galerius.
Sometimes when a person nears
death and stares into the face of eternity, he or she becomes more religious or
makes moral changes, perhaps hoping to influence his or her future beyond the
grave. That seems to have been the case with Roman Emperor Galerius when he
issued an Edict of Toleration on this day, April 30, 311.
Galerius was the son of a Greek
shepherd who became a Roman soldier. He rose in power and authority to become a
junior ruler with Diocletian. When Emperor Diocletian began his great
persecution of Christians in 303, Galerius instigated the
action, convincing Diocletian that Christians were dangerous enemies of the
empire.
Galerius himself issued another
edict in 304 requiring everyone in the empire to sacrifice to the gods of the
empire on pain of death or forced labor. Persecutors imprisoned churchmen,
destroyed precious Bible manuscripts, and executed hundreds of Christians.
When Diocletian abdicated,
Galerius became senior emperor in 305. He continued his cruel persecution,
which was so widespread and intense that it became known as the great
persecution. However, Christianity simply would not go away. Even
Galerius recognized the impossibility of snuffing out the illegal religion.
Then he became ill. A Christian
writer named Lactantius said that Galerius' body rotted and was eaten by
maggots while he writhed in agony. Apparently Galerius' conscience connected
his persecution of Christians with his present misery. He seems to have seen
his illness as a judgment from the Christian God. At any rate, his edict
mentioned only Christians.
The edict began by justifying his
murder. "Amongst our other measures for the advantage of the Empire, we
have hitherto endeavored to bring all things into conformity with the ancient
laws and public order of the Romans. We have been especially anxious that even
the Christians, who have abandoned the religion of their ancestors, should
return to reason."
Noting that some Christians had
betrayed their faith out of fear while others endured torture, Galerius decided
illogically that "we, with our wonted clemency, have judged it wise to
extend a pardon even to these men and permit them once more to become
Christians and reestablish their places of meeting..."
Galerius added that "...it
should be the duty of the Christians, in view of our clemency [mercy], to pray
to their god for our welfare, for that of the Empire, and for their own, so
that the Empire may remain intact in all its parts, and that they themselves
may live safely in their habitations."
Prayer seems to be the point of
the edict. Galerius wanted Christian prayers. Did he hope for a miracle? If so,
he was disappointed. He died a week after issuing the edict.
His successor, Emperor Maximinus,
tried to counteract the edict but did not succeed to any great extent in his
short rule. The Great Persecution of Christians had ended.
Bibliography:
1. Adapted from an earlier Christian
History Institute story.
2. "Galerius."
Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 1967.
3. "Galerius."
http://myron.sjsu.edu/romeweb/ EMPCONT/e178.htm)
4. Kleinman, Joseph. "The
Emperor Galerius." http://www.pnna.org/pan/galerius.html
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