Asher Sisneros

The Christian condition worsened as Roman emperors escalated their persecutions. History remembered Nero and Domitian unfavorably as bloodthirsty tyrants, but their persecutions were dwarfed by Diocletian. For the first time in Roman history, he launched an empire-wide, proactive campaign to smite every Christian and run the religion into the ground. However, in some respects, the period of cruelty under Diocletian was the last bit of darkness at the end of the tunnel for the Christian Church. This essay will cover the rise of Diocletion’s Great Persecution after Trajan’s nonchalant anti-Christian policy to the rise of Constantine the Great—the Christian emperor.

Around 112 AD, the Roman Governor Pliny sent a letter to Emperor Trajan inquiring about Christian policy. Trajan adopted a relatively casual policy. It was against the law for them to renounce Roman gods, but it was too costly and ineffective to seek them out proactively. If someone reported a Christian to the authorities, they were executed or imprisoned. But the empire didn’t seek them out. They were safe if they kept quiet and were kind to their neighbors. Tom Woods summarized it as a “Don’t seek, don’t tell” policy.

An important misconception is that Rome had widespread persecutions. For the most part, they were not planned or empire-wide. It was often local and sporadic. As lenient as the Trajan’s policy was, Hadrian improved it by disincentivizing people from reporting Christians in 125 AD. Under his leadership, Christianity was still illegal, but nobody could falsely accuse another person of being a Christian. All accusers were forced to appear at a trial in person. If the accused was found not guilty, the prosecutor was punished. While there was still hostility towards the religion in the empire, the Christians were relatively safe if they kept their religion to themselves. However, the threat of being reported was still looming over all their heads.

In 250 AD, Emperor Decius proclaimed an edict against non-conformist Christians. While Rome was proactive in hunting and exterminating them, the persecution ended one year later by 251 AD.

            Emperor Valerian launched another anti-Christian campaign in 257 AD. Bishops were forced to sacrifice to Roman gods, and public worship was outlawed. Many of the bishops complied. The ones who didn’t were executed.

However, the persecutions under Decius, Valerian, and even Nero and Domitian were petty compared to Diocletion’s Great Persecution (303-305 AD). He outlawed public assembly, the use of Christian religious books, and forced emperor sacrifice or death. Those who refused to sacrifice were murdered. While Dioclation’s persecution might sound identical to Domition’s, the difference relied on its vastness. Dormition and Nero brutally murdered Christians in Rome and certain provinces throughout the empire. Diocletion’s campaign was empire-wide. The only place with mild leniency was in the West, where Caesar Constantius Chlorus, the father of Constantine, was sympathetic to the Christians.

After Diocletian’s death, there was a brutal civil war for power between the Caesars and Augusti. When Constantius stepped down as Caesar, he wanted his son Constantine as successor. Rome made him Caesar over Britain and Gaul but refused to anoint him as Augustus. In the chaos of the civil war, Constantine rallied his supporters in Britain and Gaul to join his campaign against the rebellious Maximian, who promised support, only to backstab Constantine when he was away fighting abroad. On the road, Constantine had a vision. Jesus Christ came down from Heaven and said, “In hoc signo vinces,” translated: “In this sign, though shalt conquer!” Interpreting the vision as a divine promise of military success, Constantine printed the symbol “Chi Rho,” which is translated as the initials of Christ, on all of his military equipment. Constantine’s army was heavily outnumbered at the Battle of Milvanian Bridge, but he didn’t let the numbers discourage him. When the battle ended, Constantine emerged victorious. The success at Milvanian Bridge granted Constantine rule over the West. He then defeated the eastern Augustus, becoming the sole emperor by 324 AD.

Constantine the Great was sympathetic to the Christian Church for two reasons. Firstly, his mother believed in the religion. The second reason was for his success in war. He believed God was with him in battle.

Constantine codified the Edict of Milan, and Rome returned all the confiscated property to the Christians. He also made Sunday a nationally recognized holiday, abolished crucifixion, and outlawed the gladiatorial games. Some criticize his faith as a political move since he wasn’t baptized until his death. However, that was normal during that time. Due to heresies in the church, it was believed that sins were forgiven at someone’s baptism, but the amount of forgiveness was finite. It was very common for people to receive baptism on their deathbed to ensure all (or almost all) their sins were forgiven and they could be saved. But while the reasons for his baptism can be debated, his influence over the church is undeniable. In 325 AD, Constantine called together an ecumenical council in Nicaea, commonly referred to as the Council of Nicaea. The council provided all the churches an opportunity to debate Christian doctrine. One controversy during the time was over Christ’s authority. Bishop Arius said Christ was inferior to God the Father as His son. Athanasius led the opposing view that Arius was spreading heresy and that Christ and God were one God, equal in power and glory. The final conclusion condemned Arius’ teachings and his followers, the Arians. They also established the Nicene Creed, which the Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, and most Protestant churches still hold to.

Such was the beautiful providence of God. Rome, a city that once persecuted the church, grew to accept Christianity with a warm heart. By 380 AD, Emperor Theodosius made Christianity the official religion in Rome.

In conclusion, the church suffered many tribulations under various emperors. Trajan enforced casual discrimination against the Christians, and Diocletian was proactive in destroying them. But eventually, the church was rewarded for their patience, and Constantine embraced them. He was a fresh air to the church, but there was divine providence in the persecutions, too. Because of the martyrs and their bravery in death, Christianity gained much traction. Roman curiosity grew. Despite the constant death, the church expanded. God’s divine providence was present in tribulation and mercy and permeated all Rome’s emperors, whether they knew it or not.