The final and most ferocious persecution of Christians under the Roman Empire occurred under Emperor Diocletian. Marking the end of the age of martyrdom, it devastated the Church in the East but ultimately failed to destroy it. Instead, it prepared the way for Constantine’s rise and Christianity’s triumph.
I. Sources and Scholarship
Primary Sources:
- Eusebius: Church History (Books VIII–X), Martyrs of Palestine, Life of Constantine.
- Lactantius: De Mortibus Persecutorum (Ch. 7ff), semi-historical.
- Basil of Caesarea: Orations on martyrs Gordius and Barlaam.
Secondary Works:
- Arthur J. Mason, The Persecution of Diocletian (1876).
- Jakob Burckhardt, Die Zeit Constantins des Großen (1853).
- Albert Vogel, Der Kaiser Diocletian (1857).
- Gibbon, Decline and Fall, Chapters XIII–XVI.
II. Diocletian’s Reign and Religious Policy
Background: Diocletian (r. 284–305), from humble origins, reorganized the empire into a tetrarchy:
- Maximian (West, Italy and Africa)
- Galerius (Danube, later East)
- Constantius Chlorus (Gaul, Spain, Britain)
His Religious Orientation: Though Diocletian tolerated Christians for two decades, his beliefs were deeply pagan and imperial. He styled himself Sacratissimus Dominus Noster and demanded worship as the earthly vicar of Jupiter. Ostentation and divine honors marked his reign.
III. The Outbreak of Persecution (A.D. 303)
Instigator: Galerius, Diocletian’s co-emperor and son-in-law, persuaded him to act. Galerius was a zealous pagan and a brutal enemy of Christians.
Timeline of Edicts:
- First Edict (Feb. 23, 303): Church buildings demolished; Scriptures burned; Christians removed from office.
- Second and Third Edicts: Ordered clergy to sacrifice or face imprisonment and torture.
- Fourth Edict (April 30, 304): Universal sacrifice demanded; refusal meant death.
- Fifth Edict (308, Maximin Daza): Mandatory public sacrifice by all, including children; market food defiled with pagan libations.
Triggers: Fires in the imperial palace at Nicomedia—possibly arson—fueled suspicions against Christians. One believer tore down the edict publicly and was roasted alive.
IV. Scope and Intensity of the Persecution
Geographic Variation:
- Most intense in the East: Especially under Galerius and Maximin Daza (Egypt, Syria).
- Less severe in the West: Constantius Chlorus in Gaul, Britain, and Spain was lenient. Constantine, his son, would later become Christianity’s champion.
Atrocities Reported:
- Christians starved or forced to eat meat offered to idols.
- Public executions, mutilations, and exposure to wild beasts.
- Homes, Scriptures, and places of worship were destroyed.
Eye-witness: Eusebius describes scenes in Caesarea, Tyre, and Egypt—temples razed, martyrs tortured, and heroic resistance even from children.
V. Apostasy, Martyrdom, and Schism
Apostasy: Many Christians recanted or handed over Scriptures (traditores). This led to divisions after the persecution ended.
Heroism and Fanaticism:
- Some sought martyrdom aggressively.
- Living confessors were venerated, sometimes to excess.
Legacy: The Meletian and Donatist schisms stemmed from disagreements over how to treat apostates and traditores.
VI. Notable Martyrs and Traditions
- St. Agnes: Martyred in Rome at 13, became a symbol of purity and courage.
- St. Alban: British protomartyr who shielded a priest and was executed.
- Pamphilus of Caesarea: Friend of Eusebius, imprisoned and martyred in 309.
- Legio Thebaica: Legendary mass martyrdom of Christian soldiers under Maximin.
Martyrologies: Many accounts stem from this era, though often mingled with legend. St. Januarius of Naples is famed for the annual liquefaction of his blood.
VII. Reflections
This final persecution, brutal and widespread, failed to break the Church. On the contrary, it revealed both the weakness of imperial paganism and the strength of Christian conviction. The era from 303 to 311, once dreaded as the “tenth wave,” laid the groundwork for Constantine’s conversion and the future Christianization of the Roman Empire.
As Arthur J. Mason put it:
“The accession of Diocletian is the era from which the Coptic Churches still date as the Era of Martyrs… the final grapple which resulted in the destruction of the old Roman Empire and the establishment of the Cross as the world’s hope.”
