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In AD 64, a large fire spread through Rome and nearly destroyed it, crippling its economy and forcing many citizens to flee. Nero, who is often accused of “fiddling while Rome burned,” irresponsibly stood by as much of Rome was consumed. Now in a difficult position, he blamed Christian arsonists. This led to a large, state-sanctioned killing of Christians that continued, on-and-off depending on various historical events and periods of peace, to AD 313, when Constantine ended it with the Edict of Milan. One of the supporters of this persecution was Emperor Diocletian. Beginning in AD 303, Diocletian’s persecution of Christians was the worst and final persecution in the Roman Empire. Diocletian dictated that the Church at Nicomedia be demolished and the scriptures burned. Christian men, women, and children were gathered together and told to offer a collective sacrifice to pagan gods. If they refused, they were executed. Also, Rome ruled that any Christian killed while attacking a pagan statue would be kept off the list of
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Constantine immediately began a purge of anything related to Maxentius from his empire, over which he was now the sole Augustus. He released Maxentius’ prisoners, allowed those exiled by Maxentius to return to Rome, and returned Maxentius’ stolen property to its owners. He next began a thorough public shaming of Maxentius’ image. Constantine dismissed Maxentius as a tyrant: he removed awards and honors given out by Maxentius, he dedicated the Basilica of Maxentius to himself, and he erected a statue of himself holding a vexillum that displayed the Chi-Rho with the inscription “By this sign, Constantine had freed Rome from the tyrant.” Following the removal of Maxentius from Roman culture, Constantine, influenced by his divine experience, met with Licinius and issued the Edict of Milan, the ruling that forever changed the fate of Christianity in …show more content…
Constantine: Divine Emperor of the Christian Golden Age. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2012.
Barnes, Timothy D. Constantine and Eusebius. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1984.
Eusebius. Life of Constantine. Translated by Averil Cameron and Stuart D Hall. New York: Clarendon Press Oxford, 1999.
Gill, N.S. "Julian and the Fall of Paganism." Classical/Ancient History Web site. n.d. http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/julian/a/Julianapostate.htm (accessed March 2, 2014).
—. "Profile of Nero." Ancient/ Classical History Web site. n.d. http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/nero/p/Nero.htm (accessed March 1, 2014).
—. "The Edict of Milan." Classical/Ancient History. n.d. http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/constantine/g/edictofmilan.htm (accessed 3 17, 14).
Hitchcock, James. History of the Catholic Church. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2012.
Jones, A.H.M. Constantine and the Conversion of Europe. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1978.
Potter, David. Constantine the Empreror. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.
Stepehnson, Paul. Constantine. New York: Overlook Press, 2009.
"The Conversion of Constantine." Religion Facts. 5 17, 04. http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/history/constantine.htm (accessed 12 11,
Constantine immediately began a purge of anything related to Maxentius from his empire, over which he was now the sole Augustus. He released Maxentius’ prisoners, allowed those exiled by Maxentius to return to Rome, and returned Maxentius’ stolen property to its owners. He next began a thorough public shaming of Maxentius’ image. Constantine dismissed Maxentius as a tyrant: he removed awards and honors given out by Maxentius, he dedicated the Basilica of Maxentius to himself, and he erected a statue of himself holding a vexillum that displayed the Chi-Rho with the inscription “By this sign, Constantine had freed Rome from the tyrant.” Following the removal of Maxentius from Roman culture, Constantine, influenced by his divine experience, met with Licinius and issued the Edict of Milan, the ruling that forever changed the fate of Christianity in …show more content…
Constantine: Divine Emperor of the Christian Golden Age. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2012.
Barnes, Timothy D. Constantine and Eusebius. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1984.
Eusebius. Life of Constantine. Translated by Averil Cameron and Stuart D Hall. New York: Clarendon Press Oxford, 1999.
Gill, N.S. "Julian and the Fall of Paganism." Classical/Ancient History Web site. n.d. http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/julian/a/Julianapostate.htm (accessed March 2, 2014).
—. "Profile of Nero." Ancient/ Classical History Web site. n.d. http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/nero/p/Nero.htm (accessed March 1, 2014).
—. "The Edict of Milan." Classical/Ancient History. n.d. http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/constantine/g/edictofmilan.htm (accessed 3 17, 14).
Hitchcock, James. History of the Catholic Church. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2012.
Jones, A.H.M. Constantine and the Conversion of Europe. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1978.
Potter, David. Constantine the Empreror. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.
Stepehnson, Paul. Constantine. New York: Overlook Press, 2009.
"The Conversion of Constantine." Religion Facts. 5 17, 04. http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/history/constantine.htm (accessed 12 11,