A Source Book for Ancient Church History - Mirrors

§ 56. The Diocletian Persecution 287brave soul, tore down this edict and cut it up, saying in derision:“These are the triumphs of Goths and Samaritans.” Having beenbrought to judgment, he was not only tortured, but was burnt inthe legal manner, and with admirable patience he was consumedto ashes.Ch. 14. But Galerius was not satisfied with the terms ofthe edict, and sought another way to gain over the Emperor.That he might urge him to excess of cruelty in persecution, heemployed private agents to set the palace on fire; and when somepart of it had been burnt the Christians were accused as publicenemies, and the very appellation of Christian grew odious onaccount of its connection with the fire in the palace. It was saidthat the Christians, in concert with the eunuchs, had plotted todestroy the princes, and that both the emperors had well-nigh [261]been burnt alive in their own palace. Diocletian, who alwayswanted to appear shrewd and intelligent, suspecting nothing ofthe deception, but inflamed with anger, began immediately totorture all his domestics.(b) Eusebius, Hist. Ec., VIII, 2; 6: 8. (MSG, 20:753.)The edicts of Diocletian.The first passage occurs, with slight variations, in the introductionto the work On the Martyrs of Palestine.Ch. 2. It was in the nineteenth year of the reign of Diocletian, inthe month Dystus, called March by the Romans, when the feastof the Saviour's passion was near at hand, that royal edicts werepublished everywhere commanding that the churches be levelledto the ground, the Scriptures be destroyed by fire, and all holdingplaces of honor be branded with infamy, and that the householdservants, if they persisted in the profession of Christianity, bedeprived of their freedom.