Religious Intolerance in the Later Roman Empire - Bad request ...

the security of the state; 133 arguably therefore, and on that logic, the persecution should
have increased in intensity in order to secure a settlement before any war in order to
ensure that all affairs at home were correct and proper.
Constantine gave his own ostensible reasons for ending the persecution in a letter
of 321 to the Catholic bishops and people in Africa. 134 This reasonably short and
somewhat prosaic letter shows that Constantine was certainly on the side of the
Catholics and contains no evidence that he regarded them or their actions with any
disapprobation, in contrast to his earlier letters; but equally he does not lavish praise
upon the Catholics or their faith, nor does he indulge in rhetorical assaults upon the
Donatists, still less are there any threats of worse persecutions or penalties to follow.
As much as he allows himself is a long sentence which blames the (unnamed) Donatists
for the failure of his efforts and he indicates his belief that only “a few” are to blame
for the actions of many, as such he may well have been suggesting that most of his
Donatist subjects were good and acceptable people who were being led astray by a few
criminals: “But since our policy was not able to tame that power of ingrained
wickedness, deep-seated though it be only in a few minds, and in this depravity they
continued to plead on their own behalf, so as in no way to allow the object of their
criminal delight to be wrested from them, we must take measures, while this whole
business concerns but a few, that the mercy of Almighty God towards his people
should be temperately applied” 135
Constantine was still concerned to secure ‘correct worship’, but he does not give
any indication that he now felt himself to be bound by the duties and responsibilities
to secure ‘correct worship’, which as emperor he had previously proclaimed himself to
133 In his letter of February 313 to Anullinus, proconsul of Africa preserved by Eusebius HE 10.7.1-2; in
his letter to Aelafius in Optatus’ Appendix 3 and most notably in his letter to Celsus in Optatus’
Appendix 7
134 Optatus Appendix 9; Ziwsa 212-213; Edwards 196-197
135 Opt. App. 9; Ziwsa 213; Edwards 196: sed quia v im illam sceleris infusi paucorum licet sen sibus
perv icaciter inhaerentem intention is nostrae ratio non potuit edom are adhuc sibi huic nequitiae patrocinio, ut
extorqueri sibi om nin o non sinerent, in quo se deliquisse gauderent, spectandum nobis est, dum totum hoc per
paucos sedit, in populum om nipotentis dei nisericordia m itigetur
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