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

e under, although he did draw attention to his efforts to secure a settlement: “through
all the offices of humanity and moderation.” 136 Instead, Constantine made a virtue of
tolerating the Donatists (presumably a not unacceptable option since only “a few”
were to blame) and he left the matter to God from whom a cure should be expected.
Although Constantine blamed the Donatists, this was not a licence for the Catholics to
misbehave and he cautioned them not to respond to any apparent provocations made
by the Donatists whilst they were all waiting for God to solve the schism.
The new policy, which not unreasonably might be termed a ‘Policy of
Tolerance’ 137 Constantine explained, was to “practice continual patience, and whatever
their insolence tries or does as a result of their customary intemperance, all this we are
to tolerate with the virtue of tranquillity.” 138 That did not mean that his previous
efforts had been incorrect; his new policy was to last “while the heavenly medicine
does its work,” 139 although Constantine does not go into any detail as to what might
happen once the “heavenly medicine” had completed its work. Constantine went to
some lengths to portray the new tolerant policy in positivist terms; he repeated his
intention to reserve judgement to God and stated that it was right that God should
revenge any Donatist insults. Towards the end of the letter he showed some
understanding of the motivation which propelled the Donatists to embrace
martyrdom; he reasoned that whatever Catholics suffered from Donatists would be to
the advantage of their faith: “our faith ought to be confident that whatever suffering
result from the madness of people of this kind will have value in God’s eyes by the
grace of martyrdom.” 140 Constantine was blatantly employing the ideology of the
Donatists, if not against them, then at least to the benefit of the Catholics and by
136 Opt. App. 9; Ziwsa 212; Edwards 196: per om nia hum anitatis et m oderationis officia optim e scitis
137 contra Garnsey (1984) 19, who finds no hint of toleration in this letter and regards the suspension of
persecution as “a tacit acknowledgement of the limits of power.”
138 Opt. App. 9; Ziwsa 213; Edwards 196: hactenus sunt consilia nostra m oderanda ut patientiam
percolam us et, quicquid insolentia illorum pro consuetudine intem perantiae suae tem ptant aut faciunt, id
totum tranquillitatis v irtute tolerem us
139 Opt. App. 9; Ziwsa 213; Edwards 196: v erum dum caelestis m edicina procedat
140 Opt. App. 9; Ziwsa 213; Edwards 197: fides nostra confidere, quicquid ab huiusm odi hom inum furore
patietur, m artyrii gratia apud deum esse v aliturum
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