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

and thereby, perhaps, perpetuating the dispute. Valentinian may well have learned
from Constantine's experience in the Donatist dispute that giving clerics the power to
adjudicate on the affairs of other clerics was not likely to secure a peaceful solution.
The repeat of the order to Maximianus was also made “for the sake of the
Christian people’s peace and the obedience owed to religion and to the laws.” 98
Valentinian also repeated the provision that offenders of the exile order should not be
dealt with by the clerical courts, but rather by the secular authorities; however this
time, Valentinian seems to be referring specifically to Ursinus, rather than to the other
exiles and indeed, most of the provisions of this letter are directed towards Ursinus
himself rather than his followers. In this letter, Valentinian expanded upon the
question of whether the Ursinians should be judged by clerical or secular officials and
indicated that Ursinus was not someone who should be dealt with strictly by the
clerics since he was: “a traitorous [reading for factio] person and a disturber of public
peace and an enemy of laws and of religion.” 99 Valentinian finished his letter by
indicating his concern for public order to Maximianus; Ursinus and his followers
should be excluded from Rome and its suburbs “lest, when an occasion has been
presented by the nearness of the disturbers, we should challenge the religious people’s
zeal to perhaps some outburst.” 100
In terms of rhetoric Ampelius received more and perhaps stronger rhetoric
than did Maximinus. Arguably, the rhetoric which Valentinian used in his letter to
Maximinus was a little more sophisticated than the occasionally caustic language which
the emperor employed in his letter to Ampelius. In the Ampelius letter, Valentinian
began by indicating that by one means or another Valentinian was acting under the
guidance of a superior force: “Rightly it has been granted to our Gentleness’ feelings
98 CSEL 35.12: propter quietem populi Christian i et debitam religioni ac legibus
99 sed ut hom inem factiosum perturbatorem que publicae tranquillitatis legem et religionis
100 CSEL 35.11: ne occasione praestita v icinitate inquietorum ad aliquam forsitan v ociferation em religiosi
populi studia prov ocem us
118