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

against apostates; 5 nine were on pagans or paganism; 6 four laws were concerned with
the Jews 7 and two more were concerned with regulating Jewish-Christian personal
relationships. 8 However, it should be noted that although a law may be categorised as
one which affects one group, there are a number of laws of Theodosius which actually
are directed against, or affect, more than one group.
A number of incidents during Theodosius' reign have come to typify both the
power of the Church and (therefore) Christian intolerance in the later empire: the
destruction of the synagogue in Callinicum in late 388 by a local bishop and his
congregation, for which an order to recompense was apparently reversed because of
pressure from Ambrose; 9 Theodosius' penance following the massacre at Thessalonica
in 391 10 and also the destruction of the Serapeum in Alexandria in 392. 11 Evidence
from his legislation should be sought to establish whether such incidents were in any
way related to the fact of Theodosius being emperor or to some other factors, or none.
In modern authors, Theodosius himself has a reputation as a zealous and (therefore)
pious Catholic Christian, smiting the enemies of the Church, whoever they might
have been, and making Catholicism the established, official religion of the Roman
of 21 June 390; 11.16.18 of 5 July 390; 16.2.28 of 23 August 390; 16.3.1 of 2 September 390; 12.1.123 of
28 July 391; 9.40.15 of 13 March 392; 11.36.31 of 9 April 392; 2.8.20 of 17 April 392; 16.3.2 of 17 April
392; 2.8.21 of 27 May 392; 9.45.1 of 18 October 392; 15.5.2 of 20 May 392/5 and 15.7.12 of 29 June 394
4
CTh. 16.5.6 of 10 January 381; 16.5.7 of 8 May 381; 16.5.8 of 19 July 381; 16.5.9 of 31 March 382;
16.5.10 of 20 June 383; 16.5.11 of 25 June 383; 16.5.12 of 3 December 383; Coll. Av e. 2 of 383/4; 16.5.13
of 21 January 384; 16.5.14 of 10 March 388; 16.5.15 of 14 June 388; 16.5.16 of 9 August 388; 16.5.17 of 4
May 389; 16.5.18 of 17 June 389; 16.5.19 of 26 November 389; 16.5.20 of 19 May 391; 16.5.21 of 15 June
392; 16.4.3 of 18 July 392; 16.5.22 of 15 April 394; 16.5.23 of 20 June 394 and 16.5.24 of 9 July 394.
5
CTh. 16.7.1 of 2 May 381; 16.7.2 of 20 May 383; 16.7.4 of 11 May 391 and 16.7.5 of 11 May 391.
6
CTh. 10.1.12 of 17 June 379; 16.10.7 of 21 December 381; 12.1.112 of 16 June 386; CJ 7.38.2 of 3 July
387 and CTh. 16.10.12 of 8 November 392
7
CTh. 13.5.18 of 18 February 390; 16.10.7 of 21 December 381; 16.10.8 of 30 November 382; 16.10.9 of
25 of May 385; CJ 12.1.112 of 16 June 386; 7.38.2 of 3 July 387; CTh. 16.10.10 of 24 February 391;
16.10.11 of 16 June 391 and 16.10.12 of 8 November 392
8
CTh. 3.1.5 of 22 September 384 and 3.7.2 of 14 March 388
9
All the sources for the Callinicum incident are from Ambrose’s letters: Ep. Ex. Coll. 1a; Ep. 74 and Ep.
Ex. Coll. 1
10 Soz. 7.25; Theod. 5.17; Amb. Ep. 51
11 Soc. 5.16; Soz. 7.15; Theod. 5.22; Ruf. 11.22-30
164