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

long and verbose and began by ordering that “no person whatever shall obtain the
special privilege of immunity from extraordinary public services;” whatever is required
is the “common duty” to be “fulfilled by all.” Then the law gave the exemptions, but
in a guarded manner that gave the impression that such exemptions were to be granted
on an ad hoc basis; as such the law appears to be a clarification and consolidation of the
general rules and regulations surrounding exemptions and not a law as such. “Of
course, occasions are not lacking when We vindicate the privileges of merits and of
high rank from the common lot, since indeed We prohibit persons excepted by law
from undertaking those compulsory public services which are called menial.” The law
then listed those of sufficient rank to be exempt: senior officials in the Imperial
bureaucracy, “by a similar grant of privilege We bestow such rights upon the
churches” as well as upon Greek and Latin teachers. After that list, there followed a
list of the actual liturgies from which they were to be exempted: from bread making,
from timber requisitions, from extra wagons and horses for the Imperial post except
for those required “by the Raetian border, by the Illyrian expeditionary army, and by
the transport of military food supplies, either on account of necessity or in accordance
with established custom.” They were also exempt from the repair of roads and
buildings and from supplying charcoal, unless it was to be used for minting or
weapons manufacture. At the same time the law clearly spelt out that the exemptions
were only applicable to the persons listed: “they shall understand that such rights are
not conferred upon the property of their wives or upon their own patrimonies” nor
were heirs exempt.
Evidently, Tatianus was attempting through this law to demonstrate three
significant aspects surrounding the exemptions given to various groups. Firstly, the
exemptions were extraordinary privileges, granted by the emperor in accordance with
the law; exemptions therefore, were not a right inherent to rank or position, but
instead were (almost) a gift of the emperor. Secondly, those holding exemptions were
supposed to undertake some duties if requested. In the same manner, and most
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