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

predominately pagan) elements of the Roman Senate and particularly when Licinius,
his fellow emperor and brother in law, was still in control of the Eastern Empire.
Other evidence for Constantine’s attitude to paganism, and Christian
dissidents, may be found in Eusebius’ Life of Con stan tin e and in particular
Constantine’s letters to Eusebius and to other recipients. One of the most obvious
difference between letters written to Eusebius and those to other recipients, is the
manner in which Constantine referred to paganism. Evidently Constantine tailored
his rhetoric to fit his audience, in order that, it must be presumed, he could appear to
be ‘all things to all men.’ 47 Therefore it is extremely difficult to reach any definite
conclusion with regard to Constantine’s personal convictions; and indeed it may not,
for the present purposes, actually matter. In his letter to Macarius an d the other bishops
of Palestin e Constantine felt able to use strong language towards pagans and about
paganism. 48 The letter was a response to reports from his mother-in-law Eutropia that
the shrine of Mamre in Palestine, which was sacred to Jews, pagans and Christians had
been defiled. The pagans, “superstitious persons,” 49 had erected idols which
Constantine regarded as an abomination, and were also carrying out sacrifices.
Therefore, Constantine wrote to the local com es Acacius and ordered him to destroy
the idols and any pagan altars and also to build a church on the site. Constantine also
gave advance permission for Macarius to write to him if any “accursed and foul
people” 50 attempted to re-enter the site. It would be “intolerable” 51 if any “sacrilege” 52
was to occur there, once a church had been built on the site.
In his letter to the Prov in cials of the East, late 324 or 325/6 53 pagans were also
addressees, and therefore Constantine was obliged to refer to them in more measured
47
For universalist tendencies in Constantine’s programme, although with an emphasis on his use and
attitude to Christianity, see Fowden (1993) 80-99 esp 86-93
48
Eus VC 3.52-53.4 Corcoran (2000) 333, 335 e
49
tino~ deisidaimovnwn
50
tw`n ejnagw`n ejkeivnwn kai; mosarw`n ajnqrwvpwn
51 ajfovrhton
52 ajsebev~
53 VC 2.48-60 Corcoran (2000) 198 n123, 316 (for the earlier date); Barnes (1989) for the later date.
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