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

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CTh. 3.7.2 of 14 March 388 was also issued to Cynegius and it is <strong>the</strong> second of<br />

Theodosius' laws which affected Jewish-Christian relations. 252 This law was less subtle<br />

and prohibited marriage between Jews and Christians. Anyone who “should commit<br />

an act of this k<strong>in</strong>d, <strong>the</strong> crime of this misdeed shall be considered as <strong>the</strong> equivalent of<br />

adultery.” 253 Moreover, it was open to anyone to br<strong>in</strong>g, and not just immediate<br />

relatives as had been <strong>the</strong> case previously. 254<br />

In practice, as such marriages were regarded as adultery under this law, <strong>the</strong>n<br />

<strong>the</strong>y could be punished <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> severest manner. The penalty for adultery was death;<br />

<strong>in</strong>itially under Augustus by <strong>the</strong> sword, but s<strong>in</strong>ce Constantius’ CTh. 11.36.4 of 29<br />

August 339 <strong>the</strong> punishment had been death by fire. 255 L<strong>in</strong>der po<strong>in</strong>ts out that Canon<br />

law had forbidden marriage and sexual relationships between Christians and Jews s<strong>in</strong>ce<br />

<strong>the</strong> beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g of <strong>the</strong> fourth century and that this unhappy extension of Church law<br />

<strong>in</strong>to State law and policy, with all <strong>the</strong> power that could <strong>the</strong>reby be brought to enforce<br />

it, was probably due to Ambrose’s “personal <strong>in</strong>fluence.” 256 L<strong>in</strong>der cites Ambrose’s<br />

letter to Vigilius of 385 <strong>in</strong> which <strong>the</strong> Bishop of Milan recommended certa<strong>in</strong> courses of<br />

action to Vigilius now that Vigilius had been orda<strong>in</strong>ed a bishop. However, <strong>in</strong> that<br />

letter Ambrose counselled aga<strong>in</strong>st all mixed marriages between Christians and non-<br />

Christians and not just between Christians and Jews; he, <strong>in</strong> his defence, does not<br />

appear to have been sensitive to any possibilities of a loss of Christian self identity or<br />

be<strong>in</strong>g fearful of any sense of contam<strong>in</strong>ation, that Jews <strong>in</strong> particular may have been<br />

thought to pose. Moreover, <strong>the</strong> canons of <strong>the</strong> Council of Elvira which L<strong>in</strong>der cites,<br />

252<br />

Attributed by Honoré (1998) 56-57 to his E8. This law is word for word identical with CTh. 9.7.5;<br />

Honoré (1998) 152 po<strong>in</strong>ts out that such repetition occurred <strong>in</strong> 1 per cent of cases and was deliberate<br />

s<strong>in</strong>ce <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>dividual law covered more than one category laid down by Theodosius II’s commissioners.<br />

253<br />

ne quis christianam m ulierem <strong>in</strong> m atrim on ium iudaeus accipiat, neque iudaeae christianus con iugium<br />

sortiatur. nam si quis aliquid huiusm odi adm iserit, adulterii v icem com m issi huius crim en obt<strong>in</strong> ebit, libertate<br />

<strong>in</strong> accusandum publicis quoque v ocibus relaxata<br />

254<br />

Constant<strong>in</strong>e's CTh. 9.7.2 of 25 April 326 had ordered that only fa<strong>the</strong>rs, bro<strong>the</strong>rs and cous<strong>in</strong>s should<br />

have <strong>the</strong> right to br<strong>in</strong>g charges of adultery.<br />

255<br />

Augustus’ Lex Iulia de adulteriis of 18 BC<br />

256<br />

L<strong>in</strong>der (1987) 178-182, quote at 178; he cites <strong>the</strong> decrees (16 and 78) of <strong>the</strong> 306 Council of Elvira<br />

forbidd<strong>in</strong>g mixed marriages. The texts of <strong>the</strong> Canons, with an English translation and discussion are<br />

given by Laeuchli (1972); Sivan (2001) 208-219 also discusses this law.<br />

252

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