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

existing (lost) law. The law prohibited Jews from circumcising, and presumably
therefore converting, a “Christian slave or a slave of any other sect whatever” after
purchase; if such happened then the slave would be freed. The second part of the law
referred to Jewish converts to Christianity who had “unlocked for himself the door of
eternal life” shall not “suffer any disquietude or molestation from the Jews.” Any Jew
who “assailed with outrage” any such convert would be “subjected to avenging
punishments in proportion to the nature of the crime which he has committed.”
Towards the end of the law Constantine expressed his hope that such converts would
be safe and that “due reverence for Us will be observed.” Finally, Constantine urged
Felix to have the law enforced “most earnestly” in his jurisdiction. 99
The law contained no provision for the punishment of any slave owner nor for
the doctor who had performed the circumcision. However it should be noticed that
pagan slaves were also protected under this legislation, although not explicitly so. Also
worthy of note is the penultimate sentence in which the expression “due reverence for
us” is made; this could be taken to indicate that safety of such converts was axiomatic
to either respect for Constantine himself, or at least, to his law.
This law should be compared with an earlier law against circumcision of slaves
by their masters recorded by Paulus. 100 This late third century law allowed the use of
capital punishment for Jewish slave owners who circumcised their slaves, but also
98 Felix 2 PLRE I.331-2; Barnes (1994) VII 8 lists him in the group “whose religious sympathies are
unknown.” Linder (1987) 138-144; for conversion to and from Judaism, see also Linder (1987) 79-84
99 Iam dudum quidem constitutionis nostrae saluberrim a sanctio prom ulgata est, quam nostrae repetitae legis
v eneration e gem inam us, ac v olum us, ut, si quispiam iudaeorum christianum m ancipium v el cuiuslibet
alterius sectae m ercatus circum cidere n on perhorruerit, circum cisus quidem istius statuti m ensura libertatis
com pos effectus eiusdem priv ilegiis potiatur: non fas iudaeo sit qui circum ciderit m an cipium generis m em orati
in obsequium serv itutis retinere. Illud etenim hac eadem san ctione praecipim us, ut, si quispiam Iudaeorum
reserans sibi ianuam v itae perpetuae sanctis se cultibus m ancipav erit et Christianus esse delegerit, ne quid a
Iudaeis inquietudinis v el m olestiae patiatur. Quod si ex Iudaeo Christianum factum aliquis Iudaeorum
iniuria putav erit esse pulsandum , v olum us istiusm odi contum eliae m achin atorem pro crim inis qualitate
com m issi poenis ultricibus subiugari, Felix paren s carissim e. Quare div initatis affectu confidim us ipsum in
om ni orbe Rom ano qui nostri debita v eneration e serv ata: ac v olum us, ut excellens sublim itas tua litteris suis
per dioecesim sibi creditam com m eantibus iudices m oneat instantissim e huiuscem odi debitam rev erentiam
custodiri.
100 Paulus Sententiae, 5.22.3-4 in Linder (1987) 117-120
24