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

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poen a capitis “capital punishment”. As <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> case of CTh 16.10.4, no mention was<br />

made if sacrifice or idol worship was actually tak<strong>in</strong>g place, and <strong>the</strong>refore this law may<br />

be more proactive than previous laws by <strong>in</strong>dicat<strong>in</strong>g that <strong>the</strong> situation was not to arise<br />

<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> first place. Unlike CTh 16.10.4, <strong>the</strong> penalty was to extend only to <strong>the</strong><br />

perpetrators and not to any negligent governor.<br />

It is tempt<strong>in</strong>g to believe that Taurus, recipient of 16.10.4 was also <strong>the</strong> addressee<br />

of CTh 16.10.6; unfortunately <strong>the</strong>re is no evidence o<strong>the</strong>r than that <strong>the</strong> punishments <strong>in</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> two laws are <strong>the</strong> same, <strong>the</strong> geographical focus of both is likely to have been <strong>the</strong><br />

same and <strong>the</strong>y were issued at about <strong>the</strong> same time. If Taurus was <strong>in</strong>deed <strong>the</strong> addressee<br />

of this law, <strong>the</strong>n he would have been responsible for (probably) three out of <strong>the</strong> four<br />

laws of Constantius prescrib<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> death penalty (see CTh 9.16.4 below for ano<strong>the</strong>r<br />

possible law of Taurus prescrib<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> death penalty). However, at best it can only be<br />

said that this law should probably be viewed <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> same manner as CTh 16.10.4 as<br />

overturn<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> apparently pagan-friendly approach of Magnentius and enforc<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong><br />

rule of Constantius and with that, his religion.<br />

Constantius’ antipathy towards traditional forms of belief cont<strong>in</strong>ued however,<br />

<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> years follow<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> immediate aftermath of Magnentius’ usurpation. He<br />

evidently felt no desire to end or even to mitigate his anti-pagan policy <strong>in</strong>troduced <strong>in</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> exceptional circumstances of four to seven years previously.<br />

CTh 9.16.4 of 25 January 357 was addressed to “<strong>the</strong> People.” It delivered a<br />

comprehensive prohibition backed by capital punishment for all types of div<strong>in</strong>ation.<br />

It ordered that “no person shall consult a soothsayer or an astrologer or a div<strong>in</strong>er. The<br />

wicked doctr<strong>in</strong>es of augurs and seers shall become silent. ” Fur<strong>the</strong>rmore “Chaldeans<br />

and wizards and…magicians, because of <strong>the</strong> magnitude of <strong>the</strong>ir crimes” were not to<br />

practice <strong>the</strong>ir arts. “The <strong>in</strong>quisitiveness of all men for div<strong>in</strong>ation shall cease forever.”<br />

Anyone disobey<strong>in</strong>g any part of this law was to be executed, “felled by <strong>the</strong> aveng<strong>in</strong>g<br />

170 In full <strong>the</strong> law reads: Poena capitis subiugari praecipim us eos, quos operam sacrificiis dare v el colere<br />

sim ulacra constiterit<br />

42

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