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

and therefore Caecilian’s enthronement to be valid. 89 Constantine had doubtless been
informed of the verdict and the fact that it was a further blow to the Donatists’
position may have influenced the composition of his letter to the Donatist bishops.
This letter was a response to another appeal to Constantine, which judging from his
reply, requested an investigation of their claims to take place in Africa.
Constantine's Letter to the Donatist bishops written during the summer of
315, 90 is considerably shorter than his Letter to the Catholic Bishops and although
there is little conciliatory rhetoric or sentiment and its contents made clear
Constantine's antipathy towards the Donatists, it does not contain anything
approaching the extreme rhetorical invective which is found in the Letter to the
Catholic Bishops. Constantine was evidently averse to insulting the Donatists directly
and probably saw no reason to display whatever disapprobation of them he felt, and
therefore increasing any alienation that they may have felt, any more than was
necessary. As such, he referred to himself in the singular in this letter as well, and
presumably for the same reasons as he did so in his Letter to Catholic Bishops.
He even began the letter in a reasonably conciliatory manner by indicating that
he had considered their request that they might be allowed to return to Africa where
the whole affair against Caecilian could be considered by selected “friends of mine.” 91
However he had changed his mind and decided instead that Caecilian should travel to
Rome and that he would hear the case there. Constantine blamed the Donatists for
this change of mind and reasoned that since some Donatists were “great troublemakers
and in your obstinacy of mind have very little respect for equitable judgement and the
spirit of upright truth,” then the hearing should take place somewhere other than
89
Opt. App. 2 Ziwsa 197-204; Edwards 170-180; On Aelianus: Aelianus 2 PLRE 1.17; Barnes (1982) 170,
243
90
Opt. App 6; Maier (1987) 192-193 gives the date as Summer 315; Corcoran (2000) 22, 306, 322, 323
n40, he dates it to May 315; Edwards 192 n1, believes (somewhat unconvincingly) it was written after
August 315
91
Opt. App. 6; Ziwsa 210; Edwards 192: ab am icis m eis, quos elegissem
74