During the reign of Galerius, Christians did not have an easy life. Yet, shortly before his death, the ruler recalled edicts that oppressed Jesus' followers. How did it come about?
Galerius is not a popular figure in the history of the Empire. Those who have heard of him may have encountered information that put him in line with Caligula and Herod. For good reason:Galerius was not only a supporter of the old religion, but also the most firm and radical voice to advise Diocletian. Everything, of course, to restore "the former glory of the Roman Empire" and get rid of the Christians.
Some historians even believe that Galerius secretly ordered the imperial palace to be burned down, then blamed the Christian saboteurs and thus turn Diocletian against the novices.
Galerius became famous in Rome for his persecution of Christians
Galerius's attitude shifted sharply in April 311, when this staunch opponent of monotheistic religion issued an edict of tolerance towards the followers of Jesus. At the same time, he asked Christians to pray for him - why? Galerius was slowly being killed by a terrible disease in which he could see divine punishment ...
A man of principles
Born in present-day Sofia, Galerius began his career as a soldier in the army of Aurelian and then Probus. With the advent of the Tetrarchy in 293, he was awarded the title of Caesar , and he took care of the Balkans and the Danube valley. He distinguished himself in the victorious campaign against the Persians in 297-299. He married Diocletian's daughter, Valeria, which brought him even closer to the emperor.
In 299, Diocletian and Galerius traveled together from Persia to Syria. As Lactantius recalls, during his stay in the city of Antiochus the rulers foretold from animal sacrifices . The Haruspices, however, were unable to perform their rituals, despite numerous attempts, blaming the Christians present in the Roman army. The reason was allegedly "disturbing" the witchcraft by performing the signs of the cross. The furious Diocletian ordered that all Christians in the ranks of his army should sacrifice on pain of expulsion.
It should be remembered that a soldier's career in the Roman Empire was very attractive, and without a place in the army, he lost all his rights to land, as well as his salaries and savings. The famous author of historical sources, Eusebius of Caesarea, also describes the event, attributing an anti-Christian initiative to Galerius, though historians argue whether he is referring to the same situation. One thing is for sure:the young ruler really did not like Christians.
Haruspicy
Why in Galerius did this aversion to the followers of Jesus come from? His superior Diocletian was a religious conservative, but used to exhort tolerance in the name of peace in the Empire. Meanwhile, Galeriusz tried to actively fight the dissenters, at the same time using the social division to build his political position. Lactantius described him as a power-hungry man who wanted an even higher position in the Empire's hierarchy. Moreover, Galerius' mother Romula was a pagan priestess with equally anti-Christian views, so the ruler brought them out of the family home.
In the winter, at the turn of 301-302, Diocletian visited Egypt, where he ordered the execution of the followers of Manichaeism. He condemned the higher priests of this religion similar to Christianity to forced labor in the quarries. For the first time in the history of Rome, a ruler then gave the order to destroy the scriptures.
The last spark that ignited the fire of persecution was the interruption of pagan religious rites by Romanus in the fall of 302. A Christian stormed the court and disrupted the sacrifice by loudly criticizing such practices. He was captured and sentenced to having his tongue cut off. Diocletian entered into a stormy discussion with Galerius - something had to be done with the Christians. The senior ruler opted to remove them from government and military positions, which he believed would "please the gods," but Galerius had a different, bloodier vision .
Divine Punishment
In 303, probably at the urging of Galerius, Diocletian issued the first edict to persecute Christians . He ordered the destruction of the church in Nicomeda and the seizure of the valuables there, as well as the burning of the writings. Assemblies were forbidden, and the process of destroying Christian temples and texts began throughout the Empire. Jesus' followers were also deprived of their defense in lawsuits, and Christian senators, equites, decurions, veterans, and soldiers were stripped of their positions.
Although Diocletian ordered a "purge without bloodshed" against Galerius's insistence, executions were often handled by local judges. Smoking has become a popular method of killing Christians in the East.
Subsequent edicts provided for imprisonment for Christian priests who could "redeem themselves" by making a sacrifice (thereby renouncing their faith). In 304, Diocletian ordered all Christians, regardless of gender or age, to gather in a public place and to make sacrifices. If they refused, they were to be executed. These regulations were in force until AD 313.
In May 305, Diocletian resigned, making Galerius Augustus - "the elder Caesar." The departing ruler thought that the process of removing Christianity from the Empire was successful, but his successor persisted in persecution.
During the reigns of Diocletian and Galerius, the blood of Christians was shed many times in the arenas.
However, something influenced Galerius, because in 311 he issued an edict called the Edict of Tolerance. Historians speculate that the change in attitude was the result of an illness plaguing the ruler from AD 310. It is difficult at this point to accurately diagnose ailments. It could have been a tumor of the genitals or anus, although some parts of the Lactantius descriptions may suggest other diseases. Some specialists suggest the usual gangrene or the slightly less known Fournier's gangrene - a necrotic infection usually involving the scrotum first, and then the surrounding tissues. It is also possible that the cancer was the cause of the infection. One thing is certain: Galerius was dying in excruciating pain and with little chance of recovery.
As we read in Patricia Southern's book "The Roman Empire from Severus to Constantine", "Lactantius enjoyed the Emperor's suffering, which in his opinion was a well-deserved punishment for persecuting Christians, and he definitely exaggerated by describing worms coming out of rotting flesh and a terrible stench penetrating the air.
It is known that the problem was in the genital area, and the surgeons tried to excise the paralyzed body, but Galerius almost died from the loss of blood and the operation "did not solve the problem". In the Edict of Toleration, Galerius even asked Christians to pray for him, which suggests great desperation and guilt.
Let them be Christians again and build their meeting places, on the condition, however, that they do nothing against the order. In another letter we will show the governors how to proceed. Thus, according to our present permission, Christians should pray to their god, asking for good for us, for the state and for themselves, that the state will remain unshakable, and they will live safely in their homes
He wrote on his deathbed.
Could he really consider his illness to be a force majeure? We will never know this again. Galerius probably died in April or May 311.