38. Their Exertions to bring Idolatry into disrepute.

To promote the more efficiently the propagation and public exercise of Christianity, the first Christian emperors constantly endeavoured to bring the pagan superstitions into disrepute, and to restrict by degrees the exercise of idolatry, until circumstances should enable them to abolish it altogether. Constantine, in particular, during the whole course of his reign, never ceased from working by indirect, but very efficacious means, the ruin of the pagan worship. On all occasions he manifested his high esteem for the Christian religion, and the great pleasure it would give him to see all his subjects ranged under its standard. He was lavish of his gifts and favours to the Christians; he had always in his company some bishops and priests eminent for their virtues and merits; they were his council and his usual attendants; he admitted them to his table, and to his intimate confidence, and honoured them more than any of his other advisers. Magistrates and governors of provinces were generally selected from the Christians, and those who still remained pagans were prohibited to worship their false gods. He omitted nothing to discredit among the people their old superstitions, throwing down an altar, or destroying an idol, wherever he could do so without exciting any tumult, stripping the pagan temples, carrying away their gates or roofs to expose them to speedy destruction, exhibiting in the public places the statues of the most famous gods, to expose them to the contempt of the people, or to use them as profane ornaments. When he made Constantinople the capital of his empire, he banished completely from that city the worship of idols and all pagan superstitions ;

cultus injuriam, capitali in convictos sive confessos reos sententiâ noverit vindicandam." - Cod. Theod. lib. xvi. tit. ii. n. 31. Fleury, Hist. Ecclés. vol. v. book xx. n. 28.

Euseb. Vita Constantini, lib. ii. cap. xliv.-xlvii. &c. ; lib. iii. cap. xlviii.— liv. &c. Idem, De Laudibus Constantini, cap. viii. Fleury, Hist. Ecclés. vol. iii. book xi. n. 33 and 45. Lebeau, Hist. du Bas-Empire, vol. i. book ii. n. 27, and book iv. n. 5. Hist. de l'Église Gallicane, vol. i. p. 191, &c. Tillemont, Hist. des Empereurs, vol. iv. p. 200-211. Naudet, Des Changements opérés dans l'Administration de l'Empire, vol. ii. part iii. ch. ii. and iii. art. i.; et alibi passim.

he allowed no temple there not consecrated to the true God; and whatever idols were preserved in profane places, were maintained merely as ornaments and monuments to posterity of the ancient blindness of mankind.

These different measures, combined with the preaching of a number of holy bishops and zealous missionaries, in all parts of the empire, insensibly brought paganism into such disrepute, that multitudes of pagans were filled with shame and contempt for their ancient superstitions.

39. Edicts against Secret Divination.

Profiting by this happy revolution in the public mind, Constantine promulgated in the year 319, a law, which though not absolutely prohibiting idolatry, restrained it very much by proscribing, under very severe penalties, the practice of magic or secret divination, for purposes of libertinism or debauchery, or as a pretext for suspected assemblies. It would even appear that the pagans, intimidated by this law, the first that had been made by Constantine against their worship, were afraid for some time to raise statues to their gods, to offer them sacrifices, or to exercise even in public the rites of divination. But the emperor lost no time in quieting their apprehensions, by a law published in the same year, whereby he guarantees to them the free exercise of their worship in the temples and in other public places. "All those," he declares, "who still adhere to the ancient worship, may go to the public altars and temples to celebrate the usual ceremonies; for we forbid no person, in daylight, to

"Nullus haruspex limen alterius accedat; sed hujusmodi hominum, quamvis vetus, amicitia repelletur...Superstitioni enim suæ servire cupientes poterunt publicè ritum proprium exercere.”—Cod. Theod. lib. ix. tit. xvi. n. 1. D. Ceillier, Hist. des Auteurs Ecclés. vol. iv. p. 132. To understand the nature and character of these superstitious practices, which Constantine prohibited by that law, see the notes of Godefroy on this passage. Dissert. of M. Bonamy, Sur le Rapport de la Magie avec la Théologie Païenne,—(Mém. de l'Acad. des Inscript. vol. vii. of the 4to. edit. p. 25; vol. iv. of Hist. de l'Acad. edit. in 12mo. p. 34). Receveur, Hist. de l'Eglise, vol. ii. p. 5. Beugnot, Hist. de la Destruct. du Pagan, vol. i. p. 79, &c.

indulge in the practices authorised by ancient custom."1 This law was not long after confirmed by a letter, addressed to the inhabitants of the province of the East, in which Constantine, while he plainly exhorts all his subjects to embrace Christianity, declares nevertheless that it is not his wish to disturb those who remain attached to the ancient worship, and that in that matter he leaves full liberty to all persons to act as they please.

40. His Leniency to the Pagans.

3

Such was the moderate policy of Constantine to the pagans during the whole of his reign. It is true, there is reason to believe, that towards the close of his life, he promulgated a law, ordering the temples of the false gods to be closed, and generally prohibiting all idolatry in his dominions. But, whether it is that this law was never promulgated in the East, or that the emperor never deemed it advisable to enforce it in the West, and especially at Rome, where idolatry still had, both in the senate and in many illustrious families, votaries, whom it was prudent not to offend, it is certain that until the close of his reign the pagans preserved the free exercise of their worship.*

"Haruspices et sacerdotes, et eos qui huic ritui assolent ministrare, ad privatam domum prohibemus accedere, vel sub prætextu amicitiæ limen alterius ingredi, pœnâ contra eos propositâ, si contempserint legem. Qui verò id vobis existimatis conducere, adite aras publicas atque delubra, et consuetudinis vestræ celebrate solemnia; nec enim prohibemus præteritæ usurpationis (seu consuetudinis) officia liberâ luce tractari."-Cod. Theod. lib. ix. tit. xvi. n. 2.

"Nemo alteri molestiam facessat; quod cuique libitum fuerit, id agat. Illud tamen, apud eos qui rectè sentiunt, fixum ratumque esse oportet, solos illos sanctè castèque victuros, quos tu ipse (omnium Domine et sancte Deus) ad hoc vocavisti, ut sacrosanctis tuis legibus acquiescant."-Eusebius, Vita Constant. lib. ii. cap. lvi.

Eusebius, Vita Const. lib. ii. cap. xlv. ; lib. iv. cap. xxiii. et xxv. Theodoret, Hist. Eccl. lib. v. cap. xxi. Sozomen, Hist. lib. iii. cap. xvii. Orosius, Hist. lib. vii. cap. xxviii. (Vol. vi. of the Biblioth. des Pères, p. 442). See, on this subject, No. 1 of the Documentary Evidence, at the end of this work.

* Libanius states so expressly in his Oration for the Preservation of the Pagan Temples, in which he expresses himself thus regarding the conduct of Constantine towards the idolators: "Sacris pecuniis usus est, nihil verò de cultu solemni immutavit. Penuria quidem in templis erat; omnia autem alia impleta videre erat."—Oratio pro Templis Gentil. non exscindendis, § 3 and 9. This discourse was published for the first time, by Jacques Godefroy, Geneva, 1634, 4to. The above passage is given by the same Godefroy, Comment. in Cod. Theod. lib. xvi. tit. x. n. 3.

41. His Prudence in this respect imitated by Constantius and Constans.

The emperors Constantius and Constans, sons and successors of Constantine, followed his prudent policy in this respect. They persisted, it is true, in combating paganism by all the means which he had so successfully employed, and which the onward progress of Christianity made every day more efficacious. It appears even, that not content with renewing the edicts of Constantine against secret divination, they published another, prohibiting all acts of idolatry. As a natural consequence of this edict, Constans, when he became sole emperor, cast out from the senate-house (in 357) the altar of Victory, on which it was the custom to burn incense at the opening of each session, even in presence of the Christian senators, who had hitherto been obliged to assist at this pagan ceremony. It is, nevertheless certain, that the pagans continued to practise their religion in liberty under the reign of Constans, at least in the West. This fact is demonstrated evidently from the petition addressed by Symmachus to Valentinian II., in 384, for the

"

The following is the text of the law published by the Emperor Constantius, in 341: "Cesset superstitio: sacrificiorum aboleatur insania; nam quicumque contra legem divi principis, parentis nostri, et hanc nostræ mansuetudinis jussionem, ausus fuerit sacrificia celebrare, competens in eum vindicta, et præsens sententia exeratur."- Cod. Theodos. lib. xvi. tit. x. n. 2. This law was confirmed not long after by that of the Emperor Constans, which prohibited the demolition of all temples outside the walls of Rome. Quamquàm omnis superstitio eruenda sit, tamen volumus ut ædes templorum quæ extra muros sunt positæ, intacta incorruptæque consistant."-Ibid. n. 3. It is to be remarked that these two laws, in as far as they prohibit idolatry, are merely a revival of those of Constantine, as the Emperor Constantius expressly states in the first. In the Theodosian Code (same title), two other laws of the Emperor Constans occur, one of which orders the pagan temples to be closed, and the other prohibits sacrifices under pain of death.-Ibid. n. 4, 6. But the date of these laws appears doubtful; and hence their authenticity has been contested. See the 4th Memoir of M. de la Bastie, Sur le Pontificat des Empereurs Païens. (Mém. de l'Acad. des Inscript. vol. xv. 4to.) Beugnot, ubi supra, vol. i. p. 141, &c.

2 Symmachus clearly supposes this in several passages of his petition to Valentinian II. for the restoration of the altar of Victory. Relatio Symmachi, n. 5, 7. This petition may be seen in the Recueil des Lettres de Symmaque, lib. x. ep. 54, and among the Letters of St. Ambrose, after the 17th Letter, addressed to Valentinian II. on the same subject. (Oper. tom. ii.) It is translated into French in Beugnot's work already cited, ubi sup. p. 417; but we shall soon see that his translation is not faithful, even on the most important points. See infra, p. 48, note 4.

restoration of the altar of Victory. Therein he loudly condemns the Emperor Constans, for having removed that altar from the place in which the senate assembled; but he declares at the same time, that "this prince deprived the vestals of none of their privileges; that he gave the priestly offices to the nobles; did not refuse the Romans the sums necessary for their religious ceremonies; and that though he himself preferred another religion, he preserved, nevertheless, those of the empire; allowing to all their own customs and rites."1

This fact is moreover confirmed by many inscriptions still extant on monuments erected in Italy, and even in Rome, under the reign of Constans, which mention expressly altars and statues erected at this period in honour of the false gods.

42. Moderation of Jovian.

The execution of the edicts against idolatry, promulgated by Constantine and his sons, having been suspended under Julian the Apostate, was again carried out by their successors; but it must be observed, that like the first Christian emperors, they combined so effectually firmness with gentleness, that the execution of those decrees against paganism excited no tumults in the empire. Themistius, a pagan philosopher, and one of the most illustrious magistrates of his day, praises the moderation of Jovian in this respect. "You have felt," he says, "that there are some points on which the sovereign cannot dictate to his subjects. Amongst the number, the principal are religion and piety to the gods. Hence, far from using violence, you have passed a law, allowing every one to honour the gods as may seem best to himself. A representative of the Divine being, you imitate his conduct; he hath placed in the heart of man a

"Nil ille (Constantius) decerpsit sacrorum virginum privilegiis; replevit nobilibus sacerdotia; Romanis cæremoniis non negavit impensas ;...cumque alias religiones ipse sequeretur, has servavit imperio; suus enim cuique mos, suus cuique ritus est."-Relatio Symmachi, n. 8.

2 We find some inscriptions of this kind in Beugnot's work, ubi sup. p. 153. Nevertheless, many of those cited by him do not appear conclusive.