Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers: Series II/Volume II/Socrates/Book I/Chapter 3
Chapter III.—While Constantine favors the Christians, Licinius, his Colleague, persecutes them.
Now Constantine, the emperor, having thus embraced Christianity, conducted himself as a Christian of his profession, rebuilding the churches, and enriching them with splendid offerings: he also either closed or destroyed the temples of the pagans,[1]
and exposed the images which were in them to popular contempt. But his
colleague Licinius, holding his pagan tenets, hated Christians; and
although from fear of the emperor Constantine he avoided exciting open
persecution, yet he managed to plot against them covertly, and at
length proceeded to harass them without disguise. This persecution,
however, was local, extending only to those districts where Licinius
himself was: but as these and other public outrages did not long remain
concealed from Constantine, finding out that the latter was indignant
at his conduct, Licinius had recourse to an apology. Having thus
propitiated him, he entered into a feigned league of friendship,
pledging himself by many oaths not to act again tyrannically. But no
sooner did he pledge himself than he committed perjury; for he neither
changed his tyrannical mood nor ceased persecuting Christians. Indeed,
he even prohibited the bishops by law from visiting the uncoverted
pagans, lest it should be made a pretext for proselyting them to the
Christian faith. And the persecution was thus at the same time well
known and secret. It was conceded in name but manifest in fact; for
those who were exposed to his persecution suffered most severely both
in their persons and property.
Footnotes
[edit]- ↑ ῾Ελλήνων: the word is used without the sense of nationality. So also in the New Testament often: Mark vii. 26; Gal. ii. 3 and iii. 28, where the Syriac (Peschitto) version renders, more according to sense than according to the letter, ‘an Aramæan.’