Innocence of Sardika: (311) Constantius, the Western Emperor and colleague of Glarius, died in York, in the year 306. His son Constantine tampered with the new system of Diocletian and declared himself Caesar of Britain, Gaul and Spain. The Roman guards proclaimed Maxentius Emperor. The lust for power returned to the heart of Maximian, the resigned Emperor, so he declared himself Emperor as well. The Roman state had three Emperors and three Caesars. Severus’ soldiers revolted against him and killed him, so Glarius appointed a new Caesar in his place called Licinius. Unrest spread in political and military circles, and the Emperor Glarius was disturbed and disturbed. At the beginning of the year 310, Glarius was afflicted with a strange and frightening disease, which made his skin ulcerated, boils appeared, his wounds festered and he bled. His illness lasted for more than eighteen months and exhausted and exhausted the doctors. The emperor was afraid that he might have angered the god he persecuted. The emperor also felt the corruption of his political opinion and his failure in the war he waged against the Christians, so he issued his famous bull from Sardica in April 311, in agreement with Licinius, Constantine, and Maximinus. Some scholars believe that the credit for this bull goes to Licinius, not Galerius, but this is a weak opinion that is still in the process of being hypothesized.
The historian Lectinus has preserved for us the text of this innocence in Latin, and Eusebius has also provided its text in Greek. In it, Galerius begins with blame and rebuke, blaming the Christians for their departure from the religion of their fathers and grandfathers and their abstention from the rituals and customs that the founders had taught. Then he mentions his duty and issuing orders to them to return to the inherited traditions. He then refers to the return of some Christians to the religion of their forefathers, but he clearly shows that these returned only under duress, and that most of their brothers insisted on the fathers and did not follow him in what he wanted, so they did not respect the gods, and did not worship the God of the Christians - perhaps the reference here is to some heresies. Then he concludes after this by saying that there is mercy towards all people, so he turns a beautiful page towards the Christians, acknowledges their existence, and allows them to pray in congregation on condition that they do not disturb the order. He confirms that he will write to the judges and rulers about the laws that must be followed. He believes that in return, the Christians must pray to their God for the sake of the empress, the state, and themselves.
After this, Christianity became a legal religion and what had been seized from the Christians was returned. However, Galerius died in May of the year 311, and he was not able to write to the judges and rulers as stated in the text of the acquittal.
Maximinus continues the persecution: (311-312) The news of Sardica’s innocence appeared, and the persecution stopped in the provinces of Galerius, Lincinius, and Constantine. However, it was not published in the provinces of Maximinus, that is, in Syria and Egypt, as Maximinus’ assistant was content with transmitting the content of the innocence without the text. Galerius died shortly after, and Maximinus resumed persecution, and founded a pagan group similar to the church to fight Christianity. He fabricated a new book called “The Acts of Pilate” and published it and spread its contents to demean the Lord and Savior. In Damascus, there was a leader who wanted to show his loyalty to his master, so he took some women from the market and taught them to claim that they were Christians, and that they had seen shameful acts being committed in the churches. Then Maximinus instructed the pagans in some cities to demand the expulsion of the Christians. A column was erected in Tyre with an inscription glorifying paganism and calling on the people to expel the Christians, so thousands fled the cities and were scattered in the wilderness.
Homs martyrs: 312 The governor of Homs seized Silvanus, the bishop of the city, its deacon Luke, and the reader Mocius, and threw them into prison, tortured them, and then cast them before wild beasts. Among the believers in Homs was a man named Julianus. When the tortures became severe, he became a physician to ease the suffering of confessors and guide the lost. When Silvanus and his companions were on their way to the amphitheater, he met them on the way and kissed them for the last time. He was arrested and tested with torture, but he remained steadfast in his faith. His head, hands, and feet were nailed to the cross and he was thrown into a cave outside the city. There he passed away, crowned and honored with the same sufferings that the Lord had endured.
Lucian, the teacher of AntiochIn the same year, in Antioch, the priest and scholar Lucianus was arrested, thrown into prison in Nicomedia, tortured, flogged, beaten, put on treadmills under wheels, and presented to ferocious lions. This teacher rebuked the period of imprisonment, and sent a letter to Maximinus himself, defending the validity of the faith in Christ. He was starved and denied food, then he was offered the flesh of the victims to the gods, but he refused, filled with the words, “I am a Christian,” until his soul departed. His body was buried in the city of Dhribana. Saint Helena later ordered the construction of a magnificent temple over his tomb, and Dhribana was named after her, so it became known as Elenopolis, meaning the city of Helena.
Milan Innocence: Constantine looked up at the precious sky and saw the sign of the cross drawn at the setting sun. He set out with the confidence of a believer. He attacked his opponent and reached the gates of Rome. Just before dawn on October 28, 312, he received from the Most High that he must draw the two Greek letters “Chi” and “Rho” on the shields of his fighters before starting the fight. These two letters are the beginning of the Greek word Christos, which means Christ.
When he touched the hand of the Savior and felt His care, he declared in Italy and Africa the innocence of Sardica and ordered its implementation. Then he ordered the return of the confiscated church property and ordered the finance officials to provide the universal churches, not the Donatist churches, with the money they needed. He wrote to Maximinus in the East ordering the end of the persecution. He in turn wrote to Spinus forbidding the use of violence.
In early 313 Constantine and Licinius met at Milan. They exchanged views on politics and agreed to declare freedom of religion throughout the empire. The latter returned to the East to curb the ambitions of Maximinus, and defeated him at Tiziralum, near Adrianople, on May 1, and forced him to retreat. Maximinus died in Tarsus in August 313. Licinius had hardly settled in Nicomedia before he declared freedom of religion in an official text.
It is clear from the above that it is not permissible to say that there was a specific innocence issued by the two emperors who met in Milan. The most that can be said is that these two emperors agreed on a specific plan and implemented it each in his own region. The claim that a protocol was signed in Milan for this purpose is a weak claim that is not based on current practical foundations.
Thus, the era of persecution has ended and Christianity has become a legitimate religion with the same rights as other religions.
