|
When I,
Constantine Augustus, as well as I, Licinius Augustus, fortunately met
near Mediolanurn (Milan), and were considering everything that
pertained to the public welfare and security, we thought, among other
things which we saw would be for the good of many, those regulations
pertaining to the reverence of the Divinity ought certainly to be made
first, so that we might grant to the Christians and others full
authority to observe that religion which each preferred; whence any
Divinity whatsoever in the seat of the heavens may be propitious and
kindly disposed to us and all who are placed under our rule. And thus
by this wholesome counsel and most upright provision we thought to
arrange that no one whatsoever should be denied the opportunity to give
his heart to the observance of the Christian religion, of that religion
which he should think best for himself, so that the Supreme Deity, to
whose worship we freely yield our hearts) may show in all things His
usual favor and benevolence. Therefore, your Worship should know that
it has pleased us to remove all conditions whatsoever, which were in
the rescripts formerly given to you officially, concerning the
Christians and now any one of these who wishes to observe Christian
religion may do so freely and openly, without molestation. We thought
it fit to commend these things most fully to your care that you may
know that we have given to those Christians free and unrestricted
opportunity of religious worship. When you see that this has been
granted to them by us, your Worship will know that we have also
conceded to other religions the right of open and free observance of
their worship for the sake of the peace of our times, that each one may
have the free opportunity to worship as he pleases; this regulation is
made we that we may not seem to detract from any dignity or any
religion.
Moreover, in the case of the Christians especially we esteemed it best
to order that if it happens anyone heretofore has bought from our
treasury from anyone whatsoever, those places where they were
previously accustomed to assemble, concerning which a certain decree
had been made and a letter sent to you officially, the same shall be
restored to the Christians without payment or any claim of recompense
and without any kind of fraud or deception, Those, moreover, who have
obtained the same by gift, are likewise to return them at once to the
Christians. Besides, both those who have purchased and those who have
secured them by gift, are to appeal to the vicar if they seek any
recompense from our bounty, that they may be cared for through our
clemency. All this property ought to be delivered at once to the
community of the Christians through your intercession, and without
delay. And since these Christians are known to have possessed not only
those places in which they were accustomed to assemble, but also other
property, namely the churches, belonging to them as a corporation and
not as individuals, all these things which we have included under the
above law, you will order to be restored, without any hesitation or
controversy at all, to these Christians, that is to say to the
corporations and their conventicles: providing, of course, that the
above arrangements be followed so that those who return the same
without payment, as we have said, may hope for an indemnity from our
bounty. In all these circumstances you ought to tender your most
efficacious intervention to the community of the Christians, that our
command may be carried into effect as quickly as possible, whereby,
moreover, through our clemency, public order may be secured. Let this
be done so that, as we have said above, Divine favor towards us, which,
under the most important circumstances we have already experienced,
may, for all time, preserve and prosper our successes together with the
good of the state. Moreover, in order that the statement of this decree
of our good will may come to the notice of all, this rescript,
published by your decree, shall be announced everywhere and brought to
the knowledge of all, so that the decree of this, our benevolence,
cannot be concealed.
From Lactantius, De Mort. Pers., ch. 48. opera,
ed. 0. F. Fritzsche, II, p 288 sq. (Bibl Patr. Ecc. Lat. XI).
Translated in University of Pennsylvania. Dept. of History:
Translations and Reprints from the Original Sources of European
history, (Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Press
[1897?-1907?]), Vol 4:, 1, pp. 28-30. This text is in the public
domain.
|
|