straw and hung up in a Persian temple.”¹
The new Emperor was Valerian’s son, Gallienus. One of his first acts was
to end the persecution outright, and restore the Church’s right both to
property and existence. The “Peace of Gallienus”, as it became known,
gave the Christians freedom of religion and full rights as citizens, and in
effect amounted to a restoration of the policy of Alexander Severus.
However, in other respects the eight years of Gallienus’ reign were
extremely perilous as the whole structure of the Empire came close to
collapse. Barbarian incursions continued, with 320 000 invading Greece in
268 and 250 000 descending into Italy the following year. Rivals seized
various provinces and proclaimed independence: the Gallo-Roman Empire
comprising Gaul and Britain in the west; the Kingdom of Palmyra
comprising Egypt, Syria, Palestine, Armenia in the east. The Juthungi
barbarians were now occupying northern Italy and the Vandals were
preparing to invade Pannonia. The treasury was again empty and the
monetary system in ruins.
The man who would emerge to meet the continuing crisis was Aurelian. He
plotted the downfall and death of Gallienus and had Claudius II put in his
stead. But his reign would last only two years, with Claudius dying of
plague after winning a great victory over the Goths and Heruli in 270. The
army then proclaimed Aurelian as the new Emperor. In his reign of five
years, Aurelian determined to do whatever was necessary to restore the
material and moral unity of the Empire. With only his Danubian legions, he
stabilized the west, destroyed the rebel state of Palmyra in the east and
returned to Rome in triumph as the “restorer of the world” (restitutor
orbis). At the same time, imperial administration was re-organized, the
finances placed on a sound footing, and the monetary system revised.
Aurelian also began construction of the now famous wall of defense around
the city of Rome, twelve miles long, twenty feet high and twelve feet wide.
With peace restored and the provinces stabilized, Aurelian felt secure
enough to construct and implement a new religious policy, and prepared
decrees to initiate another persecution of the Christians. The Empire would
be united under the worship of the invincible sun (Solis Invicti) as the
supreme god. Aurelian grieved at the growth of Christianity and attributed
1
Warren H. Carroll, The Founding of Christendom (A History of Christendom),
Vol. 1, Christendom Press, 1985, p. 499.
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