sacrifice. As with past persecutions, many of the clergy apostatized under
duress, even Pope Marcellinus handed over copies of the scriptures to the
persecutors.¹ But throughout the Empire there were also great martyrs and
confessors: Bishop Cyril of Antioch; Bishop Ossius of Cordoba; Bishop
Felix of Thibiuca; the deacon Zachaeus; the lectors Procopius and
Alphaeus; Sebastian; Catherine; Margaret, etc. There was relative peace for
the Christians only in Gaul and Britain, which escaped the full effects of
the persecution under Constantius.
During the year 303, Diocletian began the twentieth year of his imperial
reign. He was the first Emperor in over 150 years to achieve this milestone.
But within a month after attending grueling celebrations in Rome,
Diocletian underwent a sudden and deep psychological collapse that left
him totally incapacitated. Perhaps his conscience had caught up with him,
or his superstitious mind was dwelling on what had happened to previous
great persecutors of Christianity: Nero, Domitian, Decius and Valerian. For
the remainder of the year and for the whole of 304 Diocletian was unseen
in public, finally emerging in March 305 a pathetic and unrecognizable
figure.
The moment had come for Galerius to fill the void. For all intents and
purposes he now ruled the eastern Empire without restraint. Goaded on by
his mother, Galerius issued another decree against the Christians in the
spring of 304: all Christians, regardless of office, sex or age were to
sacrifice to the pagan gods or die. A new wave of celebrated martyrdoms
now flowed: Bishop Philip of Heraclea; the priest Saturninus of Carthage,
and fifty members of his congregation; the entire population of one whole
town in Phrygia; the sisters Agape, Irene and Chione.
The year 304 would prove to be one of the most frightful in the history of
the ten great persecutions. Countless numbers of Christians were martyred
throughout the whole Empire, mainly in the East: Asia Minor; Palestine;
Phoenicia; Syria; North Africa; Macedonia; Thrace; Illyricum; Rhaetia;
and Italy. Probably the worst of the persecution was inflicted upon the
Christians of Egypt. Eusebius provides a dramatic eyewitness account of
the shocking mutilations inflicted upon as many as one hundred Christians
1
Those who handed over the sacred books were called by their more
uncompromising brethren Traditores, from whence English derives the modern
word ‘traitor.’
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