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Headword:
*dioklhtiano/s
Adler number: delta,1156
Translated headword: Diocletian
Vetting Status: high
Translation: Emperor of the Romans. During his reign[1] and that of his in-law Maximian[2] a horrific persecution against the Christians occurred.[3] For they gave the order by territory and city that the churches of Christ be destroyed and their sacred writings burnt, and that any Christians discovered be forced to worship pagan deities. Overwhelmed by the number of Christians seized, they made an ordinance that any Christians who were discovered should have their right eye gouged out, not only for the pain, but for the dishonor and the mark and the distinction from the Roman way of life. Divine justice came upon them and justly struck them down: the one had his throat slit by the Senate, the other was strangled.[4]
This mad and Christ-hating man, angry in his memory of those who had plotted trouble concerning the empire, did not seek to rule in Egypt moderately or gently, but rather he went there defiling [the land] with proscriptions and murders of the notables. After seeking out the books written by the ancient [Egyptians] concerning the alchemy of gold and silver, he burned them so that the Egyptians would no longer have wealth from such a technique, nor would their surfeit of money in the future embolden them against the Romans.[5]
In regard to his character he was capricious and evil, but with his sharp and intelligent mind he often covered up the shortfalls of his inner nature, and blamed each hard act on other people. But he was careful and quick when it came to applying what had to be done and he transformed many aspects of devotion to the emperor to something far more presumptuous than had been the ancestral custom for the Romans.[6]
[It is said] that Diocletian and Maximian gave up their imperial positions and returned to private life.[7] Diocletian went to an Illyrian city named Salonai, whereas Maximian went to the territory of the Leucanians.[8] And whereas Maximian came to regret this out of longing for his rule, Diocletian grew old peacefully for three years, demonstrating his abundant virtue, though not completely abandoning Hellenic religion.[9]
Greek Original:*dioklhtiano/s, basileu\s *(rwmai/wn. e)pi\ tou/tou kai\ *macimianou= gambrou= au)tou= diwgmo\s kata\ *xristianw=n e)kinh/qh frikwde/statos: prose/tacan ga\r kata\ xw/ran kai\ po/lin ta\s *xristou= e)kklhsi/as katastre/fesqai kai\ ta\s qei/as au)tw=n grafa\s katakai/esqai, tou\s de\ *xristianou\s eu(riskome/nous a)nagka/zesqai qu/ein toi=s dai/mosin. h(tthqe/ntes de\ tw=| plh/qei tw=n a)nairoume/nwn *xristianw=n e)ce/qento do/gma w(/ste tou\s eu(riskome/nous *xristianou\s e)coru/ttesqai to\n decio\n o)fqalmo/n, ou) mo/non dia\ to\ o)dunhro/n, a)lla\ dia\ to\ a)/timo/n te kai\ pro/dhlon kai\ th=s tw=n *(rwmai/wn politei/as a)llo/trion: ou(\s h( qei/a di/kh e)ndi/kws metelqou=sa dikai/ws e)ce/koye: kai\ o( me\n e)sfa/gh u(po\ th=s sugklh/tou, o( de\ a)ph/gcato. ou(=tos o( a)/nous kai\ miso/xristos mnh/mh| kai\ o)rgh=| tw=n peri\ th\n a)rxh\n newterisqe/ntwn peri\ th\n *ai)/gupton ou) metri/ws ou)de\ h(me/rws tw=| kratei=n a)pexrh/sato, a)lla\ prografai=s te kai\ fo/nois tw=n e)pish/mwn miai/nwn e)ph=lqe th\n *ai)/gupton. o(/te dh\ kai\ ta\ peri\ xhmei/as a)rgu/rou kai\ xrusou= toi=s palaioi=s au)tw=n gegramme/na bibli/a diereunhsa/menos e)/kause pro\s to\ mhke/ti plou=ton *ai)gupti/ois e)k th=s toiau/ths perigi/nesqai te/xnhs mhde\ xrhma/twn au)tou\s qarrou=ntas periousi/a| tou= loipou= *(rwmai/ois a)ntai/rein. h)=n de\ to\ h)=qos poiki/los tis kai\ panou=rgos, tw=| de\ li/an sunetw=| kai\ o)cei= th=s gnw/mhs e)peka/lupte polla/kis ta\ th=s oi)kei/as fu/sews e)lattw/mata, pa=san sklhra\n pra=cin e(te/rois a)natiqei/s. e)pimelh\s de\ o(/mws kai\ taxu\s e)n tai=s tw=n prakte/wn e)pibolai=s kai\ polla\ tw=n th=s basilikh=s qerapei/as e)pi\ to\ au)qade/steron para\ ta\ kaqesthko/ta *(rwmai/ois pa/tria meteskeu/asen. o(/ti *dioklhtiano\s kai\ *macimiano\s th\n basilei/an a)fe/ntes to\n i)diw/thn meth=lqon bi/on. kai\ o( me\n e)s *sa/lwnas, po/lin *)illurikh/n, o( de\ e)s th\n *leukanw=n a)fi/keto. kai\ o( me\n *macimiano\s po/qw| th=s a)rxh=s e)s metame/leian h)=lqe, *dioklhtiano\s de\ e)n h(suxi/a| kategh/ra e)n e)/tesi trisi/n, u(perba/llousan a)reth\n e)ndeica/menos, th=s de\ *(ellhnikh=s qrhskei/as ou)d' o(/lws a)posta/s.
Notes:
See web address 1 and web address 2: entries on Diocletian and Maximian at the
de imperatoribus Romanis sites. The present material, drawn from the Suda's preferred sources for late imperial history (George the Monk, John of
Antioch, et al.), contains several inaccuracies; see below, nn.2 and 4.
[1] 284-305 CE.
[2] 286-305. (But the two were not, in fact, related by marriage.)
[3] The Great Persecution began in 303 CE.
[4] Up to this point, the proximate source is Constantine Porphyrogenitus,
De virtutibus et vitiis 1.146.13-14. The first two sentences occur in the
Chronicon of George the Monk. Actually Diocletian seems to have died of an illness (or possibly voluntary suicide), while Maximian was eventually forced to commit suicide. See further below, n. 8.
[5] cf.
chi 280.
[6] e.g. with limited access, requirement of
prosku/nhsis. From John of
Antioch fr. 165, also in Constantine Porphyrogenitus
De virtutibus et vitiis.
[7] May 1 305 CE.
[8] Salona(i) is present-day Split, on the Croatian coast; Lucania is in southern Italy. (These retirements occurred some 5-6 years before their deaths, on which see above, n. 4.)
[9] John of
Antioch fr. 251.
Web address 1,
Web address 2
Keywords: biography; Christianity; chronology; economics; ethics; geography; historiography; history; medicine; military affairs; religion; science and technology
Translated by: Ross Scaife ✝ on 7 November 2002@08:00:58.
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