Coming in at a svelte eighty-nine pages, Imperial Religious Policy from Constantine to Theodosius I is a comprehensive historical text about how religion played an integral role in the creation of Roman law between the years of 311 and 394; and how those laws, among other stances, consistently led to bloodshed in the name of God or in the name of the gods, depending on the community.
Admittedly, it is difficult not to look at this document from a contemporary standpoint, being that America is currently in the throes of war and its citizens are inundated with rampant politicized Evangelical Christian fundamentalist ideology; to do so, though, would water down the overt, objectively-written factual material presented by Abbate. It is clear that Abbate, who is an accomplished award-winning Italian attorney, historian, and essayist, is far from providing analytical commentary; and is, rather, providing an elongated but accessible academic lecture on Diocletian’s establishment of the Roman Tetrarchy.
The book does not have a formal introduction; instead, it starts immediately with a clear understanding as to why the Tetrarchy was conceived: “…on the one hand, to prevent vacuums that had frequently occurred upon the death of a sovereign during the third century and, on the other, to allow more effective control over the immense territory under Roman domination—ever more frequently exposed to wars, revolts, military coups, and invasions” (9). The Roman empire, thus, was broken up into four parts, with twelve assigned dioceses (three dioceses per part), in the hopes of making it easier for the Diocletian and future emperors, to regulate. The problem with Diocletian’s thought process, however, as logical as it was and as beneficial as it could have been, is humanity’s insatiable need for power, an inherent point made by Abbate throughout the rest of Imperial Religious Policy from Constantine to Theodosius I, which is filled with a significant number of gory slayings and overthrows of governments.
Connected to this bloodlust for supremacy is religion, and more specifically Christianity. Abbate’s work strongly speaks to how much of the turmoil began with Galerius’s “famous edict which, for the first time, treated Christians no longer followers of an illicita superstitio—that is, a faith neither recognized nor permitted by the state—but as adherents of a tolerated religion” (17). For hundreds of years prior, Christianity was deemed as an illicit religion, and Christians were martyred, maimed, and murdered for their beliefs. Persecution was a regular occurrence, and Galerius’s proclamation, which happened just prior to his demise and was meant to spare more unnecessary bloodshed, was supposed to be adhered to. Unfortunately, that was not always the case, and much of the rest of Abbate’s succinct but extended historical document is about the unapologetic and continuous maltreatment of Christians in certain areas of Rome, up until the time of Theodosius I, who was proclaimed as Augustus in 379 and in 380 ordered “all his subjects to profess the faith received by the Roman Church from St. Peter and taught in particular by Pope Damasus” (71)--in other words, his subjects were ordered to recognize Catholicism as the only true religion.
What makes Imperial Religious Policy from Constantine to Theodosius I so successful is that Abbate sticks with his thesis. There are no asides, tangents, or random comments about the figures he speaks of, which is usually the case with works such as this. Abbate is laser-focused on making sure readers have a clear indication as to what took place politically and spiritually during the fourth century. That is precisely what he wants to achieve, and he does so; Abbate wants to educate about antiquity, and he does. And, admittedly readers have to pay close attention. Being that Imperial Religious Policy from Constantine to Theodosius I is so quick of a read, it can be difficult to immediately pick up on some of the data presented by the author, especially if readers have retention issues; however, because it is such a rapid read, it is easy enough to go back and study up on the facts again to get a more transparent picture of Abbate’s agenda. All and all, Imperial Religious Policy from Constantine to Theodosius I is a finely produced work for anyone interested in learning more about Classical times.
Quill says: Imperial Religious Policy from Constantine to Theodosius I is an academically sound work devoted to concisely speaking about the dynamics of fourth century politics and religion.
