23 February 303 A.D. The worst persecution to date came with Diocletian’s Edict Terminalia.
23 February 303 A.D. The worst persecution to date came with Diocletian’s Edict Terminalia. Dr. Rusten tells the story. Rusten, E. Michael and Rusten, Sharon. The One Year Christian History . Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2003. Available at: http://www.amazon.com/The-Year-Christian-History-Books/dp/0842355073/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393302630&sr=8-1&keywords=rusten+church+history Diocletian became the Roman Emperor in 284. Christians were encouraged because there were rumors that his wife and daughter were Christians, Prisca and Valerius, respectively. But, that would prove disappointing. Diocletian had good organizational and administrative skills. He established a tetrarchy with 2 augusti (himself and Maximian) and 2 junior emperors called caesares (Galerius, his son-in-law, and Constantius, the father of Constantine). Diocletian thought that religion could unify the Empire. He issued 3 Edicts for the...