Maximin’s Pretended Truce

The recantation of the imperial will set out above was posted everywhere throughout Asia and in the provinces around it. When this had been done, Maximin, the tyrant in the East, as godless a man as ever there was and the bitterest enemy of godliness toward the God of the universe, was not at all pleased with what was written. Instead of the letter set out above, he gave the governors under him spoken orders to relax the war against us. [a] For since he could not oppose the judgment of his superiors in any other way, he thrust the law already published into a corner, took care that it should not come to light in the parts under him, and gave the governors under him an unwritten order to relax the persecution against us. They passed the instruction on to one another in writing. [b] Sabinus, at any rate, who was honored among them with the rank of the most eminent prefects, made the emperor’s will known to the governors of the provinces in a Latin letter, whose translation runs as follows: [c]

“With most persistent and devoted zeal, the divinity of our masters, the most divine emperors, long ago resolved to turn the minds of all people to the holy and right way of life, so that even those who seemed to follow a custom foreign to the Romans should offer due worship to the immortal gods. But the obstinacy and most stubborn resolve of some went so far that they could neither be drawn back from their purpose by the just reasoning of the command nor be frightened by the punishment that hung over them. Since, then, it came about that through such conduct many brought themselves into danger, the divinity of our masters, the most mighty emperors, in keeping with the noble godliness that belongs to them, has judged it foreign to their most divine purpose to bring people into such danger for such a cause, and has ordered my Devotion to write to your Sagacity: if any of the Christians is found practicing the worship of his own people, you are to keep him free from molestation and danger and not to think that anyone should be punished on this pretext, since it has been proved over so long a time that they can in no way be persuaded to give up such obstinacy. Your Attentiveness ought therefore to write to the curators, the magistrates and the overseers of the rural districts of each city, so that they may know they are not to concern themselves further, beyond what this letter says.” [d]

At this the governors of the provinces, thinking that the intent of what had been written to them was sincere, made the imperial will known in writing to the curators, the magistrates and those set over the countryside. Nor did they go forward with this in writing only; much sooner they went forward in deeds, as if carrying out the emperor’s nod. All whom they held shut up in prison for confessing the Divine they brought out into the open and set free, and released those of them who had been handed over to the mines for punishment. For they had been deceived into supposing that this was the emperor’s true will. When this had been done, suddenly, like a light shining out of a dark night, one could see in every city churches gathering, crowded assemblies, and the services held at them in the customary way. Every unbeliever among the nations was no little astonished at all this, marveling at so extraordinary a change and crying out that the God of the Christians was great and alone true. Of our own people, those who had fought the contest of the persecutions faithfully and bravely regained their freedom of speech before everyone; but all whose faith had sickened and whose souls had been storm-tossed hurried eagerly to be healed, begging the strong and asking them for a saving right hand, and imploring God to be merciful to them. Then too the noble athletes of godliness, freed from their hardships in the mines, set out for their own homes, going through every city proud and radiant, full of unspeakable gladness and of a boldness that words cannot express. Throngs of people made their way along the highways and through the marketplaces, praising God with songs and psalms. You could have seen people who a little before had been driven in chains from their homelands under a most savage sentence now returning to their own hearths with bright and joyful faces, so that even those who had once thirsted for our blood, seeing the wonder beyond all hope, rejoiced with us at what had happened.