Decian edict on universal sacrifice
E433694
The Decian edict on universal sacrifice was a mid-3rd-century Roman imperial decree requiring all inhabitants of the empire to perform public sacrifices to the Roman gods, triggering a major persecution of Christians who refused to comply.
All labels observed (1)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Decian edict on universal sacrifice canonical | 1 |
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Roman imperial edict
ⓘ
legal decree ⓘ religious policy ⓘ |
| aimsAt |
enforcing religious unity
ⓘ
reviving traditional Roman religion ⓘ strengthening loyalty to the emperor ⓘ |
| alsoKnownAs |
Decian persecution edict
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
edict of Decius NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| appliesTo |
Roman citizens
ⓘ
inhabitants of the Roman Empire ⓘ provincial populations ⓘ |
| dateIssued | 249–250 CE ⓘ |
| documentedBy | libelli (sacrifice certificates) ⓘ |
| ends | with death of Decius in 251 CE ⓘ |
| enforcedBy |
local Roman officials
ⓘ
provincial governors ⓘ |
| evidenceType | papyri from Egypt ⓘ |
| followedBy | later persecutions under Valerian ⓘ |
| hasConsequence |
apostasy of some Christians under pressure
ⓘ
creation of lapsi controversy in the Church ⓘ martyrdom of Christians who refused to sacrifice ⓘ persecution of Christians ⓘ |
| historicalSignificance |
illustrates use of religion for imperial cohesion
ⓘ
shaped early Christian theology of martyrdom and apostasy ⓘ |
| implementedThrough |
issuance of libelli to participants
ⓘ
public sacrifice ceremonies ⓘ |
| indirectlyTargets | Christians NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| issuedBy |
Emperor Decius
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Roman imperial government ⓘ |
| languageOfAdministration | Latin ⓘ |
| legalNature | universal obligation to sacrifice ⓘ |
| notableFor | first empire-wide persecution measure against Christians ⓘ |
| opposedBy |
Christian bishops
ⓘ
Christian laity ⓘ |
| penaltyForNonCompliance |
execution
ⓘ
imprisonment ⓘ torture ⓘ |
| placeOfJurisdiction | Roman Empire NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| relatedTo |
Christian–Roman relations
ⓘ
Decian persecution NERFINISHED ⓘ Roman imperial cult NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| religiousContext | Roman polytheism ⓘ |
| religiousPolicyType | coercive conformity policy ⓘ |
| requires |
obtaining a certificate of sacrifice
ⓘ
offering of incense or animals to the gods ⓘ participation in state cult rituals ⓘ public sacrifice to the Roman gods ⓘ |
| targets | all religious groups in the empire ⓘ |
| timePeriod | mid-3rd century ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.