Edict of Toleration by Galerius
E98641
The Edict of Toleration by Galerius was a 311 CE imperial decree that officially ended the Roman Empire’s persecution of Christians and granted them legal permission to practice their faith.
Aliases (2)
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Roman legal decree
→
imperial edict → |
| appliesTo |
Christians
→
Roman Empire → |
| associatedWithRuler |
Roman emperor Galerius
NERFINISHED
→
|
| category |
4th-century Christianity
→
Christianity in the Roman Empire → Roman law → |
| coIssuedBy |
Constantine I
→
Licinius NERFINISHED → Maximinus Daia NERFINISHED → |
| date |
30 April 311
→
311 → |
| doesNotProvide |
full religious equality with pagan cults
→
return of all confiscated Christian property → |
| geographicalScope |
Balkan provinces of the Roman Empire
→
Eastern Roman Empire → |
| hasType |
edict of toleration
→
|
| historicalSignificance |
first official Roman imperial decree granting legal toleration to Christianity
→
important step toward eventual Christianization of the Roman Empire → marked transition from persecution to toleration of Christianity in the Roman Empire → |
| issuedBy |
Galerius
NERFINISHED
→
Roman imperial college of tetrarchs → |
| language |
Latin
→
|
| legalEffect |
ended attempts to force Christians to sacrifice to Roman gods
→
ended criminal penalties solely for being Christian → |
| legalStatusGranted |
permission to practice Christianity
→
toleration of Christian worship → |
| mainProvision |
Christians allowed to assemble
→
Christians allowed to rebuild places of worship → Christians required to obey the laws of the state → Christians required to pray for the health of the emperors → |
| motivationStated |
desire to restore public peace
→
recognition that persecution failed to make Christians abandon their faith → |
| placeOfIssue |
Sardica
→
Serdica → |
| policyChange |
end of official persecution of Christians
→
legalization of Christian worship → |
| politicalContext |
Tetrarchy
→
|
| predecessor |
Diocletianic Persecution
→
|
| relatedEvent |
Great Persecution
→
|
| religiousGroupMentioned |
Christians
→
|
| requires |
Christians to maintain public order
→
Christians to pray to their God for the welfare of the emperors → |
| successor |
313 Edict of Milan
→
Edict of Milan → |
| survivesAs |
inscriptional copies
→
literary transmission → |
| timePeriod |
early 4th century
→
|