DOCSLIB.ORG

University of Cincinnati

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
University of Cincinnati UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI Date: 11-09-2006 I, Mark Andrew Atwood, hereby submit this work as part of the requirements for the degree of: Master of Arts in: The Department of Classics It is entitled: Trajan’s Column: The Construction of Trajan’s Sepulcher in Urbe This work and its defense approved by: Chair: Peter van Minnen William Johnson Trajan’s Column: The Construction of Trajan’s Sepulcher in Urbe A thesis submitted to the Division of Research and Advanced Studies of the University of Cincinnati In partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS in the Department of Classics of the College of Arts and Sciences 2006 By MARK ANDREW ATWOOD B.A., University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 2004 Committee Chair: Dr. Peter van Minnen Abstract Eutropius (8.5.2) and Dio (69.2.3) record that after Trajan’s death in A.D. 117, his cremated remains were deposited in the pedestal of his column, a fact supported by archeological evidence. The Column of Trajan was located in urbe. Burial in urbe was prohibited except in certain circumstances. Therefore, scholars will not accept the notion that Trajan overtly built his column as his sepulcher. Contrary to this opinion, I argue that Trajan did in fact build his column to serve as his sepulcher. Chapter 1 examines the extensive scholarship on Trajan’s Column. Chapter 2 provides a critical discussion of the relevant Roman laws prohibiting urban burial. Chapter 3 discusses the ritual of burial in urbe as it relates to Trajan. Chapter 4 identifies the architectural precedent for Trajan’s Column and precedent for imperial burials in urbe. Finally, an appendix examines the role of the pomerium in the discussion about urban burial. iii iv Acknowledgments I am indebted to Dr. Barbara Burrell for taking on this project and I am grateful for all her support and suggestions. I would also like to thank Dr. Peter van Minnen for his many revisions, and Dr. Peter Schultz for his enthusiasm and encouragement. v Table of Contents Abstract......................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgments...........................................................................................................v Abbreviations................................................................................................................vii List of Figures..............................................................................................................viii Introduction.....................................................................................................................1 Chapter One: A Review of Previous Scholarship.............................................................5 1) Excavation History..................................................................................................6 2) The Sepulchral Chamber .......................................................................................11 3) The Dedicatory Inscription....................................................................................14 4) The Column and its Archaeological Context..........................................................19 5) The Temple of the Deified Trajan..........................................................................23 6) Conclusions...........................................................................................................26 Chapter Two: Roman Legal Prohibitions against Burial in Urbe....................................30 1) Methods ................................................................................................................30 2) Urban Burial: Relevant Roman Statutes.................................................................32 2.A) XII Tables 10.1..............................................................................................32 2.B) Dig. 47.12.3.5 ................................................................................................39 2.C) H.A. Ant. Pius 12.3........................................................................................42 2.D) Paulus, Sent. 1.21.2-3.....................................................................................43 3) Concluding Remarks on the “Relevant Statutes” ...................................................44 Chapter Three: Trajan and the Ritual of Burial in Urbe .................................................46 Chapter Four: Architectural Precedent and Influence.....................................................63 1) The Column of Julius Caesar.................................................................................64 2) The Temple of the Flavian Gens............................................................................66 3) The Column of Antoninus Pius..............................................................................71 4) The Column of Marcus Aurelius ...........................................................................73 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................76 Figures ..........................................................................................................................79 Appendix: The Pomerium and Urban Burial..................................................................88 1) Origins of the Pomerium .......................................................................................89 2) Concept of the Urbs ..............................................................................................92 3) Etymology of Pomerium .......................................................................................95 4) Concluding Remarks .............................................................................................96 vi Abbreviations CIL = Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum LTUR = Steinby E.M. 1993. Lexicon Topographicum Urbis Romae. Vol. 2, D–G. Rome: Quasar. NTDAR = Richardson, L., Jr. 1988. A New Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press. PA = Platner, S.B. 1926. A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome. Revised by Thomas Ashby. Oxford: Oxford University Press. BMCRE = Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum vol. 3, Nerva to Hadrian, with an Introduction and 102 Plates by Harold Mattingly. London: Oxford University Press. 1936 LSJ = Liddell, H.G., and R. Scott. 1925-40. With a Revised Supplement 1996. A Greek- English Lexicon. Oxford: Clarendon Press. OCD3 = Hornblower, S. and Antony Spawforth. 1996. The Oxford Classical Dictionary3. Oxford: Oxford University Press. vii List of Figures Fig. 1. The Column of Trajan. (Taken from Iris Slide Library, University of Cincinnati) Fig. 2. Pedestal of the Column of Trajan. (Taken from Iris Slide Library, University of Cincinnati) Fig. 3. Restored plan of Forum of Trajan based on plan of Italo Gismondi. (After Packer 1970, fig. 54) Fig. 4. Restored plan of Forum of Trajan based on plan of Roberto Meneghini. (After La Rocca 1998, fig. 17) viii Introduction καὶ ἔστησεν ἐν τῇ ἀγορᾷ καὶ κίονα μέγιστον, ἅμα μὲν ἐς ταφὴν ἑαυτῷ, ἅμα δὲ ἐς ἐπίδειξιν τοῦ κατὰ τὴν ἀγορὰν ἔργου.1 And he set up in the forum a huge column, to serve as his tomb and at the same time to be an indicator of the work throughout the forum. In 117 C.E. the Emperor, Trajan, died in Cilicia while en route home from his Parthian campaign. His cremated remains were brought back to Rome and placed in the pedestal of his column, which had been dedicated four years earlier in 113 C.E.2 (Figs. 1 & 2) This column has drawn a great deal of attention from modern scholars. Most of this attention is due to the skillfully worked helical relief, which depicts scenes from the Dacian wars, and the pedestal, which is adorned with sculpted weapons, trophies, eagles, and victories. Many scholars have drawn a strong connection between the funerary significance of this iconography and Trajan’s burial in the column’s pedestal. They have, however, rejected the notion that a sepulcher was part of the column’s design, solely because of its location. Standing 44.07 m (150 Roman feet) in height, the column is located in the Forum of Trajan on the north-west side of the Basilica Ulpia and in the center of the Bibliotheca Ulpia. This location puts the column in urbe.3 Roman law had, from the time of the XII Tables, forbidden burial in the city.4 Cicero records that 1 Dio Cass. 68.16.3. 2 Dio Cass. 69.2.3; Eutr. 8.5. 3 Most scholars define Trajan’s burial in relation to the pomerium, the sacred boundary of a Roman city. As will be shown below in chapter 2, no reference to the pomerium is made in Roman legal prohibitions against urban burial. I have therefore chosen to use the term in urbe rather than intra pomerium when discussing Trajan’s burial. This is not to argue that the pomerium should be totally ignored. For example, the location of Trajan’s sepulcher in urbe can be contrasted with the location of Augustus’ Mausoleum on the Campus Martius. The Campus Martius was an area distinct from the urbs for its political, military, and religious significance and was separated from the urbs by the pomerium. For a discussion of the significance of the pomerium as it relates to urban burial see the appendix to this thesis. For a review of the proposed routes of the pomerium in relation to the Campus Martius see Poe 1984. 4 Cic. Leg. 2.58; H.A. Ant. Pius 12.3; Paulus, Sent. 1.21.2-3; Dig. 47.12.3.5. 1 exemptions from the law had been made for certain clari viri on account of their
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Burial of the Urban Poor in Italy in the Late Republic and Early Empire
    Death, disposal and the destitute: The burial of the urban poor in Italy in the late Republic and early Empire Emma-Jayne Graham Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Archaeology University of Sheffield December 2004 IMAGING SERVICES NORTH Boston Spa, Wetherby West Yorkshire, LS23 7BQ www.bl.uk The following have been excluded from this digital copy at the request of the university: Fig 12 on page 24 Fig 16 on page 61 Fig 24 on page 162 Fig 25 on page 163 Fig 26 on page 164 Fig 28 on page 168 Fig 30on page 170 Fig 31 on page 173 Abstract Recent studies of Roman funerary practices have demonstrated that these activities were a vital component of urban social and religious processes. These investigations have, however, largely privileged the importance of these activities to the upper levels of society. Attempts to examine the responses of the lower classes to death, and its consequent demands for disposal and commemoration, have focused on the activities of freedmen and slaves anxious to establish or maintain their social position. The free poor, living on the edge of subsistence, are often disregarded and believed to have been unceremoniously discarded within anonymous mass graves (puticuli) such as those discovered at Rome by Lanciani in the late nineteenth century. This thesis re-examines the archaeological and historical evidence for the funerary practices of the urban poor in Italy within their appropriate social, legal and religious context. The thesis attempts to demonstrate that the desire for commemoration and the need to provide legitimate burial were strong at all social levels and linked to several factors common to all social strata.
    [Show full text]
  • The Gallic Empire (260-274): Rome Breaks Apart
    The Gallic Empire (260-274): Rome Breaks Apart Six Silver Coins Collection An empire fractures Roman chariots All coins in each set are protected in an archival capsule and beautifully displayed in a mahogany-like box. The box set is accompanied with a story card, certificate of authenticity, and a black gift box. By the middle of the third century, the Roman Empire began to show signs of collapse. A parade of emperors took the throne, mostly from the ranks of the military. Years of civil war and open revolt led to an erosion of territory. In the year 260, in a battle on the Eastern front, the emperor Valerian was taken prisoner by the hated Persians. He died in captivity, and his corpse was stuffed and hung on the wall of the palace of the Persian king. Valerian’s capture threw the already-fractured empire into complete disarray. His son and co-emperor, Gallienus, was unable to quell the unrest. Charismatic generals sought to consolidate their own power, but none was as powerful, or as ambitious, as Postumus. Born in an outpost of the Empire, of common stock, Postumus rose swiftly through the ranks, eventually commanding Roman forces “among the Celts”—a territory that included modern-day France, Belgium, Holland, and England. In the aftermath of Valerian’s abduction in 260, his soldiers proclaimed Postumus emperor. Thus was born the so-called Gallic Empire. After nine years of relative peace and prosperity, Postumus was murdered by his own troops, and the Gallic Empire, which had depended on the force of his personality, began to crumble.
    [Show full text]
  • 15Th-17Th Century) Essays on the Spread of Humanistic and Renaissance Literary (15Th-17Th Century) Edited by Giovanna Siedina
    45 BIBLIOTECA DI STUDI SLAVISTICI Giovanna Siedina Giovanna Essays on the Spread of Humanistic and Renaissance Literary Civilization in the Slavic World Civilization in the Slavic World (15th-17th Century) Civilization in the Slavic World of Humanistic and Renaissance Literary Essays on the Spread (15th-17th Century) edited by Giovanna Siedina FUP FIRENZE PRESUNIVERSITYS BIBLIOTECA DI STUDI SLAVISTICI ISSN 2612-7687 (PRINT) - ISSN 2612-7679 (ONLINE) – 45 – BIBLIOTECA DI STUDI SLAVISTICI Editor-in-Chief Laura Salmon, University of Genoa, Italy Associate editor Maria Bidovec, University of Naples L’Orientale, Italy Scientific Board Rosanna Benacchio, University of Padua, Italy Maria Cristina Bragone, University of Pavia, Italy Claudia Olivieri, University of Catania, Italy Francesca Romoli, University of Pisa, Italy Laura Rossi, University of Milan, Italy Marco Sabbatini, University of Pisa, Italy International Scientific Board Giovanna Brogi Bercoff, University of Milan, Italy Maria Giovanna Di Salvo, University of Milan, Italy Alexander Etkind, European University Institute, Italy Lazar Fleishman, Stanford University, United States Marcello Garzaniti, University of Florence, Italy Harvey Goldblatt, Yale University, United States Mark Lipoveckij, University of Colorado-Boulder , United States Jordan Ljuckanov, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Bulgaria Roland Marti, Saarland University, Germany Michael Moser, University of Vienna, Austria Ivo Pospíšil, Masaryk University, Czech Republic Editorial Board Giuseppe Dell’Agata, University of Pisa, Italy Essays on the Spread of Humanistic and Renaissance Literary Civilization in the Slavic World (15th-17th Century) edited by Giovanna Siedina FIRENZE UNIVERSITY PRESS 2020 Essays on the Spread of Humanistic and Renaissance Literary Civilization in the Slavic World (15th- 17th Century) / edited by Giovanna Siedina. – Firenze : Firenze University Press, 2020.
    [Show full text]
  • Dioscorides Extended: the Synonyma Plantarum Barbara Autor(Es)
    Dioscorides extended: the Synonyma Plantarum Barbara Autor(es): Dalby, Andrew Publicado por: Imprensa da Universidade de Coimbra URL persistente: URI:http://hdl.handle.net/10316.2/45209 DOI: DOI:https://doi.org/10.14195/978-989-26-1721-3_1 Accessed : 11-Oct-2021 12:22:36 A navegação consulta e descarregamento dos títulos inseridos nas Bibliotecas Digitais UC Digitalis, UC Pombalina e UC Impactum, pressupõem a aceitação plena e sem reservas dos Termos e Condições de Uso destas Bibliotecas Digitais, disponíveis em https://digitalis.uc.pt/pt-pt/termos. Conforme exposto nos referidos Termos e Condições de Uso, o descarregamento de títulos de acesso restrito requer uma licença válida de autorização devendo o utilizador aceder ao(s) documento(s) a partir de um endereço de IP da instituição detentora da supramencionada licença. Ao utilizador é apenas permitido o descarregamento para uso pessoal, pelo que o emprego do(s) título(s) descarregado(s) para outro fim, designadamente comercial, carece de autorização do respetivo autor ou editor da obra. Na medida em que todas as obras da UC Digitalis se encontram protegidas pelo Código do Direito de Autor e Direitos Conexos e demais legislação aplicável, toda a cópia, parcial ou total, deste documento, nos casos em que é legalmente admitida, deverá conter ou fazer-se acompanhar por este aviso. pombalina.uc.pt digitalis.uc.pt Série Diaita Carmen Soares Scripta & Realia Cilene da Silva Gomes Ribeiro ISSN: 2183-6523 (coords.) Destina-se esta coleção a publicar textos resultantes da investigação de membros do projeto transnacional DIAITA: Património Alimentar da Lusofonia. As obras consistem em estudos aprofundados e, na maioria das vezes, de carácter interdisciplinar sobre uma temática fundamental para o desenhar de um património e identidade culturais comuns à população falante da língua portuguesa: a história e as culturas da alimentação.
    [Show full text]
  • The Imperial Cult and the Individual
    THE IMPERIAL CULT AND THE INDIVIDUAL: THE NEGOTIATION OF AUGUSTUS' PRIVATE WORSHIP DURING HIS LIFETIME AT ROME _______________________________________ A Dissertation presented to the Faculty of the Department of Ancient Mediterranean Studies at the University of Missouri-Columbia _______________________________________________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy _____________________________________________________ by CLAIRE McGRAW Dr. Dennis Trout, Dissertation Supervisor MAY 2019 The undersigned, appointed by the dean of the Graduate School, have examined the dissertation entitled THE IMPERIAL CULT AND THE INDIVIDUAL: THE NEGOTIATION OF AUGUSTUS' PRIVATE WORSHIP DURING HIS LIFETIME AT ROME presented by Claire McGraw, a candidate for the degree of doctor of philosophy, and hereby certify that, in their opinion, it is worthy of acceptance. _______________________________________________ Professor Dennis Trout _______________________________________________ Professor Anatole Mori _______________________________________________ Professor Raymond Marks _______________________________________________ Professor Marcello Mogetta _______________________________________________ Professor Sean Gurd DEDICATION There are many people who deserve to be mentioned here, and I hope I have not forgotten anyone. I must begin with my family, Tom, Michael, Lisa, and Mom. Their love and support throughout this entire process have meant so much to me. I dedicate this project to my Mom especially; I must acknowledge that nearly every good thing I know and good decision I’ve made is because of her. She has (literally and figuratively) pushed me to achieve this dream. Mom has been my rock, my wall to lean upon, every single day. I love you, Mom. Tom, Michael, and Lisa have been the best siblings and sister-in-law. Tom thinks what I do is cool, and that means the world to a little sister.
    [Show full text]
  • Notes for Rome Pt. 1 (Early Rome and the Republic) Ancient Rome's Geography Italian Peninsula: • ___
    Notes for Rome Pt. 1 (Early Rome and The Republic) Ancient Rome’s Geography Italian Peninsula: • ______________________ ______________________ Rome protected by: • ______________________ ______________________ • ______________________ ______________________ Mediterranean Sea provided: • ______________________________________________________________________________ Tiber River provided: • ______________________________________________________________________________ Roman Mythology • Based on Greek polytheistic religion -________________________________________________________________________________ • Explanations of natural phenomena, human qualities, and life events Greek God/Goddess Roman God/Goddess Role Zeus ____________________ King of the Gods Hera ___________________ Queen of the Gods Apollo ___________________ God of Music Artemis ___________________ Goddess of wild things, huntress Athena ___________________ Goddess of wisdom & war Aphrodite ___________________ Goddess of love & beauty • Was a polytheistic religion that was _________________________________________________ • ______________________________________________________________________________ come from Roman mythology Who ruled Rome before the Republic? • _________________________________________________________________ -agriculture and temples (753 BCE) • The last Etruscan king was overthrown _________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ What is a Republic? • The Romans vowed to never be ruled by a king. ______________________________________
    [Show full text]
  • Fractures: Political Identity in the Fall of the Roman Republic by Juan De
    Fractures: Political Identity in the Fall of the Roman Republic by Juan De Dios Vela III, B.A. A Thesis In History Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Texas Tech University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS Approved Dr. Gary Edward Forsythe Chair of Committee Dr. John McDonald Howe Mark Sheridan Dean of the Graduate School August, 2019 Copyright 2019, Juan De Dios Vela Texas Tech University, Juan De Dios Vela III, August 2019 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................... iii INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................. 1 CHAPTER I: FOUNDATIONS..................................................................................... 13 Part one: Political Institutions ..................................................................................... 13 Part Two: Citizens, Latins, Colonies and the Social Web .................................... 23 Part Three: Magistrates and Local Control ........................................................... 26 Part Four: Patrons and Clients .................................................................................... 28 CHAPTER II: THE FIRST CRACKS ......................................................................... 32 The Gracchan Seditions ....................................................................................... 32 Impotent Interlopers ............................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Damnation, Deification, Commemoration 3
    / 3 Damnation, Deification, Commemoration Ja n n e k e DE J o n g & Olivier H e k s t e r T h e i m p o r t a n c e o f m e m o r y or Romans, dynastic lines were of great importance. This was already Fthe case in the Roman Republic, in which aristocratic families who controlled politics took great care of their commemoration of the dead. Funerary occasions offered families the opportunity to publicly show famous ancestors, whose fame would radiate upon their next of kin through lineage which was made explicit1. On marked occasions, the masks of the deceased members of the family (imagines) were carried around in a procession, so that every spectator could be reminded of the family’s ancestors2. Commemoration started from the moment of some­ one’s death. At the funeral, it was customary for a member of the fam­ ily to give a speech in which the deceased was praised for deeds and virtues. This way of commemorating the deceased not only bestowed honour on the dead and his family, but also served as an example of good behaviour that should be imitated. The funeral and laudatio fune- bris could also have political implications3. Occasionally, persons who 1 See, for instance, H.I. Flower, Ancestor Masks and Aristocratic Power in Roman Culture, Oxford, 1996 ;Ead., The Art of Forgetting. Disgrace and Oblivion in Roman Political Culture, Chapel Hill, 2006; T.P. Wiseman, « Domi Nobiles and the Roman cultural elite » in M. Cébeillac-Gervasoni (ed.), Les « Bourgeoisies » municipales italiennes aux i f et f r siècles av.
    [Show full text]
  • Roman Britain in the Third Century AD
    Roman Britain in the third century AD Despite Claudius’s invasion of Britain in AD 43, the population was still largely British with the local administrative capital at Venta Belgarum - now Winchester. By the 3rd century there was political unrest across the Roman Empire, with a rapid succession of rulers and usurpers. Some were in power for only a few months before being killed by rivals or during wars, or dying from disease. The situation became even more unstable in AD 260 when Postumus, who was Governor of Lower Germany, rebelled against the central rule of Rome and set up the breakaway Gallic Empire. For the next 14 years the Central and Gallic Empires were ruled separately and issued their own coinage. Despite the turmoil in the Empire as a whole, Britain appears to have experienced a period of peace and prosperity. More villas were built, for example, and there is little evidence of the barbarian raids that ravaged other parts of the Empire. Map showing the Gallic and Central Empires, courtesy of Merritt Cartographic 1 The Boldre Hoard The Boldre Hoard contains 1,608 coins, dating from AD 249 to 276 and issued by 12 different emperors. The coins are all radiates, so-called because of the radiate crown worn by the emperors they depict. Although silver, the coins contain so little of that metal (sometimes only 1%) that they appear bronze. Many of the coins in the Boldre Hoard are extremely common, but some unusual examples are also present. There are three coins of Marius, for example, which are scarce in Britain as he ruled the Gallic Empire for just 12 weeks in AD 269.
    [Show full text]
  • The Remaking of the Dacian Identity in Romania and the Romanian Diaspora
    THE REMAKING OF THE DACIAN IDENTITY IN ROMANIA AND THE ROMANIAN DIASPORA By Lucian Rosca A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of George Mason University in Partial Fulfillment of The Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts Sociology Committee: ___________________________________________ Director ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ Department Chairperson ___________________________________________ Dean, College of Humanities and Social Sciences Date: _____________________________________ Fall Semester 2015 George Mason University, Fairfax, VA The Remaking of the Dacian Identity in Romania and the Romanian Diaspora A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts at George Mason University By Lucian I. Rosca Bachelor of Arts George Mason University, 2015 Director: Patricia Masters, Professor Department of Sociology Fall Semester 2015 George Mason University Fairfax, VA ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my thesis coordinators: Professor Patricia Masters, Professor Dae Young Kim, Professor Lester Kurtz, and my wife Paula, who were of invaluable help. Fi- nally, thanks go out to the Fenwick Library for providing a clean, quiet, and well- equipped repository in which to work. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page List of Tables................................................................................................................... v List of Figures ...............................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • The Cambridge Companion to Age of Constantine.Pdf
    The Cambridge Companion to THE AGE OF CONSTANTINE S The Cambridge Companion to the Age of Constantine offers students a com- prehensive one-volume introduction to this pivotal emperor and his times. Richly illustrated and designed as a readable survey accessible to all audiences, it also achieves a level of scholarly sophistication and a freshness of interpretation that will be welcomed by the experts. The volume is divided into five sections that examine political history, reli- gion, social and economic history, art, and foreign relations during the reign of Constantine, a ruler who gains in importance because he steered the Roman Empire on a course parallel with his own personal develop- ment. Each chapter examines the intimate interplay between emperor and empire and between a powerful personality and his world. Collec- tively, the chapters show how both were mutually affected in ways that shaped the world of late antiquity and even affect our own world today. Noel Lenski is Associate Professor of Classics at the University of Colorado, Boulder. A specialist in the history of late antiquity, he is the author of numerous articles on military, political, cultural, and social history and the monograph Failure of Empire: Valens and the Roman State in the Fourth Century ad. Cambridge Collections Online © Cambridge University Press, 2007 Cambridge Collections Online © Cambridge University Press, 2007 The Cambridge Companion to THE AGE OF CONSTANTINE S Edited by Noel Lenski University of Colorado Cambridge Collections Online © Cambridge University Press, 2007 cambridge university press Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, Sao˜ Paulo Cambridge University Press 40 West 20th Street, New York, ny 10011-4211, usa www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521818384 c Cambridge University Press 2006 This publication is in copyright.
    [Show full text]
  • PLINY, TRAJAN, HADRIAN and the CHRISTIANS* in the Seventh Book
    PLINY, TRAJAN, HADRIAN AND THE CHRISTIANS* In the seventh book of his work de officio proconsulis, Ulpian collected legal rulings concerning the Christians. The compilers of Justinian's Corpus Juris naturally omitted this material. The Church Fathers again were not interested in copying "the abominable rescripts" which instructed the Roman authorities "by which penalties should be affiicted those who acknowledged that they were worshippers of God. 1 " Eusebius himself, when describing "the martyrdoms of our own time," does not reproduce the anti-Christian ordinances of the Tetrarchs, though he quotes in full the decrees of Galerius, Maximinus, Licinius and Constantine on behalf of the Church. Again, he copies Gallienus's letter to some bishops (of Egypt?) on restoration of Church property, but not the edict of Valerian on confiscation of this property. 2 In other words, the Christian tradition, quite naturally, preserved documents which attested "the gracious and favoring interposition of God, 3 " and did not care to retain the memory of the imperial legislation against the Church. 4 Thus, only two imperial rescripts on trials of Christians have come down to us verbatim : a letter of Trajan to Pliny, and a letter of Hadrian. 5 * A review article of Rudolf Freudenberger, Das Verhalten der romischen Behorden gegen die Christen im 2. Jahrhundert dargestel(t am Brief des Plinius an Trajan und den Reskripten Trajans und Hadrians (Miinchener Beitriige zur Papyrusforschung und antiken Rechtsge­ schichte, 52. Heft). Miinchen, 1967, C.H. Beck, X + 258 pp. In this edition, the observations on Freudenberger's work have been omitted. Some abbreviations: Abbott-Johnson = F.
    [Show full text]