ABSTRACT RICE, CARL ROSS. Diocletian’s “Great Persecutions”: Minority Religions and the Roman Tetrarchy. (Under the direction of Prof. S. Thomas Parker) In the year 303, the Roman Emperor Diocletian and the other members of the Tetrarchy launched a series of persecutions against Christians that is remembered as the most severe, widespread, and systematic persecution in the Church’s history. Around that time, the Tetrarchy also issued a rescript to the Pronconsul of Africa ordering similar persecutory actions against a religious group known as the Manichaeans. At first glance, the Tetrarchy’s actions appear to be the result of tensions between traditional classical paganism and religious groups that were not part of that system. However, when the status of Jewish populations in the Empire is examined, it becomes apparent that the Tetrarchy only persecuted Christians and Manichaeans. This thesis explores the relationship between the Tetrarchy and each of these three minority groups as it attempts to understand the Tetrarchy’s policies towards minority religions. In doing so, this thesis will discuss the relationship between the Roman state and minority religious groups in the era just before the Empire’s formal conversion to Christianity. It is only around certain moments in the various religions’ relationships with the state that the Tetrarchs order violence. Consequently, I argue that violence towards minority religions was a means by which the Roman state policed boundaries around its conceptions of Roman identity. © Copyright 2016 Carl Ross Rice All Rights Reserved Diocletian’s “Great Persecutions”: Minority Religions and the Roman Tetrarchy by Carl Ross Rice A thesis submitted to the Graduate Faculty of North Carolina State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts History Raleigh, North Carolina 2016 APPROVED BY: ______________________________ _______________________________ S. Thomas Parker, Ph.D. Julie Mell, Ph.D. Committee Chair Committee Member ______________________________ William Adler, Ph.D. Committee Member BIOGRAPHY Carl “CJ” Rice was born on July 28, 1991 in Fairmont, WV. As a youth, he played soccer and tennis, participated in Student Council activities, competed in Destination ImagiNation, and read voraciously about history—particularly the history of the ancient world. He graduated in 2009 from North Marion High School before matriculating at West Virginia University (WVU). There, he earned two bachelor’s degrees: one in history and the other in religious studies. He was also inducted into the Alpha Chapter of West Virginia of Phi Beta Kappa. Upon graduating in August 2013 from WVU, he matriculated into the MA in history program at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC later that month. Over the next three years, he worked as a teaching assistant in the history department and as a graduate assistant with the Fellowship Advising Office. In spring 2015, he completed the Certificate of Accomplishment in Teaching at NC State. Throughout his career at NC State, CJ has worked on the editorial staff of the history department’s The NC State University Graduate History Journal, serving as editor-in-chief for the 2015/16 academic year. In fall 2016, he will matriculate at Yale University to complete his Ph.D. in ancient history. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS If any maxim can be said to govern my work as an historian, it is this: nothing happens in a vacuum. This thesis, the product of countless hours of work and stress, is no exception, and many people have facilitated its completion in a number of ways. In gratitude, I humbly submit this work as a tribute to all of their hard work and dedication. For review and feedback of various portions of the text, I am grateful to my fellow students Ashley Jones and Jayd Lewis. Their invaluable comments on various drafts of these chapters and the papers that were their foundations only made the arguments stronger and the writing clearer. David Culclasure, Russell Gentry, Pam Koulianos, Chris Mansfield, Gabe McBaine, and Sarah Wenner also gave me many opportunities to drone on ad nauseum about my research and the questions I was asking. In their own ways, they shaped the arguments and made them better. I can only hope they have enjoyed it as much as I have. Tiffany Key likewise let me talk at her about my topic, but she also read numerous drafts at every stage of the project. Finally, my dear friend Kristie Ellison read far more of this than anyone else. They both saw this work in various stages and offered countless suggestions to make it better. The history and religious studies faculty with whom I was so fortunate to work with first instilled in me a passion for critical historical inquiry that I developed further here at North Carolina State University. At NC State, Prof. Megan Cherry provided very helpful comments on a shorter version of this thesis that helped determine the direction it would take. Dr. Helen Dixon’s cheeriness and passion for teaching and mentoring helped me develop some of the ideas in this thesis and apply them to other periods of history, and she helped me prepare my first real conference paper. Prof. Dustin Heinen helped with the translation of the Legum Collatio passage concerning the Manichaeans; I did rough work and he helped me polish it. My thesis committee members, Prof. William Adler and Prof. Julie Mell, and my thesis committee chair and advisor Prof. S. Thomas Parker all provided sounding boards for some of my ideas, gave me useful feedback (both happy and critical), and have asked many though- provoking questions of this work. Conversations with them over coffee or as we passed in the hallway have made me a better historian and have made this a better study. They critiqued my writing, my method, my theories, and made me question my sanity, all with kindness, compassion, and generosity of spirit. While I could not have completed this endeavor without their help, I take full responsibility for all mistakes and errors contained therein. iii I also thank the innumerable other friends and loved ones who have in some way aided me as I developed this thesis project. Amanda Addison, Prof. Nate Andrade, Jennifer Boswell, Miriam Brock, Ryan Coleman, Dr. Jane Donovan, Melissa Ferrone, Heather Hill, Kirsten Lilley, Heather Moore, Chris Pederson, Jackie Somers, Mike Stewart, Eric Wadell, Tyler Williams, and Felisha Witcher all played cheerleader at some point or another. Matt Carter read drafts, offered feedback, drove me to work harder, challenged me to think better, made me crazy, and then brought me back to earth. Without your persuasion to binge watch HBO or your encouragement to join you on long nature hikes or the hours I spent with you on Skype and FaceTime, I would have broken a long time ago. That this thesis is completed is a testament of the love and dedication all of you have shown me. Lastly, I have to thank my family. My parents, Carl and Joyce Rice, and my sister, Cayla, have always provided unflinching support for me as a young scholar, even when they may not have understood why I was subjecting myself to the various tortures otherwise known as Graduate School. My grandmother, Karen Maxwell, washed countless loads of laundry and offered me food and guidance, as well as an ear to work out my ideas. I have always been able to be who I am, even when I thought I couldn’t. I am grateful for the love and support that has made that possible. This work owes all of you a greater debt than I can ever repay. So, in but a humble attempt at repaying that debt, I dedicate this thesis to each of you. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF FIGURES................................................................................................................................... VI LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ..................................................................................................................... VII CHAPTER ONE: ............................................................................................................................................. 1 CHAPTER TWO: .......................................................................................................................................... 14 CHAPTER THREE: .................................................................................................................................... 34 CHAPTER FOUR: ........................................................................................................................................ 45 CHAPTER FIVE: .......................................................................................................................................... 65 APPENDICES ............................................................................................................................................... 75 APPENDIX 1: ................................................................................................................................................................ 76 English Translation: ........................................................................................................................................................... 76 Latin Text: .......................................................................................................................................................................... 77 BIBLIOGRAPHY .........................................................................................................................................................