Podcasts about Diocletian

The Great Peace of the Church gave Christianity room to grow, but that calm shattered under Diocletian’s brutal persecution. This episode follows Popes Caius, Marcellinus, Marcellus, and Eusebius through martyr stories, lapsed Christians, Donatist tensions, and the violence that shook the Roman church before Constantine’s rise.#HistoryOfThePapacy #ChurchHistory #EarlyChristianity #Diocletian #Donatists Let us know what you think about this episode in the comments section below! Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on the links below and on YouTube!Support the show and listen:Patreon: http://patreon.com/historyofthepapacyBuy me a coffee! https://buymeacoffee.com/historyofthepapacyBuy me a book: http://bit.ly/40ckJ8EYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thehistoryofthepapacyEmail Us: steve@atozhistorypage.comHow to listen: https://www.atozhistorypage.com/podcastListen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7DelfggbL0Au4e3aUyWDaSMusic Provided by:"Sonatina in C Minor" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)"Funeral March for Brass" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)"Crusade Heavy Perfect Loop" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Agnus Dei X - Bitter Suite Kevin MacLeaod (incomptech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

These holy martyrs suffered victoriously in the year 305 (Prologue) or 288 (Great Horologion), during the reign of Diocletian, who visited Nicomedia to stir up a persecution of Christians there. Anicetas, one of the city governors, presented himself before the Emperor, boldly confessed his Christian faith, and denounced the worship of the idols. Anicetas was subjected to a series of cruelties: his tongue was cut out, but he miraculously continued to speak; he was thrown to a lion, but it refused to attack him; then he was savagely beaten with rods until his bones showed through his wounds. His nephew Photius, seeing his endurance of all these trials, ran forward, embraced his uncle, and declared to the Emperor that he too was a Christian. The Emperor ordered that he be beheaded immediately, but the executioner, raising his sword, gave himself such a wound that he died instead. After many tortures, the two were put in prison for three years, then brought out and cast into a fiery furnace, where they died, though their bodies were brought out of the flames intact.   Saint Anicetas is counted as one of the Holy Unmercenaries.

31 And again going out of the coasts of Tyre, he came by Sidon to the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis.Et iterum exiens de finibus Tyri, venit per Sidonem ad mare Galilaeae inter medios fines Decapoleos. 32 And they bring to him one deaf and dumb; and they besought him that he would lay his hand upon him.Et adducunt ei surdum, et mutum, et deprecabantur eum, ut imponat illi manum. 33 And taking him from the multitude apart, he put his fingers into his ears, and spitting, he touched his tongue:Et apprehendens eum de turba seorsum, misit digitos suos in auriculas ejus : et exspuens, tetigit linguam ejus : 34 And looking up to heaven, he groaned, and said to him: Ephpheta, which is, Be thou opened.et suscipiens in caelum, ingemuit, et ait illi : Ephphetha, quod est, Adaperire. 35 And immediately his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke right.Et statim apertae sunt aures ejus, et solutum est vinculum linguae ejus, et loquebatur recte. 36 And he charged them that they should tell no man. But the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal did they publish it.Et praecepit illis ne cui dicerent. Quanto autem eis praecipiebat, tanto magis plus praedicabant : 37 And so much the more did they wonder, saying: He hath done all things well; he hath made both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.et eo amplius admirabantur, dicentes : Bene omnia fecit : et surdos fecit audire, et mutos loqui.St Tiburtius was the son of the prefect of Rome and he was a Roman deacon. He was beheaded after suffering many cruel torments in 286 A.D.St Susanna was a holy virgin of high lineage. She refused to marry the son of Diocletian. She was beheaded after grievous torments in 295 A.D.

This week Beau continues his series looking at the life and times of Constantine The Great, beginning with the back-story of the reign of the Emperor Diocletian. This week the latter part of Diocletian's reign, and the attempts to continue the system of government - the tetrarchy - after his illness and retirement.

This week Beau continues his series looking at the life and times of Constantine The Great, beginning with the back-story of the reign of the Emperor Diocletian, his wars on the Danube, the Rhine, in north Africa, and most importantly in the east against the Persians.

1 And he said also to his disciples: There was a certain rich man who had a steward: and the same was accused unto him, that he had wasted his goods.Dicebat autem et ad discipulos suos : Homo quidam erat dives, qui habebat villicum : et hic diffamatus est apud illum quasi dissipasset bona ipsius. 2 And he called him, and said to him: How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship: for now thou canst be steward no longer.Et vocavit illum, et ait illi : Quid hoc audio de te? redde rationem villicationis tuae : jam enim non poteris villicare. 3 And the steward said within himself: What shall I do, because my lord taketh away from me the stewardship? To dig I am not able; to beg I am ashamed.Ait autem villicus intra se : Quid faciam? quia dominus meus aufert a me villicationem. Fodere non valeo, mendicare erubesco. 4 I know what I will do, that when I shall be removed from the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.Scio quid faciam, ut, cum amotus fuero a villicatione, recipiant me in domos suas. 5 Therefore calling together every one of his lord's debtors, he said to the first: How much dost thou owe my lord?Convocatis itaque singulis debitoribus domini sui, dicebat primo : Quantum debes domino meo? 6 But he said: An hundred barrels of oil. And he said to him: Take thy bill and sit down quickly, and write fifty.At ille dixit : Centum cados olei. Dixitque illi : Accipe cautionem tuam : et sede cito, scribe quinquaginta. 7 Then he said to another: And how much dost thou owe? Who said: An hundred quarters of wheat. He said to him: Take thy bill, and write eighty.Deinde alii dixit : Tu vero quantum debes? Qui ait : Centum coros tritici. Ait illi : Accipe litteras tuas, et scribe octoginta. 8 And the lord commended the unjust steward, forasmuch as he had done wisely: for the children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light.Et laudavit dominus villicum iniquitatis, quia prudenter fecisset : quia filii hujus saeculi prudentiores filiis lucis in generatione sua sunt. 9 And I say to you: Make unto you friends of the mammon of iniquity; that when you shall fail, they may receive you into everlasting dwellings.Et ego vobis dico : facite vobis amicos de mammona iniquitatis : ut, cum defeceritis, recipiant vos in aeterna tabernacula.[9] "Mammon of iniquity": Mammon signifies riches. They are here called the mammon of iniquity, because oftentimes ill gotten, ill bestowed, or an occasion of evil; and at the best are but worldly, and false; and not the true riches of a Christian.[9] "They may receive": By this we see, that the poor servants of God, whom we have relieved by our alms, may hereafter, by their intercession, bring our souls to heaven.Saint Christina of Tuscany was martyred at the age of ten, under Diocletian, A.D. 300.

This week Beau starts a series looking at the life and times of Constantine The Great, beginning with the back-story of the third century, talking about the so-called ‘Crisis of the Third Century', then the reign of the Emperor Diocletian.

"In the time of Diocletian, a fierce persecutor of Christians called Philomarchus came to Sebaste. He arrested and killed many Christians in the town. When he saw Athenogenes and his disciples, he told the elder to sacrifice to the idols, that they should not perish as had the other Christians. Athenogenes replied: 'O Torturer, those whom you describe as having perished have not perished, but are in heaven and make merry with the angels!' There was a touching moment when a deer, which had been hand-fed by the compassionate Athenogenes, ran up to him and, seeing him in such straits, shed tears. Wild animals of the hills had more pity on the martyrs than did the pagans! After harsh torture, during which an angel of God comforted them, they were all beheaded, first the priests and fellow workers of Athenogenes and then Athenogenes himself, and went to their heavenly home in the year 311." (Prologue)   The Great Horologion adds "There is a second Martyr Athenogenes commemorated today, mentioned by St Basil... it is said that as this Athenogenes approached the fire, wherein he was to die a martyric death, he chanted the hymn O Joyous Light in praise of the Holy Trinity." This is one way that we know that the vesperal hymn Gladsome Light was in use before the time of St Basil the Great.

Dorotheos and Eusebia, a devout, aging Christian couple who lived in Anatolia, had no children. After many years, their fervent prayers for a child were answered, and they were blessed with a daughter, whom they named Kyriake ('Sunday' in Greek) because she was born on the Lord's day. The child grew up beautiful in body and soul and, though she had many suitors, chose to consecrate herself entirely to God and remain single. One of her suitors, angered at her refusal, denounced her and her parents to the Emperor Diocletian. Dorotheos and Eusebia were subjected to cruel tortures, then sent into exile, where they died under further torture. Kyriake was sent to Maximian, Diocletian's son-in-law, for trial. By his orders, she was subjected to a horrifying series of torments; but Christ Himself appeared to her in prison, healing and comforting her. Many pagans came to believe in Christ when they saw her miraculously saved from death by fire or from wild beasts; all of these were beheaded. Kyriake told Apollonius, the general who supervised her tortures: 'There is no way that you can turn me from my faith. Throw me into the fire — I have the example of the Three Children. Throw me to the wild beasts — I have the example of Daniel. Throw me into the sea — I have the example of Jonah the Prophet. Put me to the sword — I will remember the honored Forerunner. For me, to die is life in Christ.' Apollonius then ordered that she be beheaded. At the place of execution, she raised her hands in prayer and gave up her soul to God before the executioner could take her life.   Note: St Kyriake is also known as Dominica or Nedelja, Latin and Slavonic words for 'Sunday'.

Tuesday of the 12th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Agrippina; came from a good Roman family in the Third Century; she was caught up in the persecutions instituted by Emperor Valerian or Diocletian and was beheaded or scourged in 262; her body was taken to Mineo, Sicily, by three devout Christian women; the gravesite became a popular pilgrimage destination, noted for miracles through Agrippina's intercession Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/23/26 Gospel: Matthew 7:6, 12-14

He was a soldier in the Roman army and, according to the venerable Bede, was brought to faith in Christ by a fugitive priest to whom he gave shelter. The saint exchanged clothes with the priest, allowing him to escape and ensuring his own martyrdom. Some writers, including St Bede, place his martyrdom during the reign of Diocletian (286-303).   Saint Alban's tomb was venerated as early as 429 by St Germanus of Auxerre. The town of Verulamium is either his home town or the place of his martyrdom; near it a monastery was founded, around which grew the English town of St Albans.

On September 4, 476 AD, a sixteen-year-old emperor named Romulus Augustulus was pensioned off by a Germanic chieftain named Odoacer. There was no battle. There was no siege. Odoacer just walked into the palace, gave the teenage emperor a country estate, and wrote a polite letter to the Eastern Roman Emperor saying the West didn't need its own emperor anymore. The bureaucracy in Italy kept operating. The tax collectors kept collecting. Nobody noticed that something had ended.Because something hadn't ended in 476. Something had been acknowledged in 476.The Roman Empire had been structurally dead for almost two centuries by that point. The machine that Diocletian built in 284 AD to save the empire from the third-century crisis had outlived the empire itself. It was bigger than the society it was built to protect. It extracted more than the society could produce. And it had no mechanism to recognize what it was doing.This is the capstone of a year of TRP videos on the fall of Rome. Every fault line we've covered — money, borders, power, the household, the religion, the military — traces back to the same upstream cause. The machine Diocletian built consumed the society it was supposed to protect.00:00 — September 4, 476: The Cold Open02:01 — Welcome to The Roman Pattern02:16 — The Series Synthesis02:51 — Diocletian Becomes Emperor (284 AD)03:22 — He Built a Machine04:23 — For a Generation, the Machine Worked04:47 — The Quiet Feature Nobody Noticed05:13 — How the Machine Consumed Its Host06:47 — The Slow Extraction07:01 — Roman Cities Started to Empty07:32 — The Curiales Trap08:48 — The Small Farmers' Problem09:56 — Fault Line One: Money10:35 — Fault Line Two: The Army13:30 — The Kill Chain13:53 — Fault Line Three: The Palace System14:32 — How the System Produced Honorius16:25 — The Machine Was Running. The Empire Was Gone.16:28 — The Context for September 4, 47617:12 — Odoacer Makes the Decision17:38 — The Letter to Constantinople18:43 — The Empire Was Acknowledged in 47618:51 — What Actually Survived20:23 — The Civilization Survived the Political Form20:33 — The Roman Pattern: Synthesis22:43 — The Universal Pattern23:23 — Acknowledgment Comes From Outside24:04 — The Autopsy24:52 — The Machine That Outlived Rome25:32 — Same Playbook, Different Century

Rome's decline sounds uncomfortably familiar as Al, Zach, John Luke, and Christian compare the empire's political chaos, devalued currency, and hunger for centralized power to warning signs in America today. The guys discuss why Christianity has always threatened governments that want ultimate control, since believers answer to God before the state. Al connects Diocletian's leadership reforms to the biblical wisdom Jethro gave Moses, and they wrestle with the difficult duty to pray for leaders even when Christians strongly disagree with them. Need a refresher on Ancient Christianity? Check out the previous episode on this topic at https://youtu.be/vP3u0pQP74c?si=cnpxf7EFOI2nMmnQ Today's conversation is about Lesson 8 of Ancient Christianity taught by visiting Hillsdale Professor of History Kenneth Calvert. Take the course with us at no cost to you! Sign up at http://unashamedforhillsdale.com/. More about Ancient Christianity: Christ entered the world during the reign of Caesar Augustus. The tensions between Christianity and the Roman Empire shaped the daily practice of the Christian faith and led many Romans to distrust and persecute the early Christians. But Christianity also benefitted from the Roman world. And when Rome collapsed in the West, Christianity provided the hope for preserving civilization. In this free, eleven-lecture course, Professor Kenneth Calvert will explore: How the Jewish, Greek, and Roman cultures all contributed to preparing the world to hear the Gospel. Why many Romans distrusted and persecuted the early Christians. The inspiring stories of Christ, His apostles, and faithful ones throughout the first four centuries of Christianity. The arguments of key early Christian apologists—Ignatius, Irenaeus, Justin, Athanasius, and more—who defended and defined the Christian faith amidst the animosity of the Roman world. The conversion of Constantine and how he brought stability to Rome, and how the rivalry between his sons almost returned Rome to paganism. How Augustine's writings helped preserve the message of Christianity during the collapse of the Roman Empire in the West. You will discover the uncertainties, trials, and triumphs of the earliest Christians as they confronted controversies within the faith and persecutions from outside it. Join us today to discover the improbable and miraculous story of Christianity. Sign up at ⁠http://unashamedforhillsdale.com/ Check out At Home with Phil Robertson, nearly 800 episodes of Phil's unfiltered wisdom, humor, and biblical truth, available for free for the first time! Get it on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, and anywhere you listen to podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/at-home-with-phil-robertson/id1835224621 Listen to Not Yet Now with Zach Dasher on Apple, Spotify, iHeart, or anywhere you get podcasts. Chapters 00:00 Al's Awkward Haircut Dilemma 05:30 Old-School Barbers & “Bughead” Trauma 11:04 Rome's Money Problems Sound Familiar 16:01 Why Rome Saw Christianity as a Threat 19:08 Freedom Without God Starts to Devour Itself 24:28 The Wisdom of Shared Power 30:03 Galerius Brings Peace, Heresy Follows 36:18 Wrapping Your Brain Around the Trinity 40:16 The Church's Role in the Secular World — Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tuesday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of Saints Marcellinus and Peter; martyrs under Diocletian's persecution in the early Fourth Century; holding to their faith, they converted the prison keeper, Artemius, and his wife and daughter to Christianity; they were martyred, and later honored by Constantine the Great, who built a basilica in their honor; they are mentioned in the Canon of the Mass Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/2/26 Gospel: Mark 12:1-12

"The grandmother of St Basil the Great, she was outstanding for her intellect and piety. She was a disciple of St Gregory the Wonder-worker of Neocaesarea. In the reign of Diocletian, she abandoned her home and hid in the forests and desert places with her husband, Basil. Although their home was confiscated, they felt no pangs of regret. Stripped of everything except their love for God, they settled in an ancient forest and spent seven years there. By God's providence, goats would come down from the mountains and provide them with food. They both died peacefully in the fourth century, after great sufferings for the Christian faith." (Prologue)

If you enjoy this episode, we're sure you will enjoy more content like this on The Occult Rejects.  In fact, we have curated playlists on occult topics like grimoires, esoteric concepts and phenomena, occult history, analyzing true crime and cults with an occult lens, Para politics, and occultism in music. Whether you enjoy consuming your content visually or via audio, we've got you covered - and it will always be provided free of charge.  So, if you enjoy what we do and want to support our work of providing accessible, free content on various platforms, please consider making a donation to the links provided below.  Thank you and enjoy the episode!Links For The Occult Rejectshttps://linktr.ee/theoccultrejectsOccult Research Institutehttps://www.occultresearchinstitute.org/Cash Apphttps://cash.app/$theoccultrejectsVenmo@TheOccultRejectsBuy Me A Coffeebuymeacoffee.com/TheOccultRejectsPatreonhttps://www.patreon.com/TheOccultRejectsPart 2 — Core Citations / BibliographySecondary Works and Reference SourcesEncyclopaedia Britannica. “Perpetua.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “The Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Polycarp.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Christianity: Relations between Christianity and the Roman Government and the Hellenistic Culture.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Decius.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Diocletian.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Christianity: Catechesis: Instructing Candidates for Baptism.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Kerygma and Catechesis.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Exorcism.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Eucharist.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Early Christian Art.”Smarthistory. “Catacomb of Priscilla, Rome.”Vatican Museums. “Jonah Sarcophagus.”Yale News. “House Call: A New Study Rethinks Early Christian Landmark.”Yale News. “Yale Art Gallery Painting Might Be Oldest Known Image of the Virgin Mary.”Yale University Art Gallery. Materials on Dura-Europos and the Christian Building/Baptistery.Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Chi-Rho.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Paschal Controversies.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Melito of Sardis.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Christology: Early History.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Docetism.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Adoptionism.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Cerinthus.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Theodotus the Tanner.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “St. Ignatius of Antioch.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Apologist.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Saint Justin Martyr.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “First Apology.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Dialogue with Trypho.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Celsus.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Christianity: Apologetics: Defending the Faith.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Tertullian.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Athenagoras.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “First Letter of Clement.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “St. Cyprian.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Novatian.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Saint Irenaeus.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Christianity: Aversion of Heresy: The Establishment of Orthodoxy.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “The Process of Canonization.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Late 2nd-Century Canons.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Muratorian Fragment.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Biblical Canon.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Codex.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Christianity: Authority and Dissent.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Christianity: Relations between Christianity and Judaism.”Joshua Ezra Burns. “The Parting of the Ways in Contemporary Perspective.” In The Christian Schism in Jewish History and Jewish Memory. Cambridge University Press.Adam H. Becker and Annette Yoshiko Reed, eds. The Ways That Never Parted: Jews and Christians in Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. Fortress Press.Judith Lieu. Neither Jew nor Greek? Constructing Early Christianity. T&T Clark.Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Constantine I.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Arianism.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “First Council of Nicaea.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Saint Athanasius.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Festal Letters.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “First Council of Constantinople.”Primary Texts UsedThe Martyrdom of Polycarp. Used for the early literary shaping of martyrdom, witness, bishop-martyr memory, and the theological interpretation of death.The Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity. Used for imprisonment, trial, visions, martyrdom, and the rare preserved voice of a female Christian martyr.Apostolic Tradition, traditionally associated with Hippolytus. Used for baptismal preparation, catechumenal scrutiny, exorcism, fasting, vigil, renunciation, oil, and immersion.1 John 4. Used for the anti-docetic pressure around confessing Jesus Christ as having “come in the flesh.”Ignatius of Antioch. Letter to the Smyrnaeans. Used for Christ's real flesh, real suffering, Eucharistic theology, and bishop-centered unity.Ignatius of Antioch. Letter to the Philadelphians and related letters. Useful backup for episcopal unity, Eucharistic order, and anti-schismatic arguments.Melito of Sardis. On Pascha. Used for Paschal theology, Christ as Pascha, typology, and Christian interpretation of Passover.Justin Martyr. First Apology. Used for apologetics, public defense, accusations against Christians, Eucharistic misunderstanding, and Christian worship.Justin Martyr. Dialogue with Trypho. Used for Christian-Jewish polemic, scriptural inheritance, fulfillment arguments, and the hardening separation between Christianity and Judaism.Athenagoras. A Plea for the Christians / Embassy for the Christians. Used as a major example of second-century apologetics addressed to imperial authority.Athenagoras. On the Resurrection of the Dead. Used as a philosophical Christian defense of resurrection.Tertullian. Apology. Used for Latin apologetics, Christian defense against Roman accusation, and the combative posture toward pagan criticism.Tertullian. Prescription Against Heretics. Useful backup for rule of faith, public apostolic teaching, and anti-heretical boundary-making.Origen. Against Celsus. Used for Celsus' pagan critique and Origen's major intellectual defense of Christianity.Celsus. The True Word / True Doctrine. Survives mainly through Origen's quotations and refutations; used for educated pagan criticism of Christianity.First Letter of Clement. Used for early ministry order, Roman intervention in Corinth, appointed bishops and deacons, and the emerging logic of succession.Cyprian of Carthage. On the Unity of the Catholic Church. Used for episcopal unity, schism, discipline, and the theological seriousness of the bishop's office.Novatian. De Trinitate. Used as a witness to mid-third-century theological conflict and Roman Latin theology.Irenaeus. Against Heresies. Used for anti-gnostic consolidation, rule of truth, fourfold Gospel authority, apostolic succession, and public apostolic memory.Eusebius. Ecclesiastical History. Used for the Paschal controversy, Polycarp and Anicetus, Victor and Polycrates, Irenaeus' intervention, early church memory, and the broader historical framing.The Didachē. Used as part of the wider early Christian literary world that remained influential outside the final New Testament canon.Letter of Barnabas. Used for anti-Jewish polemic, allegorical reading of Hebrew Scripture, and Christian claims over Israel's inheritance.The Shepherd of Hermas. Used as an example of a beloved early Christian text that was widely read but later excluded from the New Testament canon.Apocalypse of Peter. Used as part of the wider early Christian apocalyptic library that circulated before the canon fully closed.Muratorian Fragment. Used for the late-second-century Roman list of recognized Christian writings and the emerging shape of the New Testament.Cyril of Jerusalem. Mystagogical Catecheses. Used for post-baptismal instruction and the interpretation of initiation after the rite had been received.Ambrose of Milan. On the Mysteries and On the Sacraments. Used for mystagogical teaching, baptismal interpretation, anointing, and sacramental instruction.The Nicene Creed / First Council of Nicaea, 325. Used for creed formation, anti-Arian settlement attempts, and the conciliar compression of Christological conflict.Athanasius. Festal Letter 39. Used for the earliest surviving list matching the 27-book New Testament canon recognized in the mainstream tradition.Constantinopolitan Creed / First Council of Constantinople, 381. Used for the later stabilization and expansion of Nicene theological identity.Also want to remind people about the website, if you're into reading we have tons of information by multiple contributors, and we got t-shirts up on the site if you're interested. Fun fact, the art is all based on the eyeball. A

"Greece, though beat, then caught her captor fast; and into boorish Latium brought cultured life at last." So says Horace in Epistle II.156-157. This week Jeff and Dave return to Marrou, Part III, ch. 2, to examine the much discussed but ever fresh question of the Hellenization of Roman culture. When exactly did the toga clad race turn her gaze east to try to learn art, sculpture, music, and poetry? Is there a good explanation for the famous Roman inconsistency and feeling of cultural inferiority? For example, the Roman aristocracy loved to watch sports, but not to participate. Athletes had to be foreigners or low class people. And, the Romans had the most elaborate bathing complexes, but these did not serve the cause of athletics. Those of Caracalla, Diocletian, and others seemed only aimed at clubby networking. You sweat a little, then bathe alot, but only to nail down a corn law, cut a real estate deal, or promote your favorite politician. It has nothing to do with the glory of sport or notching PR's on the deadlift. This and much more is in store as the show continues its way through the classic text. Also, be sure to listen for the secret code word so you can win a free copy of the Berg & Parker translation of Plautus and Terence: Five Comedies, courtesy of Hackett. Finally, behold, a new coupon code for a limited-time offer on Dave's starter Latin course: AESTAS15.

Send us Fan MailWe look at the career of Diocletian to determine the effectiveness of his reign and reforms.  

'Saint Patrick was Bishop of Prusa, a city in Bythinia (the present-day Brusa or Bursa). Because of his Christian faith, he was brought before Julius (or Julian) the Consul, who in his attempts to persuade Patrick to worship as he himself did, declared that thanks was owed to the gods for providing the hot springs welling up from the earth for the benefit of men. Saint Patrick answered that thanks for this was owed to our Lord Jesus Christ, and explained that when He, Who is God, created the earth, He made it with both fire and water, and the fire under the earth heats the water which wells up, producing hot springs; he then explained that there is another fire, which awaits the ungodly. Because of this, he was cast into the hot springs, but it was the soldiers who cast him in, and not he, who were harmed by the hot water. After this St Patrick was beheaded with the presbyters Acacius, Menander, and Polyaenus. Most likely this was during the reign of Diocletian (284-305).' (Great Horologion)

Theodotus was a married inn-keeper in Ancyra during the persecutions of Diocletian. He used his inn-keeping trade as a means of secretly helping the persecuted Christians, many of whom used his inn as a refuge in time of need. One of his holy works was to retrieve the bodies of martyred Christians and give them burial. At that time, seven maidens were tried and tortured for their faith in Christ, then killed by being thrown into a lake. One of them, St Tecusa, appeared to St Theodotus and asked him to retrieve the bodies of her and her sisters in Christ. Under cover of night Theodotus, guided by an Angel, was able to find all seven bodies and bury them honorably. But a friend whom he had asked to help him in this work betrayed him, and he was arrested and subjected to cruel tortures. Finally he was sentenced to be beheaded. As he went to the block, he said to the many Christians who had gathered to weep for him: 'Do not weep for me, brethren, but glorify our Lord Jesus Christ, by whose aid I am finishing my course and overcoming the enemy.' A church dedicated to him was later built on the site of his burial.

Carlos, an economics professor (!), asks: Hi Murray,   I am a long-time AWM subscriber, born in Hispania, working in Britannia, and mostly living in Raetia. Love the podcast.   My question is this. With the Constitutio Antoniniana, all young men within the Imperium became citizens and could enlist in the legions instead of the auxilia. Hence, the auxilia presumably attracted less recruits. With Diocletian's reforms, whatever remained of the auxilia was absorbed into a fully new structure with limitanei, comitatenses, and auxilia palatina, the latter being elite. This suggests that the distinction between legions and auxilia might had become fuzzy at that point, else one could just have assigned the auxilia to the borders.   What do we know about the evolution of the auxilia from the Constitutio Antoniniana to Diocletian's reforms? Were they still around, with named units slowly vanishing for lack of recruits, or did they become something else by enlisting non-citizens? Did they become part of a wild mixture of units with all-barbarian numeri in the chaos of the third century and its many revolts? Surely, at the very least, Tacitus' old statement that auxiliaries and legionaries were roughly equal in number is no longer valid for the third century? Murray Investigates.   Join us on Patreon patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast    

Revelation 12:1–6 presents a symbolic vision of the true visible church in intense suffering under the persecution of the satanic pagan Roman Empire, represented by a great red dragon, culminating in the birth of a man-child—interpreted as Emperor Constantine and his Christian successors—who is destined to rule the nations in the Roman Empire. The passage unfolds through a historical lens, identifying the period of the Great Persecution (303–305 under Diocletian) and the subsequent political fragmentation of the empire in 312, when one-third of the church's leaders were cast down by Maximin's persecution, while two-thirds remained protected under Constantine and Licinius. The fulfillment of the prophecy is seen in Constantine's rise to sole rule by 324, marking the beginning of Christianity's ascendancy, culminating in the official establishment of Christianity under Theodosius I. The vision underscores God's sovereign providence in turning persecution into triumph, demonstrating that the church's victory comes not through military might but through the power of the gospel and divine appointment, encouraging believers to remain faithful amid trials, trusting that Christ, as King of Kings, remains in control of history and nations.

We picture Constantine as the man who saved Rome — the cross in the sky, Christianity rising, an empire reborn. But when you actually look at what happened, it doesn't read like a rescue. It reads like a transfer of control.This is the story of how Constantine inherited Diocletian's machine, redirected it, and built something new on top of the old structure — without ever appearing to dismantle it. The most dangerous takeover isn't when someone tears down a system. It's when they keep it running, change what it serves, and call the change salvation.In this episode we walk through Diocletian's administrative empire, the fracturing of the Tetrarchy, Milvian Bridge and what Constantine actually saw at that moment, the Edict of Milan as empowerment rather than tolerance, the founding of Constantinople, and the slow drift of resources and power eastward while the West kept functioning — until it didn't.The pattern Constantine demonstrated is one we keep seeing repeated. Once you understand the structure, you start to recognize it.00:00 — Constantine Didn't Save Rome01:36 — Welcome to The Roman Pattern01:47 — Diocletian Built a Machine04:44 — When the Tetrarchy Fractures05:53 — Milvian Bridge: What Constantine Actually Saw07:10 — The Edict of Milan Wasn't Just Tolerance09:18 — Constantinople: Rome Without Rome10:59 — How Borders Actually Fail12:23 — The Pattern Repeats

These holy martyrs were husband and wife. During the persecutions of Diocletian, the governor Arian demanded that Timothy hand over his sacred books (these were rare at that time, and as a Reader he was entrusted with their care). Timothy refused, saying that he would no more do so than a father would hand over his own children to death. He was brutally tortured and, when he refused to yield, the governor summoned Timothy's wife Maura, thinking that she would urge her husband to bow to the idols, but instead she confessed herself to be a Christian too. She in turn was subjected to many tortures, and finally the couple were crucified facing one another, where they hung for nine days, encouraging one another in the Faith, before they met their blessed end. They had been married for less than a month when they received their crowns.

In 305 CE, a carefully staged transition took place: the emperors Diocletian and Maximian retired, handing power to a new generation of rulers. Exactly how it happened is still debated, but the act itself was unprecedented in the long history of the Roman Empire. Support Emperors of Rome on Patreon: patreon.com/romepodcast Episode CCLV (255) Part VII of Diocletian Guest: Professor Caillan Davenport (Centre for Classical Studies, Australian National University)

Thursday of the Third Week of Easter Optional Memorial of St. George, 275-303; Roman soldier who was executed for his Christian faith during the reign of Diocletian; he became one of Christianity’s most venerated saints, especially known as a military protector and for the legendary story of slaying a dragon; he is honored as a patron saint in many countries and traditions Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 4/23/26 Gospel: John 6:44-51

1 And after these things the Lord appointed also other seventy-two: and he sent them two and two before his face into every city and place whither he himself was to come.Post haec autem designavit Dominus et alios septuaginta duos : et misit illos binos ante faciem suam in omnem civitatem et locum, quo erat ipse venturus. 2 And he said to them: The harvest indeed is great, but the labourers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he send labourers into his harvest.Et dicebat illis : Messis quidem multa, operarii autem pauci. Rogate ergo dominum messis ut mittat operarios in messem suam. 3 Go: Behold I send you as lambs among wolves.Ite : ecce ego mitto vos sicut agnos inter lupos. 4 Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes; and salute no man by the way.Nolite portare sacculum, neque peram, neque calceamenta, et neminem per viam salutaveritis. 5 Into whatsoever house you enter, first say: Peace be to this house.In quamcumque domum intraveritis, primum dicite : Pax huic domui : 6 And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon him; but if not, it shall return to you.et si ibi fuerit filius pacis, requiescet super illum pax vestra : sin autem, ad vos revertetur. 7 And in the same house, remain, eating and drinking such things as they have: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Remove not from house to house.In eadem autem domo manete, edentes et bibentes quae apud illos sunt : dignus est enim operarius mercede sua. Nolite transire de domo in domum. 8 And into what city soever you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you.Et in quamcumque civitatem intraveritis, et susceperint vos, manducate quae apponuntur vobis : 9 And heal the sick that are therein, and say to them: The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.et curate infirmos, qui in illa sunt, et dicite illis : Appropinquavit in vos regnum Dei.St George, of an illustrious family, having reproached Diocletian, for his cruelty, was subjected therefore to atrocious torments and was finally beheaded A.D. 304. He is venerated as the patron of Christian soldiers, and is the patron of England.

On today's episode, we discuss a deep‑dive Bible study on Daniel and Revelation, as James, Jimmy, Texas Jim, Glenn, and Chris “the giant preacher” trace how Daniel's visions of statues, beasts, and “seventy sevens” map onto the rise and fall of Babylon, Medo‑Persia, Greece, and Rome and then frame the end‑times debate. James leans on David Jeremiah's book “Handwriting on the Wall” and classic dispensational teaching to argue that Revelation is like a magnifying glass on Daniel's 70th week, that the prophetic “clock” pauses during the church age, and that a future seven‑year tribulation focused on Israel still awaits, from which the indwelt church will be raptured. James Wilkerson, drawing on seminary coursework and Tom Holland's “Dominion,” emphasizes how precisely Daniel 9's 69 “weeks” can be calculated from Nehemiah's rebuilding decree to Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, but questions whether it is biblically sound to exclude the entire church age from the 70‑week timeline. Jimmy Williams offers a mediating view: many prophecies had near fulfillments—like Antiochus IV's desecration of the temple or Diocletian's persecutions—that serve as types pointing to a final antichrist, and he cautions listeners not to chase timelines at the expense of daily discipleship, stressing instead that God's plan still uniquely involves ethnic Israel even as more Jews and others come to faith through today's information‑rich world. Don't miss it!

These martyrs gave glorious witness to Christ during the persecutions of Diocletian. St Januarius, Bishop of Benevento in Italy, was arrested and cast into a burning furnace, but he stood in the midst of the flames, singing praises to God, and emerged unharmed. After other cruel tortures, he was bound and cast in prison in Pozzuoli, along with his deacon Faustus and his reader Desiderius. With them in prison were two deacons from Pozzuoli, Proclus and Sossus, and two laymen, Eutychius and Acutius. All seven were cast to wild beasts; but when the animals came near the Saints, they fell affectionately at their feet and refused to harm them. Finally, all seven Christians were beheaded. Some Christians from Naples secretly took the body of Januarius and buried it in their church. Countless wonders have been worked at his grave, including the restoration of a dead man to life.

Rome didn't collapse when emperors died.It kept running—because they were never in control.This video breaks down one of the most overlooked mechanisms in Roman history:how an administrative system designed to stabilize the empire eventually replaced the emperor himself.During the Crisis of the Third Century, 26 emperors rose and fell in just 50 years.But the real power didn't change hands.The tax collectors stayed.The clerks stayed.The men who controlled the records… stayed.And over time, they controlled something far more powerful than armies:they controlled information.This isn't just Roman history.It's a pattern.CHAPTERS:00:00 Rome Didn't Die the Way You Think00:29 The System That Never Changed00:59 The Emperor Wasn't the Government01:53 The Crisis That Broke the Empire02:47 Who Was Actually Running Rome?03:40 Diocletian's Real Reform05:02 The Emperor Becomes a Node06:17 The Men Who Controlled the Files08:16 Why Bureaucrats Survive Regime Change09:28 The Kill Chain of Information10:24 How the System Fed Itself12:50 The Tax Trap That Broke the Elite15:04 The Border Failure Nobody Talks About17:10 The Collapse Begins in Administration17:58 When the Emperor Became Irrelevant19:51 The Machine Outlived Rome22:01 The Pattern Revealed24:22 How Systems Protect Themselves26:44 The Final Warning

Rome didn't fall to barbarians. It fell to its own emergency powers — temporary controls that became permanent, rational responses that slowly hollowed out the empire from within. This is the pattern no one talks about.In 284 AD, Diocletian inherited an empire in total crisis — 26 emperors in 50 years, currency debased to near-worthlessness, borders collapsing on every front. His response was brilliant, logical, and ultimately catastrophic. Price controls. Tax reform. A doubled bureaucracy. Emergency powers that were never designed to expire. Every solution worked in the short term and destroyed something essential in the long term. The small farmers disappeared. The tax base collapsed. The military went from Roman legions to foreign mercenaries. And the emergency? It became the operating system.In this episode, we trace the full mechanism — from Diocletian's reforms through Constantine's strategic pivot to the final quiet dissolution of the Western Empire in 476. Not as a story of barbarian invasion, but as a system that consumed itself through rational crisis management.This is The Roman Pattern. History doesn't repeat, but it rhymes.Chapters:0:00 — The Emergency That Never Ended1:20 — 26 Emperors in 50 Years2:30 — The Coins Tell the Real Story3:25 — Diocletian's Impossible Inheritance4:00 — The Tetrarchy: Emergency Architecture4:48 — Price Controls and Why They Always Fail6:00 — The Tax System That Killed the Middle Class7:58 — When the Emperor Became a God9:33 — The Bureaucracy Trap10:50 — Laws Nobody Could Understand11:44 — Borders Become an Economic Problem13:18 — The Federate Deal: Outsourcing Defense14:11 — Adrianople: A System Failure, Not a Battle15:02 — The Death Spiral: Money, Power, Borders17:37 — The Loop Closes18:02 — Constantine Extends the Machine19:59 — Christianity as Emergency Policy20:39 — The Western Empire Dissolves24:12 — Remove the Names. See the Pattern.26:07 — The Emergency Became the System#romanempire #ancientrome #diocletian #emergencypowers #fallofrome #romanhistory #historychannel #theromanpattern

At the time of Diocletian's persecutions, he was a very old man, having served as a reader for sixteen years, then a deacon for twenty-eight years, and finally as a priest for thirty years, for a total of seventy-four years. The pagan judge put him in the Temple of Aesculapius, where large snakes were kept and worshiped as gods. Though the judge meant for Artemon to be attacked by the snakes, the holy priest immobilized them with the sign of the Cross, brought them out of the temple and, in front of the pagan priests, breathed on the snakes, which died instantly. The chief priest, Vitalis, fell to his knees and cried 'Great is the Christian God!' Artemon baptised him along with several of his friends.   The unrepentant judge then condemned Artemon to be thrown into burning pitch, but the judge himself was thrown off his horse into the pitch and died. After this, Artemon went free for a time and spent his time teaching the Faith to his people ("accompanied always by two tame deer," says St Nikolia Velimirovic!). But he was arrested again and beheaded in the year 303.

Everyone says Diocletian saved Rome.That's the story.A strong leader rises… stabilizes the empire… restores order.But that's not what actually happened.By the time Diocletian took power, Rome wasn't losing wars.It was losing something far more important:→ its internal structure.→ The money was failing.→ The borders were dissolving.→ The system itself had stopped working.So Diocletian did what powerful leaders always do in a crisis:→ He built a bigger system.→ More bureaucracy.→ More control.→ More taxation.→ More enforcement.And for a moment—it worked.But every solution he created became a new burden.Every fix added weight the system couldn't carry.This is the part of Roman history nobody explains:You can delay collapse.You can reorganize it.You can even stabilize it for a generation.But you cannot engineer your way out of a broken foundation.This episode is the autopsy of Diocletian's Rome—and the pattern it created.Because once you see it…You'll start recognizing it everywhere.Subscribe for more breakdowns of the Roman Pattern—how systems rise, adapt, and ultimately fail.

Au IIIᵉ siècle de notre ère, l'Empire romain traverse une période de crises profondes. Les guerres aux frontières se multiplient, les empereurs se succèdent à un rythme effréné et l'armée devient de plus en plus coûteuse. Pour financer ces dépenses croissantes, l'État romain va recourir à une solution apparemment simple : dévaluer sa monnaie.Depuis longtemps, la pièce principale de l'économie romaine est le denier, une monnaie d'argent introduite au IIIᵉ siècle avant notre ère. Pendant des siècles, sa valeur repose sur la quantité réelle d'argent qu'elle contient. Mais au fil du temps, les empereurs commencent à réduire discrètement cette proportion.Au début du IIIᵉ siècle, les pièces contiennent encore une part importante d'argent. Mais face aux besoins financiers croissants — notamment pour payer les soldats — le pouvoir impérial accélère la dégradation monétaire. On frappe de plus en plus de pièces, tout en diminuant leur teneur en métal précieux.Le phénomène s'emballe rapidement. Vers la fin du IIIᵉ siècle, certaines monnaies ne contiennent plus que quelques pourcents d'argent, parfois moins de 5 %. Le reste est composé de métaux bien moins précieux comme le cuivre.Le problème est que les Romains comprennent vite ce qui se passe. Lorsque les gens réalisent que les nouvelles pièces valent moins que les anciennes, ils adoptent un comportement économique classique : ils gardent les bonnes monnaies et dépensent les mauvaises. Les anciennes pièces riches en argent sont thésaurisées ou fondues.Résultat : la monnaie qui circule est de plus en plus dévaluée.Les prix commencent alors à grimper rapidement. Les marchands exigent davantage de pièces pour compenser la perte de valeur. Dans certaines régions, la monnaie devient si peu fiable que le troc réapparaît dans les échanges quotidiens.Face à cette inflation incontrôlable, l'empereur Diocletian tente une solution radicale. En 301, il publie le célèbre édit sur les prix maximums. Ce texte fixe un plafond pour le prix de centaines de produits et de services, sous peine de sanctions extrêmement sévères, parfois la mort.Mais la mesure se révèle impossible à appliquer. Les commerçants refusent de vendre à perte, les produits disparaissent des marchés et un marché noir se développe rapidement. L'édit est finalement abandonné.Quelques années plus tard, une réforme monétaire plus efficace est menée par Constantine the Great. En 312, il introduit une nouvelle monnaie d'or appelée solidus, pesant environ 4,5 grammes d'or pur. Contrairement aux monnaies précédentes, cette pièce conserve une valeur stable.Le solidus inspire rapidement confiance. Il devient la monnaie de référence de l'Empire et restera utilisé pendant plus de sept siècles dans le monde byzantin.L'histoire de cette crise monétaire romaine illustre un principe économique toujours valable aujourd'hui : lorsque la confiance dans la monnaie disparaît, l'inflation peut rapidement devenir incontrôlable. Hébergé par Acast. Visitez acast.com/privacy pour plus d'informations.

Voici les liens pour écouter l'épisode Pourquoi le tapis de course a-t-il été un instrument de torture ?Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/fr/podcast/pourquoi-le-tapis-de-course-a-t-il/id1048372492?i=1000756915527Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/episode/1JZfMJW5Cu88LpK2VQlCSr?si=07106fbff27b41ac---------------------Au IIIᵉ siècle de notre ère, l'Empire romain traverse une période de crises profondes. Les guerres aux frontières se multiplient, les empereurs se succèdent à un rythme effréné et l'armée devient de plus en plus coûteuse. Pour financer ces dépenses croissantes, l'État romain va recourir à une solution apparemment simple : dévaluer sa monnaie.Depuis longtemps, la pièce principale de l'économie romaine est le denier, une monnaie d'argent introduite au IIIᵉ siècle avant notre ère. Pendant des siècles, sa valeur repose sur la quantité réelle d'argent qu'elle contient. Mais au fil du temps, les empereurs commencent à réduire discrètement cette proportion.Au début du IIIᵉ siècle, les pièces contiennent encore une part importante d'argent. Mais face aux besoins financiers croissants — notamment pour payer les soldats — le pouvoir impérial accélère la dégradation monétaire. On frappe de plus en plus de pièces, tout en diminuant leur teneur en métal précieux.Le phénomène s'emballe rapidement. Vers la fin du IIIᵉ siècle, certaines monnaies ne contiennent plus que quelques pourcents d'argent, parfois moins de 5 %. Le reste est composé de métaux bien moins précieux comme le cuivre.Le problème est que les Romains comprennent vite ce qui se passe. Lorsque les gens réalisent que les nouvelles pièces valent moins que les anciennes, ils adoptent un comportement économique classique : ils gardent les bonnes monnaies et dépensent les mauvaises. Les anciennes pièces riches en argent sont thésaurisées ou fondues.Résultat : la monnaie qui circule est de plus en plus dévaluée.Les prix commencent alors à grimper rapidement. Les marchands exigent davantage de pièces pour compenser la perte de valeur. Dans certaines régions, la monnaie devient si peu fiable que le troc réapparaît dans les échanges quotidiens.Face à cette inflation incontrôlable, l'empereur Diocletian tente une solution radicale. En 301, il publie le célèbre édit sur les prix maximums. Ce texte fixe un plafond pour le prix de centaines de produits et de services, sous peine de sanctions extrêmement sévères, parfois la mort.Mais la mesure se révèle impossible à appliquer. Les commerçants refusent de vendre à perte, les produits disparaissent des marchés et un marché noir se développe rapidement. L'édit est finalement abandonné.Quelques années plus tard, une réforme monétaire plus efficace est menée par Constantine the Great. En 312, il introduit une nouvelle monnaie d'or appelée solidus, pesant environ 4,5 grammes d'or pur. Contrairement aux monnaies précédentes, cette pièce conserve une valeur stable.Le solidus inspire rapidement confiance. Il devient la monnaie de référence de l'Empire et restera utilisé pendant plus de sept siècles dans le monde byzantin.L'histoire de cette crise monétaire romaine illustre un principe économique toujours valable aujourd'hui : lorsque la confiance dans la monnaie disparaît, l'inflation peut rapidement devenir incontrôlable. Hébergé par Acast. Visitez acast.com/privacy pour plus d'informations.

With the tetrarch system still taking shape, Diocletian and his Caesar Galerius come under growing pressure in the East, facing rebellion from Egypt and invasion from the Persian King Naresh. A series of hard campaigns, careful political choices and eventual victory will determine whether this new imperial order can truly secure Rome's frontiers. Support Emperors of Rome on Patreon: patreon.com/romepodcast This month's bonus episode on Patreon is with Rhiannon Evans, looking at panegyrics.. Episode CCLIII (253) Part V of Diocletian Guest: Professor Caillan Davenport (Centre for Classical Studies, Australian National University)

Lesson #5 – Why We Believe the Bible John 17:17 Isaiah 40:8 The Fourfold Power of Scripture 1. The Scriptures Are Inspired 2 Timothy 3:16 inspiration comes from the Greek word meaning: Theopneustos = God-breathed ● Psalm 119:89 ● Matthew 4:4 2. The Scriptures Are Instructive 2 Timothy 3:16 Four Wonderful Areas Of Instruction: • Doctrine – What Is Right • Reproof – What Is Wrong • Correction – How To Get Right • Instruction – How To Stay Right John 4:14 3. The Scriptures Are Instrumental 2 Timothy 3:17 The Bible works in three great ways: A. For Salvation 2 Timothy 3:15 “Which are able to make thee wise unto salvation.” ● Romans 10:17 ● 1 Corinthians 5:3–4 B. For Sanctification 2 Timothy 3:17 John 17:17 C. For Service 2 Timothy 3:17 4. The Scriptures Are Irrefutable Hebrews 11:1 “the evidence of things not seen.” A. Historical Evidence Examples where archaeology confirmed the Bible: • Belshazzar Confirmed by the Nabonidus Cylinders found in Iraq. • The Hittites Thousands of tablets discovered at Boghazköy. • Pontius Pilate – confirmed by a limestone inscription reading “Pontius Pilate, Prefect of Judea.” • Pool of Bethesda – excavated near the Church of St. Anne, showing the five colonnades exactly as described in Scripture. B. Scientific Evidence Ancient Egyptian medicine included things like: ● lizard blood ● donkey dung poultices ● rotten meat applications ● human and animal excrement as medicine ✔ Quarantine for infectious disease (Leviticus 13–14) ✔ Washing after contact with sickness (Leviticus 15) ✔ Proper disposal of human waste outside the camp (Deuteronomy 23) ✔ Isolation of diseased individuals (Numbers 5) C. Preservation Evidence Psalm 12:6–7 The Bible has been printed in millions of copies and over 3,500 languages. ● Voltaire, who predicted Christianity would vanish (his home later housed the Geneva Bible Society). ● Diocletian's edict in A.D. 303 ordering Scriptures burned. ● Nazi book burnings ● Communist censorship ● Modern attempts to remove the Bible from public life. Mark 13:31 D. Prophetic Evidence Over 300 prophecies about Jesus Christ were written centuries before His birth. • Born in Bethlehem • Betrayed for 30 pieces of silver • Hands and feet pierced • Buried with the rich Psalm 34:8 How to Get Into the Bible 1. Read it daily 2. Study it carefully 3. Meditate on it slowly 4. Share it freely 5. Apply it immediately

Full Text of Readings Saturday of the Third Week of Lent Lectionary: 242 The Saint of the day is Saint Maximilian Saint Maximilian's Story We have an early, almost unembellished account of the martyrdom of Saint Maximilian in modern-day Algeria. Brought before the proconsul Dion, Maximilian refused enlistment in the Roman army saying, “I cannot serve, I cannot do evil. I am a Christian.” Dion replied: “You must serve or die.” Maximilian: “I will never serve. You can cut off my head, but I will not be a soldier of this world, for I am a soldier of Christ. My army is the army of God, and I cannot fight for this world. I tell you I am a Christian.” Dion: “There are Christian soldiers serving our rulers Diocletian and Maximian, Constantius and Galerius.” Maximilian: “That is their business. I also am a Christian, and I cannot serve.” Dion: “But what harm do soldiers do?” Maximilian: “You know well enough.” Dion: “If you will not do your service I shall condemn you to death for contempt of the army.” Maximilian: “I shall not die. If I go from this earth, my soul will live with Christ my Lord.” Maximilian was 21 years old when he gladly offered his life to God. His father went home from the execution site joyful, thanking God that he had been able to offer heaven such a gift. St. Maximilian's liturgical feast is celebrated on March 12. Reflection In this celebration we find one inspirational son and one incredible father. Both men were filled with strong faith and hope. Let's ask them to help us in our struggle to remain faithful.Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

These twelve holy Martyrs suffered in the reign of Diocletian.   "The first of these, Pamphilius, was priest in the church at Caesarea in Palestine; a learned and devout man, he corrected the mistakes of various copiers in the text of the New Testament. He himself copied this saving Book and gave it to any who desired it. The second was a deacon, Valentine, old in years and white with wisdom. He was a great expert in the Holy Scriptures, knowing them by heart. The third was Paul, a respected and eminent man, who had on a previous occasion been cast into the fire for the sake of Christ. With them were five Egyptians, brothers both in blood and soul, who were returning to their native land from serving a sentence in the mines of Cilicia. As they reached the gate of the town of Caesarea they said that they were Christians, and were therefore brought to trial. When asked their names, they replied: 'We have cast away the pagan names given us by our mother, and are called Elias, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Samuel and Daniel.' when asked where they were from, they replied: 'From Jerusalem that is above.' They were all beheaded, and a young man called Porphyrius, who had searched for their bodies to give them burial, suffered soon afterwards. Him they burned. An officer, Seleucus, who had come up to the martyrs and embraced them before the sword descended on their heads, was also burned, and an old man, Theodulus, a servant of the Roman judge, who had embraced one of the martyrs while they were under escort. Lastly Julian, who had kissed the dead bodies of the martyrs and honoured them, followed them in death. So they exchanged the small for the greater, the tawdry for the precious and death for immortality, and went to the Lord in 308." (Prologue)   The Synaxarion concludes, "After the martyrdom of Pamphilius, the leader of the glorious cohort, the impious governor gave orders that his body and those of his companions should be left where they lay as food for carnivorous animals. However by God's Providence, no animal came near their holy relics, which the Christians were able to lay to rest with due honour." The account of these Martyrs was written by Eusebius of Caeserea, Pamphilius' disciple.

Diocletian and Maximian have established themselves as co-Emperors, working together to amicably administrate a sprawling Roman Empire. But with Persians to the east, Britons to the west, and discontent all around… maybe it's time for more laurel wreaths? Support Emperors of Rome on Patreon: patreon.com/romepodcast Episode CCLI (251) Part III of Diocletian Guest: Professor Caillan Davenport (Centre for Classical Studies, Australian National University)

When Don Lemon appears in a church in St. Paul Minnesota—not to worship, but as part of a protest meant to disrupt and mock—it tells you something about the moment we're living in, because mockery has always come first. Before Christians were hunted by Nero and later wiped out under Diocletian, they were ridiculed—painted as dangerous, irrational, and unfit for public life. That same pattern is playing out today. While churches here are mocked, Christians in Nigeria are being hunted, burned out of their villages, and murdered for their faith—much like believers in Rome, punished not for crimes but for refusing to bow. And the pressure doesn't stop there. In the early Church, false teachers like Valentinus and Marcion didn't attack Christianity head-on; they redefined it, reshaping Jesus to fit the spirit of the age. Different century, same pattern: public scorn, real persecution, and a counterfeit gospel meant to replace the real one. The question is whether the Church recognizes the parallels and stands firm. Follow Good Fight Ministries on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goodfightministries  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodfightministries  Twitter/X: https://www.twitter.com/goodfightmin  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@goodfightministries  Rumble: https://rumble.com/GoodFightMinistries  Support Us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/goodfight  East Coast Men's Retreat 2026 https://tinyurl.com/MensRetreatWinter2026  The Hidden Faith of the Founding Fathers https://www.goodfight.org/product/the-hidden-faith-of-the-founding-fathers/  Marvel & DC's War on God: Doctor Strange, Aleister Crowley and the Multiverse of Satanism https://www.goodfight.org/product/marvel-dcs-war-on-god-doctor-strange-aleister-crowley-and-the-multiverse-of-satanism/ 

Friends of the Rosary,Today, January 21, the faithful celebrate the feast of St. Agnes, one of the most notorious martyrs of ancient Rome, along with St. Cecilia. She was a young virgin martyred under the Roman emperor Diocletian around the year 304.Devotion to her is of ancient standing, and two churches in Rome commemorate her witness. Agnes is invoked in the canon of the Mass, in the Eucharistic Prayer I.The name of "Agnes" means "lamb-life." The lamb is the symbol of the innocence of the virgin-martyr.Agnes, a girl of twelve, freely died for Christ. When she was commanded to offer incense to false Gods, she raised her hand and made the Sign of the Cross. And when the son of the Roman prefect offered to marry her, she replied:"The one to whom I am betrothed is Christ Whom the angels serve. For Him alone I keep my troth, to Him I surrender with all my heart."Today, we also celebrate the feast of Our Lady of High Grace, in Spanish la Virgen Maria de la Altagracia.The image of Our Lady of Altagracia was crowned twice: in 1922 by Pope Pius XI, and in 1979 by Pope John Paul II, who, during his visit to Santo Domingo, personally crowned the image with a golden silver tiara, his personal gift to the Virgin, the first evangelizer of the Americas.Ave Maria!Come, Holy Spirit, come!To Jesus through Mary!Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.Please give us the grace to respond with joy!+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New YorkEnhance your faith with the new Holy Rosary University app:Apple iOS | New! Android Google Play• ⁠January 21, 2026, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Send us a textWe trace Saint Sebastian's journey from Roman captain to Eucharistic witness, moving from the catacombs to the emperor's court and the arrows that could not break his faith. We share how his patronage strengthens soldiers, the sick, and anyone seeking courage today.• Early life and service in the Praetorian Guard • Secret ministry in the catacombs under persecution • Trial before Diocletian and first martyrdom by arrows • Miraculous recovery with Irene and second witness • Final bludgeoning and the seed of legacy • Patronage of soldiers, archers, and the sick • Intercession during plagues and public devotions • Lessons for a modern Eucharistic revival • Practical ways to join our Eucharistic missionBring the saints and the Eucharist into your home Explore our curated collection of relics, shrines, and Marian devotionals, each authentic, each a path to deeper encounter Access our expansive media library, documentaries, books, and virtual pilgrimages crafted to deepen your Eucharistic devotion, perfect for study groups, catechists, and personal growth Shop our store with generous discounts, free shipping on threshold orders, and a rewarding loyalty program Walk with us in mission, become part of our global Journeys of Faith family with daily prayers, newsletters, and opportunities to support the cloistered Augustinian nuns of Monofalco directly Family, there is more to this post, so please see the link in the description for the rest of the article Be sure to click the link in the description for special news item And since there is more to this article, finish reading and check out the special offer Visit journeysoffaith.com website todaySaint Sebastian Store ItemsOpen by Steve Bailey Support the showDownload Journeys of Faith Free App link. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/journeys-of-faith/id6757635073 Journeys of Faith brings your Super Saints Podcasts ***Our Core Beliefs*** The Eucharist is the Source and Summit of our Faith." Catechism 132 Click Here “This is the will of God, your sanctification.” 1Thessalonians 4“ Click Here ... lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven...” Matthew 6:19-2 Click Here The Goal is Heaven Click Here Please consider subscribing to this podcast or making a donation to Journeys of Faith we are actively increasing our reach and we are seeing good results for visitors under 40! Help us Grow! Buy Me a cup of Coffee...

Episode 9 - Diocletian - "Villains of the Early Church: And How They Made Us Better Christians" In this episode, Mike Aquilina and Kris McGregor discuss Diocletian and the threat of a "police state" to religious freedom.  Mike makes suggestions on what the Christian can do to stay true to the faith in times of religious persecution. The post VEC9 – Diocletian – Villains of the Early Church with Mike Aquilina – Discerning Hearts Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

She was born in Rome to a wealthy and prominent family. Though her father Pretexatus was a pagan, her mother Fausta instructed her in the things of God. Her father married her against her will to Publius, a prodigal and impious man lacking in Christian or pagan virtue. Anastasia was in the custom of dressing herself as a poor working woman and going out by night to visit and comfort the many Christians in prison (this was the time of Diocletian's persecution). When Publius discovered this, he was furious that his wife was demeaning herself by consorting with the despised Christians, and had his wife locked in the house with so little food that she came close to death by starvation. She was able to get a letter to her spiritual father Chrysogonus, who was also in prison, and their correspondence helped to sustain her through her ordeal. After three months her husband died in a shipwreck and she regained her freedom. Immediately she redoubled her work for the suffering Christians and their families, devoting all her time and wealth to their comfort and care.   One day Diocletian declared that all Christians in his prisons should be slain, and his command was carried out in one night. The next day Anastasia came to visit her beloved companions and, learning that all were dead, fell sobbing by the gate, no longer caring to conceal her Christian faith from anyone. Almost immediately she was arrested and brought before the authorities, who subjected her to every form of abuse. One prefect offered to marry her if she would bow to the idols, but to have her tortured to death if she would not. When she was unmoved, he attempted to rape her, but was struck blind and died miserably. She then briefly escaped to Nicaea and found refuge with the pious St Theodota, but was seized again along with Theodota and her children. After further trials and torments Anastasia, Theodota and her children, and others who had been converted to Christ through Anastasia's example, were executed.   Saint Anastasia's relics were taken to Rome, where a church was built in her honor. The relics were later translated to Constantinople and placed in another church bearing her name, where they worked many miracles. Because she has healed many through her prayers from the effects of poisons and potions, she is called Pharmocolytria, "Deliverer from Potions."

How did a humble Balkan soldier ascend to the heights of Roman power?Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr. David Gwynn to explore the tumultuous reign of Emperor Diocletian and the significant reforms that pulled the Roman Empire out of its third-century crisis, including the formation of the Tetrarchy to stabilise the empire. However, Diocletian's legacy is heavily marred by his notorious Great Persecution of Christians. Who was the real Diocletian?MORERome's Crisis of the Third CenturyListen on AppleListen on SpotifyEmperor ConstantineListen on AppleListen on SpotifyWatch this episode on our NEW YouTube channel: @TheAncientsPodcastPresented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.All music courtesy of Epidemic SoundsThe Ancients is a History Hit podcast.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

He lived in Rome during the reign of Diocletian. He was slave to Aglais, the daughter of a Senator, and served as steward of her household and her large fortune. He also lived in fornication with her, and was addicted to drink. Despite these sins, he was kind, hospitable to strangers, and generous toward the needy.   In time, Aglais became troubled in her conscience over her way of life, and began to think of the account that she would have to give to God for her sins. Some Christians told her of the holy Martyrs and, moved by their accounts, she ordered Boniface to travel to Tarsus and bring back relics of these holy ones. Boniface, still deaf and blind to the things of God, said jokingly, "And will you honor me as a Saint if I bring back my own body to you as a relic?"   Boniface traveled to Tarsus with a large escort, well supplied with gold. He went straightaway to the Amphitheater, where he beheld a number of Martyrs being subjected to awful torments for the pleasure of the crowd, but bearing them all with patience and serenity. At the sight, the dissolute steward was touched by grace and felt his heart melt within him. He ran to the Martyrs, fell at their feet and kissed their chains, and loudly declared that he too was a disciple of Christ. So he too was put in chains, subjected to frightful tortures, and finally beheaded, rejoicing and praising God.   Boniface's escort, mystified by his long absence, made inquiries and were astonished to discover that their godless and sinful companion had met a Martyr's death the day before. They paid fifty pounds in gold for his body and brought it back to Rome, thus fulfilling Boniface's own unwitting prophecy.   An angel of the Lord appeared to Aglais and said, "Arise and go to meet him who was once your servant and companion in sin, but has now become our brother. Receive him as your master for, thanks to him, all your sins are to be forgiven." Rejoicing, Aglais received her former lover's holy relics and built a church in his honor, where many miracles were wrought. Aglais gave away her fortune, devoted herself to ascesis and prayer, and was herself granted the grace to work miracles. She reposed in peace thirteen years later, assured that the sins of her past had been effaced through the intercessions of the holy Boniface.

He grew up in Milan and became an army officer, where he distinguished himself so well that the Emperor Diocletian made him captain of the Praetorian Guard not suspecting that Sebastian was a Christian. In Rome, while fulfilling the duties of a courtier, he used his position to comfort and encourage his imprisoned fellow-Christians. By his labors and example he brought many to faith in Christ, including Chromatius, the Prefect in charge of persecuting the Roman Christians.   Sebastian had upheld two brothers, Mark and Marcellinus, who were awaiting execution for their faith. When the day of execution came, their father Tranquillinus, who had been a pagan but through Sebastian's example had converted, presented himself to Chromatius and announced that he too was a Christian. His testimony was so powerful that the hard heart of the Prefect was melted, and he himself resolved to become a Christian.   Caius, Bishop of Rome, gathered the new brethren (both men and women — not all of Sebastian's converts have been mentioned here) to embrace them and baptize them, but also to warn them of their coming Martyrdom. He instructed some to flee the city and others, headed by Sebastian, to remain in Rome, devoting their days to fasting, prayer and thanksgiving as they awaited their death. As the "company of Martyrs" did this, many came to them and were healed of ailments, and many joined them in confessing Christ.   When the time of martyrdom came, each member of the company was subjected to imaginatively cruel tortures before his execution. Sebastian himself was made to witness the deaths of all his companions, then to endure his own trial. He serenely confessed his unshaken faith before Diocletian himself before being taken to the place of execution. There he was tied to a post and made the target of a band of archers until his body bristled with arrows like the quills of a porcupine. He was left for dead, but when Irene, widow of St Castulus, came to bury him, she found him alive and tended his wounds. Amazingly, he recovered, and presented himself once again to the Emperor. Astonished and outraged, the tyrant ordered that Sebastian be beaten to death with clubs and thrown into the city's sewer. That evening, a pious Christian woman was told in a vision to retrieve his body and bury it in the catacombs. After St Constantine brought peace to the Church, Pope Damasus built a church over the site in the Saint's honor. For hundreds of years, many miracles were worked there through St Sebastian's intercessions.

Our beloved holy Father Nicholas is, along with St George (and second to the All-holy Theotokos), probably the best-loved Saint of the Church. His numberless miracles through the ages, on behalf of the countless Christians who have called on him, cannot be told.   He was born in Lycia (in Asia Minor) around the end of the third century, to pious Christian parents. His love of virtue, and his zeal for observing the canons of the Church, were evident from his infancy, when he would abstain from his mother's breast every Wednesday and Friday until the evening. From early youth he was inclined to solitude and silence; in fact, not a single written or spoken word of the Saint has come down to us. Though ordained a priest by his uncle, Archbishop Nicholas, he attempted to withdraw to a hermit's life in the Holy Land; but he was told by revelation that he was to return home to serve the Church publicly and be the salvation of many souls.   When his parents died, he gave away all of his inheritance to the needy, and thereafter almsgiving was his greatest glory. He always took particular care that his charity be done in secret. Perhaps the most famous story of his open-handedness concerns a debt-ridden man who had no money to provide dowries for his daughters, or even to support them, and in despair had resolved to give them into prostitution. On three successive nights the Saint threw a bag of gold into the window of the man's house, saving him and his daughters from sin and hopelessness. The man searched relentlessly to find and thank his benefactor; when at last he discovered that it was Nicholas, the Saint made him promise not to reveal the good deed until after he had died. (This story may be the thin thread that connects the Saint with the modern-day Santa Claus).   God honored his faithfulness by granting him unparalleled gifts of healing and wonderworking. Several times he calmed storms by his prayers and saved the ship that he was sailing in. Through the centuries he has often done the same for sailors who call out to him, and is considered the patron of sailors and all who go to sea.   He was elected Bishop of Myra not long before the great persecutions under Diocletian and Maximian (c. 305), and was put in prison, from which he continued to encourage his flock in the Faith. When the Arian heresy wracked the Church not long after Constantine came to the throne, St Nicholas was one of the 318 Bishops who gathered in Nicea in 325. There he was so incensed at the blasphemies of Arius that he struck him on the face. This put the other bishops in a quandary, since the canons require that any hierarch who strikes anyone must be deposed. Sadly, they prepared to depose the holy Nicholas; but in the night the Lord Jesus and the most Holy Theotokos appeared to them, telling them that the Saint had acted solely out of love for Truth, not from hatred or passion, and that they should not act against him.   While still in the flesh, he sometimes miraculously appeared in distant places to save the lives of the faithful. He once saved the city of Myra from famine by appearing to the captain of a ship full of grain, telling him to take his cargo to the city. He appeared in a dream to Constantine to intercede for the lives of three Roman officers who had been falsely condemned; the three grateful soldiers later became monks.   The holy bishop reposed in peace around 345. His holy relics were placed in a church built in his honor in Myra, where they were venerated by throngs of pilgrims every year. In 1087, after Myra was conquered by the Saracens, the Saint's relics were translated to Bari in southern Italy, where they are venerated today. Every year, quantities of fragrant myrrh are gathered from the casket containing his holy relics.

Friends of the Rosary,Today, December 6, we celebrate the memorial of St. Nicholas of Myra (d. 346), a 4th-century bishop and one of the most popular saints in the Western world, honored as the patron saint of children.Born in Lycia in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), he practiced remarkable spiritual and corporal works of mercy and worked tirelessly to defend the faith.His legends of generosity made him into today's Santa Claus, a white-bearded gentleman who captivates children with promises of gifts on Christmas Eve.During the persecutions of Diocletian, he was imprisoned for preaching Christianity, but was released during the reign of Emperor Constantine.His relics are still preserved in the church of San Nicola in Bari. There is an oily substance, known as Manna di S. Nicola, highly valued for its medicinal powers, that is said to flow.Veneration for Nicholas spread throughout Europe and Asia, and countless miracles were attributed to the saint's intercession.The story of Saint Nicholas reached America in a distorted form. The Dutch Protestants carried a version of the saint's life to New Amsterdam, portraying Nicholas as a Nordic or North Pole magician and wonder-worker who brings happiness to small children.Our present-day conception of Santa Claus has grown from this version.Catholics should think of Nicholas as a saint, a confessor of the faith and the bishop of Myra, not merely as a jolly man from the North Pole.Come, Holy Spirit, come!To Jesus through Mary!Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.Please give us the grace to respond with joy!+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New YorkEnhance your faith with the new Holy Rosary University app:Apple iOS | New! Android Google Play• ⁠December 6, 2025, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET