Lactantius on the Death of Galerius: A Re-Reading of "De Mortibus Persecutorum" 33
Lactantius on the Death of Galerius. This paper argues that De mortibus reflects in a practical fashion two central themes in Lactantian thought: firstly, that the existence of divine anger is proof of the action of divine providence in the world, and secondly that the Roman Empire could be made Chr...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
[2019]
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| In: |
Vigiliae Christianae
Year: 2019, Volume: 73, Issue: 4, Pages: 385-403 |
| IxTheo Classification: | CG Christianity and Politics KAB Church history 30-500; early Christianity |
| Further subjects: | B
Galerius
B Lactantius B Worms |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Resolving-System) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | Lactantius on the Death of Galerius. This paper argues that De mortibus reflects in a practical fashion two central themes in Lactantian thought: firstly, that the existence of divine anger is proof of the action of divine providence in the world, and secondly that the Roman Empire could be made Christian. To illustrate these points, it looks closely at the death of the emperor Galerius, who dies in De mortibus 33 from a disease that causes his body to produce worms, which culminates in the issuing of an edict of toleration. Using a combination of close reading and contextualization, this article argues that Lactantius moves beyond a narrative of divine punishment to suggest that the death of Galerius is necessary for the reshaping of the imperial office, and by extension the entire Roman Empire, in the person of Constantine. |
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| ISSN: | 1570-0720 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Vigiliae Christianae
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/15700720-12341405 |