Persecution of Christians and Edict of Gallienus of 260 A.D.

The article presents the study of the persecution of Christians and the Edict of Gallienus of 260 A. D. Reasons for the beginning of the persecution are discussed and traced back to the time of Constantine the Great. The conclusion is made that the only actions to be brought under the law included the attitude of Christians to the cult of the Emperor and to the military service. The Edict of Gallienus only outlined the reform of the new empire, while the creators of the new Late Roman Empire were Diocletian and Constantine.