Lactantius — Of the Manner in Which the Persecutors Died (c. 315)

A tutor at the imperial court tells the story of the emperors who persecuted the Church, and how their reigns ended.

Lactantius taught rhetoric in the eastern capital of Nicomedia when the Great Persecution began there in 303. His short, vivid book is one of the key sources for the period, including the Edict of Milan (313) that granted Christians freedom of worship.

Part of the Boston Made Reader’s special collection Courage, Conscience & Service. Every book and document here is free to read.