Magic, Montanism, Perpetua, and the Severan Persecution

Abstract

Prior to Decius, that is before the Roman Empire had launched state persecution of Christians, the repressive measures victimising followers of Christianity were usually local and spontaneous outbursts of the heathen mob, or they were the result of the policy of provincial governors heeding popular incriminations at most. This was the reason why the popular image of Christians among pagans was of extreme importance. We should appreciate some factors which made accusations of this kind more dangerous than ever in the times of Emperor Severus, at the turn of the second century, inciting the persecution in which popular enmity and official repression went hand in hand. Septimus Severus himself was ruthless towards magicians, astrologers and prophetic dreams.' The Severan lawyer Julius Paulus has left us an outline of legislation afflicting them severely at this time.2 Even those who merely possessed magic handbooks were threatened with the death sentence. Hitherto, not the magic knowledge as such, but its public display and practice by giving advice were punishable. With Severus, the very scientia huius artis was liable to be punished.3 The range of repression of those accused of magic was extended.4 There was, of course, no extermination of all involved in magic. Additional circumstances were required to persecute a person as a sorcerer. Apuleius was accused not only of magic doings but of other crimes as well. In the case of Christians, the counterpart of this additional crime would be professing a forbidden religion or some other alleged offences such as, for example, contumacia. In cases of such composite crime, Imperial officials could be relentless, especially when an agitated heathen mob was raging against the Christian wizards. In 1931 a document was found, a circular directed to the arparoyol of two Egyptian nomes, probably Heptonomia and Arsinoite, which condemned nrEplepyia5 applied to acquire supernatural knowledge by appeal