Edict of Serdica

Trilingual (Latin, Bulgarian, Greek) plaque with the Edict in front of the St. Sofia Church, Sofia, Bulgaria.

The Edict of Serdica, also called Edict of Toleration by Galerius,[1][2][3] was issued in 311 in Serdica (now Sofia, Bulgaria) by Roman Emperor Galerius. It officially ended the Diocletianic Persecution of Christianity in the Eastern Roman Empire.[4]

The Edict implicitly granted Christianity the status of religio licita, a worship that was recognized and accepted by the Roman Empire.[5] It was the first edict legalizing Christianity and preceded the Edict of Milan by two years.

  1. ^ Orlin, Eric (19 November 2015). Routledge Encyclopedia of Ancient Mediterranean Religions. Routledge. p. 287. ISBN 9781134625529.
  2. ^ MacMullen, Ramsay; Lane, Eugene (1 January 1992). Paganism and Christianity, 100-425 C.E.: A Sourcebook. Fortress Press. p. 219. ISBN 9781451407853.
  3. ^ Takacs, Sarolta Anna; Cline, Eric H. (17 July 2015). The Ancient World. Routledge. p. 202. ISBN 9781317458395.
  4. ^ Gibbon, Edward (1 January 2008). The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Cosimo, Inc. p. 132. ISBN 978-1-60520-122-1.
  5. ^ Marcone, Arnaldo (2002). Pagano e cristiano. Vita e mito di Costantino. GLF editori Laterza. p. 57. ISBN 9788842065951.