128- The Great Persecution

In 305 AD, Diocletian and Maximian voluntarily abdicated the throne, handing power over to Galerius and Constantius. 

Less than two years after Diocletian's abdication, the Tetrarchy was left in shambles following the power plays of Constantine and Maxentius. 

With the Tetrarchy in shambles, Diocletian will be called out of retirement in 308 AD to help broker a settlement. But the new new order will prove as bad as the old new order. 

As the third century gave way to the fourth, tensions between the early Church and traditional paganism culminated in the emperor Diocletian’s decision to launch the Great Persecution against Christianity...Music “Sons of Constantinople” by Tyler Cunningham, licensed under Pond5. ... Show More

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the accounts by Eusebius of Caesarea (c260-339 AD) and others of the killings of Christians in the first three centuries after the crucifixion of Jesus. Eusebius was writing in a time of peace, after The Great Persecution that had started with Empe ... Show More

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the accounts by Eusebius of Caesarea (c260-339 AD) and others of the killings of Christians in the first three centuries after the crucifixion of Jesus. Eusebius was writing in a time of peace, after The Great Persecution that had started with Empe ... Show More

Thought by some as the first genocide in Europe, the Albigensian Crusade was the bloodiest crusade in history. Following the Mystery of the Cathars and the Real Da Vinci Code, Tom and Dominic come to the conclusion of their series on the Cathars with an extraordinary and bloody t ... Show More

An exploration of the earliest Christian persecutions. 

Despite the Edict of Galerius, his nephew Maximinus Daia refuses to end the Great Persecution. After securing his power base, the emperor of the east launches a cunning campaign to resume the persecution of Christians and discredit their faith with slander and propaganda.Music “S ... Show More

Marcus Aurelius was the last of the 'Good Emperors'. His son, Commodus, proved to be the exact opposite of his father. A bloodthirsty tyrant, his reign is often seen as marking the beginning of the decline and fall of the Roman Empire.Support the showFor a free ebook, maps and bl ... Show More