citizens, in future. To execute them all would have been to diminish seriously the population of his province. As a conscientious gover- nor, he was anxious to bring this section of his subjects to their senses, and he believed that the extension of clemency to those who repented of their Christianity would be the means most likely to secure that end.? If room for repentance was given, all the Christians might be induced to recant. He does not contemplate a policy of religious toleration at all. Though there might be no crimes inherent in the profession of Christianity, Christians were still guilty of sacrilegium when they refused to worship the gods of the Empire, even if they satisfied Pliny that their meetings were purely religious in character and, therefore, did not constitute them a sodalitas within the meaning of the law. Obstinate Christians had three opportunities of recantation: if they did not take ad- vantage of their opportunities, they were executed summarily—or, if they were Roman citizens, they were transported to Rome. It was an accepted and a familiar fact that a Christian was, as such, a criminal *—so familiar, indeed, that Pliny leaves their crime of sac- rilege to be inferred from the sacrifice required of those who would prove their apostasy. He confesses that he never occupied such an official position as to be called on to decide or advise in the case of Christians, and was therefore ignorant of the precise nature of the proceedings. But he did not hesitate to condemn the obdurate,5 although he might doubt whether the name itself, if it involved no crime, or the crimes attaching to the name were thereby punished.®
1Tbid.: ‘‘ Visa est enim mihi res digna consultatione maxime propter pericli- tantium munerum. Multi enim omnis aetatis, omnis ordinis utriusque sexus etiam, vocantur in periculum et vocabuntur. Neque civitates tantum sed vicos etiam atque agros superstitionis istius contagio pervagata est; quae videtur sisti et corrigi posse. Certe satis constat prope iam desolata templa coepisse celebrari et sacra sollemnia diuintermissa repeti pastumque venire victinarum cuius adhuc rarissimus emptor.”
2 [bid.: ‘‘ Ex quo facile est opinari quae turba hominum emendari possit si sit paenitentiae locus”’.
’Tbid.: ‘* Interrogari ipsos an essent Christiani. Confitentes iterum ac tertio interrogari, supplicium miratus: perseverantes duciiussi. Neque enim dubi- tatum, qualecumque esset quod faterentur, pertinaciam certe et inflexibilem obstina- tionem debere puniri. Fuerunt alii similis amentiae quos, quia cives Romani erant, adnotari in urbem remittendos.”
‘Professor Ramsay’s paraphrase of Pliny’s words (1δίά.): ‘‘ Cognitionibus de Christianis interfui numquam; ideo nescio quid et quatenus aut puniri soleat aut quaeri”’. 5 See note (1) supra.
8 Ibid. : "Νες mediocriter haesitavi sitne aliquod discrimen aetatum an quam- libet teneri nihil a robustioribus differant, detur paenitentiae venia an ei qui omnino Christianus fuit desisse non prosit. nomen ipsum, si flagitiis careat, an flagitia cohaerentia nomini puniantur ”.