On the Deaths of the Persecutors: A Translation of De Mortibus Persecutorum by Lucius Caecilius Firmianus Lactantius

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On the Deaths of the Persecutors is a work of considerable historical import containing details about the Roman Empire of the early 4th century AD that are found nowhere else. In this unique work, Lactantius creates a hybrid of history and apologetics, making an argument for the truth of the Christian religion based on the fates of those emperors who had been most egregious persecutors of Christians. As a work of history, On the Deaths of the Persecutors is a key source for Diocletian’s Tetrarchy, the Great Persecution, and the rise of Constantine, worthy to supplement the monumental Ecclesiastical History and The Life of the Blessed Emperor Constantine, both by Eusebius Pamphilus, as the most important primary sources for this era of transition, turmoil and consolidation.

This new edition of the classic translation of Lord Hailes was originally executed in the late 18th century and re-used in The Ante-Nicene Fathers series in 1905. For this edition, the translation has been supplemented with a new introduction and extensive commentary to make the text more approachable for a modern audience. An index is also included along with an updated list of references and suggested further reading.