The claim by Eusebius of Caesarea that Constantine I ordered the
destruction of the shrine of Aphrodite at Aphaca because of sexual
misconduct there (VC 3.55) has normally been accepted at face-value. It
is arguable, however, that Constantine's main reason for ordering its
destruction may have been because of an oracle there which had risen to
prominence during the reign of Aurelian and may have played some role in
provoking his persecution of Christians. It is also arguable that he
may have sought to justify the destruction of this shrine in terms of
respect for the cult of Sol rather than on any moral or Christian basis.
No comments:
Post a Comment