A Note on Christian Libraries during the “Great Persecution,” 303-305 A.D.
Author: Lorne D. Bruce
Source: The Journal of Library History (1974-1987), Vol. 15, No. 2 (Spring, 1980), pp. 127-137

The “Great Persecution” begun in 303 by the Roman emperor Diocletian (284-305) has often been regarded as a destructive setback for the development of Christian church libraries and private collections. After thoroughly reviewing the evidence, Henri Leclercq stated that Christian libraries had suffered irremediable damage in 303-304. Another scholar, Carl Wendel, agreed, but was more cautious because he recognized that the largest eastern church libraries at Jerusalem, Alexandria, and Caesarea were not victims of the Great Persecution and that bishops often refused to turn over authentic materials to Roman magistrates. James West fall Thompson believed that Diocletian made a concerted effort to destroy the corpus of Christian literature. However, these conclusions are in need of modification: a review of the implementation of Diocletian’s four edicts against the Christians indicates that there was no systematic destruction of church libraries or private collections of books. In fact, the imperial regulations were frequently circumvented by the Christian clergy or not vigorously en forced by many municipal magistrates and provincial governors. More important than the demolition of buildings or burning of texts, the command to surrender scriptures led to the permanent schism of the Christian communities in Egypt and North Africa that affected these areas for centuries after. A consideration of this aspect will help provide a better understanding of the havoc wrought on Christianity during Diocletian’s persecution from 303 to 305.

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