Valeria’s Cross (34 page)

F
ollowing their beheading, the bodies of Valeria and Prisca and Candidianus were tossed into the sea off the coast of Thessalonica.

Licinius subsequently quarreled with Constantine, who defeated him in 314 and forced him to cede all of his European territories except for Thrace. War resumed in 324, and Constantine defeated Licinius at Adrianople and Chrysopolis. Constantine, as he had hoped and schemed, became the sole emperor of the Roman Empire. His sister, whom he had given in marriage to Licinius, pleaded with her brother to spare her husband, so initially Licinius was imprisoned. Constantine eventually had Licinius put to death in 325, and then ruled the Roman Empire as a Christian nation until his death on May 22, 337, in Nicomedia.

PEOPLE:

Diocletian
—Emperor of the Roman Empire, known as the greatest persecutor of Christians in the history of the world. He put an end to the disastrous phase of Roman history known as the “Military Anarchy” or the “Imperial Crisis” (235-284). He also established an obvious military despotism and was responsible for laying the groundwork for the second phase of the Roman Empire, which is known as the “Tetrarchy,” the “Later Roman Empire,” or the “Byzantine Empire.” His reforms ensured the continuity of the Roman Empire in the east for more than a thousand years.

Prisca
—Empress and wife of Diocletian, mother of Valeria.

Valeria
—Daughter of Roman Emperor Diocletian and his wife, Prisca; the wife of Galerius. She assumed the title of empress when her husband Galerius became emperor after her father’s retirement.

Galerius
—General in Diocletian’s Army, who became Diocletian’s adopted son and husband of Valeria, daughter of Diocletian. Galerius was appointed Caesar and co-emperor under Diocletian and later became the Roman emperor after Diocletian abdicated.

Valeria Maximilla
—Daughter of Caesar and Roman Emperor Galerius; wife of Maxentius, son of Maximian, emperor of the Western Roman Empire under Senior Emperor Diocletian.

Maximian Caesar
—Diocletian’s counterpart, whom he assigned as emperor of the western half of the Roman Empire.

Maxentius
—Husband of Valeria Maximilla, daughter of Galerius by his first wife, and son of Maximian Caesar, emperor of the Western Empire under Diocletian.

Candidianus
—Son of Galerius, adopted by Valeria as her own son. He was engaged to marry the daughter of Maximinus Daza, the son of Galerius’ sister and the adopted son of Galerius.

Maximinus Daia
—Nephew of Galerius, the son of his sister. Maximinus Daia, often called Daza, served in the army as a
scutarius
,
Protector
, and
tribunus
, and was adopted and appointed Caesar by Galerius.

Bishop Nicholas—
This bishop, with the white hair and beard, later became known as Santa Claus, for he was always leaving secret gifts at night at the homes of the needy, especially children.

PLACES:

Nicomedia
—Turkish city, where the palace of Roman Emperor Diocletian was located. Subsequently, it also became the city of Galerius and Valeria’s second palace.

Thessolonika/Thessalonica
—Greek city where the first palace of Galerius and Valeria was located.

Solano
—Croatian city, known as Split today, where Diocletian built a magnificent palace for his retirement.

Elephantine
—Egyptian island, where Diocletian built a palace and a Roman fortress.

Theban Region—
Egyptian area, home of the world’s most renowned Bible scholars and the Theban Legion, composed of some of the greatest soldiers in the Roman Empire.

T
he amazing and inspiring story of the Theban Legion is cited in Foxe’s
Voices of the Martyrs: 33
A.D
to Today.
¹
Though definitive argument exists that this story was only a legend, the remains of 400 men have been found in the area, lending credibility to the account. In addition, the Catholic Church recognizes the event as fact.

Portions of
Valeria’s Cross
are fictionalized, loosely based on historical dates and events. The authors took the liberty of adjusting facts so that Captain Mauritius and Valeria could meet and fall in love. The remainder of the story is closer to the historical facts, with events embellished since this time period is not well documented, especially concerning Emperor Diocletian’s daughter, Valeria. However, it is quite possible that the young woman was involved in a romance when her father ordered her to marry a pagan, General Galerius.

Some historians also argue that Prisca and Valeria were not really Christians but only sympathetic to them, based on the fact that they eventually took part in the pagan sacrifices of Rome. However, other historians affirm the women’s faith because at that time the large majority of Christians, who felt they were not called to be martyrs, participated in these sacrifices by making the sign of the cross as they did so. As for the women’s exile and death, those events are well documented.

¹
John Foxe and The Voice of the Martyrs,
Foxe: Voices of the Martyrs: 33
A.D
. to Today
(Orlando, FL: Bridge-Logos, 2007), pp. 63-64.

1. What would you consider some of the greatest points today’s Christian women could learn from Valeria and her mother, Prisca?

2. The story of the Theban Legion, which is recounted in the
Foxe’s Book of Martyrs
, is considered a legend by many scholars but absolute truth by others. Whether true or legendary, how did the story of their lives and their deaths impact you, and how does it speak to you today?

3. What surprised you most about the life and times of this era? Had you read much about it before?

4. The Romans were not known for their morality, so how do think Christian women coped with the lifestyle? How can you apply their coping mechanisms to your own life and culture today?

5. What do you see as the greatest challenges for Valeria and Prisca being married to such devout pagans?

6. After Galerius’ demise, were you surprised that his friends and family members did not remain loyal to his family?

7. Diocletian went mad a couple of times in his life. What do you believe were the causes?

8. Of the two rulers, Diocletian and Galerius, whom do you believe was more evil? Why?

9. What is the greatest lesson you learned about life and history in reading
Valeria’s Cross
?

10. What aspects of the royal life would you have most enjoyed during the rule of Diocletian and Galerius? The least? What do you think you would have done had you lived as a Christian during this time?

11. The Theban Legion were Christian martyrs. When you were reading this book, you must have asked yourself what you would have done had you been in their place. Would you care to share those thoughts?

12. What would you have done in some of Valeria’s situations? Do you think you would have behaved in a similar manner or differently?

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