Theotecnus

Under certain pretenses he forbade Christians to assemble in their churchyards, and then he privately procured petitions from various cities which desired that the Christians might not be encouraged in their precincts.

This was a refined species of policy in which he was assisted by Theotecnus, the governor of Antioch.

This man had hunted the Christians from their places of confinement and had caused the deaths of many.

He now set up an oracle of Jupiter and consecrated the idol at Antioch with new ceremonies.

Jupiter gave out that the Christians ought to be banished from the city, and Maximin was informed that it was his duty both on motives of piety and policy to persecute the Christians.

All the other magistrates of the cities subject to Maximin acted the same part as Theotecnus, and petitions were sent by the pagan inhabitants begging the expulsion of Christians.

Maximin, furnished with plausible pretenses for renewing the persecution, commenced it again.

Through every city and village, idolatrous priests were appointed, and over them high priests of a new institution who applied themselves with great diligence to the support of declining paganism.