SETTIMIO SEVERO (L. Septimius Severus), ROMAN EMPEROR. — Born at Leptis Magna (Libia) on 11 April 146, died at Yorch (Inghilterra) in February 211.
Descended from an equestrian family, he went to Rome and, under the protection of Marco Aurelio, embarked upon the career of public offices; he was quaestor (170), tribune of the plebs (176), and praetor in Spagna (178). Under Commodo he temporarily fell from favour, but then regained influence and was governor in Gallia (187), Sicilia (189), and upper Pannonia (192). There, upon the death of Pertinace (March 193), he was acclaimed emperor by his soldiers, while those of Gallia acclaimed their commander Clodio Albino, those in the East Pescennio Nigro, and at Rome the praetorians elected Didio Giuliano. S. immediately came to Italy; he allied himself with Albino while Giuliano was killed and the Senate recognized him as emperor. He then marched against Pescennio and defeated him near Isso (194). Returning to Italy, he fought against his colleague Albino and defeated him at Lione (197), remaining sole emperor. He then instituted an anti-senatorial policy, reconnecting with that of Commodo, to whom he decreed apotheosis. After a new campaign in the East ended badly, he returned to Italy and devoted himself to organizing and pacifying the Empire, which was struggling through a profound social, moral, and military crisis. He put down the revolt of Bullo Felice, filled the State coffers by increasing tax collections, and favoured the military in every way in order to deprive them of any pretext for revolt. He took care of the organization of the provinces, especially Africa, and attended to the codification of the law; he gave new impetus to the imperial cult.
With regard to Christianity, S. at first showed himself tolerant, indeed even favourable. Tertullian reports that he had a Christian physician in his palace, that he entrusted his son Bassiano to a Christian nurse, and that he vigorously opposed the popular fury raging against Christians (Ad Scapulam, 4). Yet even in the first years of his reign there were victims, owing to popular uprisings or to the hostile attitude of certain provincial magistrates, as in Africa (Tertulli, Apolog., 12, 30, 37), in Alessandria (Clemente, Stromata, II, 125), and in Cappadocia (Ad Scapulam, 3). But S. S.’s favourable disposition towards Christians did not last long. After the Parthian war, in 202, while travelling in the East and proceeding from Palestina towards Alessandria, he suddenly issued a decree by which Judaeos fieri sub gravi poena vetuit, item de christianis tanxit (Script. Hist. Aug., Vita S., 17). The reason for this decree is not entirely clear. It seems that S. S. was alarmed and concerned by the extensive spread of Christianity, to the point of seeing in it a danger to the stability of the Empire; he therefore prohibited conversions, punishing both those who converted and those who engaged in proselytism. By virtue of the Edict, the famous school of Alessandria was dispersed and several of its students suffered martyrdom (Eusebio, Hist. eccl., VI, 4); the father of Origene was one of the victims (ibid., VI, 1). At Cartagine, the group of Perpetua, Felicita, and their companions was condemned (v.). There is no reliable information concerning other provinces of the Empire, but there is no doubt that there were further victims.