THE ‘DETHRONEMENT’ OF JUPITER: LACTANTIUS’ CRITICISM OF PAGAN IDEOLOGY FROM SOSSIANUS HIEROCLES TO DIOCLETIAN

This paper examines Lactantius’ criticism of pagan ideology, particularly that of the intellectual Sossianus Hierocles and that of the emperor Diocletian. The author argues that Lactantius’ aim was to dismantle Jupiter’s centrality in the Roman religious and political sphere. Lactantius begins by refuting Hierocles’ anti-Christian arguments and his henotheistic belief, in order to undermine Jupiter’s supremacy in the Roman pantheon. He then challenges the ideological framework of Diocletian’s Tetrarchy, a framework foregrounding Jupiter as the emperor’s tutelary deity. Through this multifaceted approach, Lactantius aims to establish the Christian God as the sole true God and cosmic ruler, capable of ensuring political-religious universalism within the Roman Empire.