How a Test of Faith Led to Division and Heresy in the Church by John Falstaff In the waning days of the Roman Empire around 320 AD, the eastern provinces suffered under the rule of Emperor Licinius, a leader bent on stamping out Christianity. In Sebaste, located in modern-day Turkey, forty soldiers of the elite Twelfth Legion faced a test of loyalty—not to the empire, but to their faith. They were ordered to renounce Christ and worship the pagan gods of Rome, but their unwavering belief set them on a path of martyrdom. This act of defiance occurred during a tumultuous period in Roman history. In 293 AD, Emperor Diocletian had divided the empire into East and West under the Tetrarchy, a system designed to manage its vast territories. By the early 4th century, Constantine in the West and Licinius in the East were locked in a rivalry that shaped the empire's future. 𝓣𝓻𝓾𝓮 𝓒𝓱𝓻𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓪𝓷𝓼 𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮