Introduction

Abstract This chapter articulates the central historical question of the relationship between Christology and politics that occupies this work. It then reviews the history of scholarship on Lactantius, observing the centrality of virtus in scholarly assessments of Lactantius, and identifies biographical and intellectual frames of reference that have shaped the reading of Lactantius since the early twentieth century. It shows that in the uncertain era of Constantine’s rise, the foundational claims of third-century Latin Christian theology profoundly influenced Christian Romans close to the new imperial administration. Lactantius is an important reference for understanding their early Christian project. The discussion observes new developments of classical and early Christian scholarship that enable a new approach to Lactantius before summarizing the content and arguments of each chapter.