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CTh 16.10.10 of 24 February 391 forbids sacrifice and access to temples in a western address, not an overnight abolition of all paganism

8 November 392 extends to private rites. In the causal graph this event weakens Protection of Minority Rights, a driver that strengthens Having a say in government — a worsening welfare path.

Sources: [1][2]

Read the full account

Context

Officials, not every villager, are the first addressees. Mixed survival of pagan office-holders remains in modern scholarship.

Theodosius I’s documented role is bounded by other offices and collaborators named in the sources below.

Addressed to the urban prefect of Rome. ‘No one shall pollute himself with sacrificial animals… approach the shrines.’ 8 November 392 extends to private rites. Serapeum destruction is a local Christian-mob episode not stored as his signed demolition order. Constantine’s earlier cult laws are prior influence, not this text.

Who was responsible

Contribution type and responsibility level for each recorded actor — not sole-author shorthand.

  • Theodosius I

    Person

    Direct responsibility

    responsibility level 0.4 · verified

What changed

Fact → Driver → Indicator. Relationship strength orders the paths; it is not the observed indicator movement.

    1. FactCTh 16.10.10 of 24 February 391 forbids sacrifice and access to temples in a western address, not an overnight abolition of all paganism
    2. weakensDriverProtection of Minority Rights
    3. strengthensIndicators (2)Having a say in government
    Worsening path

    impact weight 0.5 · Effect from 24 February 391 · verified

    • Having a say in government

      via Protection of Minority Rights

      Worse

      Strengthens · Relationship strength 0.23 (weight 0.5 × strength 0.45)

      Observed

      29.8% of population aged 16-65 years · 8.13 below the normal line (2023)

      Worse than normal

      Two readings: 30.2% of population aged 16-65 years (2021) and 29.8% of population aged 16-65 years (2023).

      20212023

      Above normal = better

    • Rule of Law Gap from the Highest Governance Score

      via Protection of Minority Rights

      Worse

      Weakens · Relationship strength 0.23 (weight 0.5 × strength 0.45)

      Observed

      43.9 Score · 43.9 above the normal line (2024)

      Worse than normal

      26 readings, 1996–2024: rose from 43 Score to 43.9 Score.

      Normal is zero · any amount = worse

Evidence

The sources behind this fact and its verification state.

Verified2 sources on file
  1. 1.Early Church Texts — Codex Theodosianus extractsearlychurchtexts.com · High credibility · verified
  2. 2.Fordham — Codex Theodosianus, selections from Book XVIFordham University / Internet History Sourcebooks · High credibility · verified
What the sources establish

Fordham and Early Church Texts independently print the 391 temple-access constitution from Book XVI.

Theodosius I did not file a later UNESCO form, a later Loeb colophon, or a later museum label as a personal act.

Causal path

How this event connects to drivers and indicators in the graph.

  1. ActorTheodosius I
  2. contributed toFactCTh 16.10.10 of 24 February 391 forbids sacrifice and access to temples in a western address, not an overnight abolition of all paganism
  3. weakensDriverProtection of Minority Rights
  4. strengthensIndicatorHaving a say in government

Cite this page

Factrail. (2026). CTh 16.10.10 of 24 February 391 forbids sacrifice and access to temples in a western address, not an overnight abolition of all paganism. Factrail. https://factrail.ai/facts/theo-temples-391

https://factrail.ai/facts/theo-temples-391

Accessed 16 October 2026.

By the Factrail desk · Method: how we source and score · Last reviewed

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