Under Decius (249–51) and Valerian (253–60), the empire declared war on the church with an effort at systematic oppression. When these persecutions were relaxed, other problems in the empire gave Christianity a second long period of peace, from 260 to 303, when Diocletian once more attempted to suppress the church. The reign of Decius marked the turning point from local, sporadic persecution to an empire-wide assault on Christianity. The situation in the empire
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