Although numerous sources exist from the second half of the fourth century that show concern for the situation in the Church in Hispania, perhaps the most passionate and eloquent is the Libellus precum by Faustinus and Marcellinus (hereafter, LP) In a particularly harsh manner, the authors detailed and denounced the opportunism, ambition, and worldly interests of many clerics who falsely proclaimed themselves as Catholics and, at the same time, persecuted those who remained faithful to the Nicene Creed with unusual cruelty. In a previous work, I described the verisimilitude of the events chronicled in the LP in the style of a pleading brief presented at court, and formally addressed to the three reigning emperors at that time (Valentinian II, Theodosius, and Arcadius). The authenticity of the story is also supported by the rescript, or Lex augusta (hereafter, LA), which offered an official response to the libellus , taking the truth and the seriousness of its content for granted.

Perhaps the most original aspect of this text is its recalling of the historical past in order to explain the current situation, particularly the doctrinal rectitude of some Nicenist loyals, who were unjustly persecuted by Catholic opportunists. To this end, its story highlights the most favourable events in their cause, and silences others that could have done it harm. The result could only be a particular reworking of the past, as we aim to show in the following pages.