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Persecution
2nd and 3rd Century Christianity
The Roman empire allowed its people to believe whatever they wanted to believe as long as they observed the State Religion
The Romans took very seriously the public sacrifices Believed that if you do not
offer sacrifices to the gods, they get angry and abandon you
Keeping the gods pacified was the top priority
Exceptions Jews were the only ones exempt
from performing the State Religion The earliest Christians were
exempted from performing sacrifices As Christianity separated from
Judaism, Romans no longer felt obligated to grant them the exclusion
Religions needed official approval to operate legally Judaism had this status Christians didn’t
It did not help that Christians were followers of someone the Romans had executed as a political threat
Background of Jesus’ followers Slaves Atheists
People saw the gods and their powers as a regular part of daily life
since Christians refused to acknowledge these gods, they seemed to be denying the very foundation of the spiritual belief
Christians were also accused of: Cannibalism Practicing black magic treason
What started the persecutions? Christians refused to offer sacrifices
violating Roman law if a group of people refused to offer
sacrifices, this was seen as a flat rejection of Roman rule Especially if they did this
because they were worshiping what the Romans viewed as a competing god
It meant you were politically opposed to the empire and would revolt if only you got the change
The Emperor
The people were also expected to pay homage to the “genius” of the Roman emperor. Genius refers to the divine spirit of the
emperor Most emperors claimed to be divine Making a sacrifice to the emperor’s genius
was really a patriotic duty - today: Pledge of Allegiance to the flag today
Christians saw it as sacrificing to a pagan idol If only a few people had resisted, it would not
have been a problem; but as the number of Christians grew, authorities faced the prospect of widespread resistance to the roman rule - an intolerable situation
Situation
Rome was defensive because it was falling apart From inside – corrupt leaders From outside – Barbarian invaders gained territory Needed more military
Christians would not join the military, they were pacifists (love your enemies)
Rome demanded religious conformity for strength (Diocletian) People had to
Worship Roman Emperor Christians would not sacrifice = treason (violating the
civic duty and not honoring the State Religion) if you don’t keep the gods happy, Rome will not
succeed sacrifice to the gods – carry a certificate of sacrifice
Christians’ fault= persecution
Many believed that the empire almost collapsed due to the direct result of the gods’ disapproval of Christians
The empire’s survival depended on suppressing Christianity and getting people to turn back to traditional customs and religion
Christians were persecuted
Catacombs
Christians were executed by facing fire, wild animals, or gladiators in huge arenas.
This was a form of public entertainment as well as political propaganda that communicated a clear message about the danger of disloyalty to the empire.
Those Christians who refused to sacrifice to Roman gods and goddesses were often murdered.• These Christians are called
martyrs The word martyr means witness It refers to those who choose to die rather
than renounce their beliefs
Facing the test Not all Christians were able to face
up the prospect of torture and death
Some failed to stand up for their faith and were called lapsi Lapsi means lapsed or failed Included: laypeople, priests,
bishops, and even a pope Pope Marcellinus handed over
copies of the sacred books and offered incense to the gods He was called a traditor=
traitor Means one who hands
over
Reforming the lapsi Some Christians said the lapsi
should be readmitted Others believed they should be
excommunicated for life The Church as a whole came to
a decision that those who lapsed needed to do penance but afterwards could once more join the Christian community
Not everyone agreed with the church’s decision
Martyrdom in the ancient world Martyrdom was uncommon
in the ancient world Earliest account of
martyrdom appears in 2nd Maccabees The mother and her
seven sons This kind of faithfulness was
unheard of in the ancient world
No one’s lord required absolute fidelity
martyrologies A body of literature that related the heroic and horrifying
tales of honor, torture, death, and glory. The format included:
A first person narrative by the martyr - explaining his or her desire to share in Christ’s suffering or leave this life for the greater one awaiting
An account of the execution written by an observer of the events