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