Persecution 2 nd and 3 rd 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 2 nd 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