Christian Persecution under the Roman Empire

 

Introduction:

 

The Church in the first centuries was known for her courage and radical witnessing of the Gospel of Christ. The Apostles showed these characteristics through their bravery in facing persecutions because of the Word of God. They were arrested and sent to prison, were killed, and were forced to move from one place to another. And yet, nothing ever shook their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And the final test of their love and fidelity to Christ is the persecution under the Roman Empire, which was started by Nero:

 

1)   Burning of Rome:

 

Nero (54-68 AD) started the persecution of Christians. In 64 AD, half of the city of Rome was burned down. Nero was the suspect of all, for he wanted to build a city attributed to him. The people were angry. To appease the people, he blamed the event on the wrath of God. He even gave gifts to the people. But no one believed in him.

 

And so he put the blamed on the Christians. And the people were easily deceived. Why was it easy for them to speculate that it was the Christians? Because they accused the Christians of many reasons:

a)      They were atheists – their God has no representative statue in the hall of the gods.

b)      They were cannibals – they ate the flesh of Christ and drank his blood.

c)      They were accused of “Oedipoid impurity” and incestuous fornication because of their love feast (Agape); kiss and hugs  of peace, calling of brother and sister to all.

d)      Accused of hatred of the human race – they were exclusive and don’t go to gladiatorial games, public life, and refused to serve in the army.

 

·        What made the persecution possible is the last reason: hatred of the human race.

 

2) Edicts of  Emperor which touched the issue on Christian persecution:

 

a) Nero

Edict: “Christiani non sint” (let the Christians be exterminated)

 

b) Domitian (90-96)

§    Started the Emperor worship – Christians were persecuted for refusing to incense the Emperor

§    Christians in the noble family: Flavius Clemenz (cousin of Domitian), Flavius Sabinus (father of F. Clemenz) and Flavia Domitilia.

§    Killed F. Clemenz and Acilius Glabrio and exiled F. Domitilia

 

c) Trajan

§    Great martyrs: Simeon, almost 120 yrs. old, was crucified; Ignatius of Antioch was fed to the lions in Rome.

Before he died, he wrote a letter to the Romans: “allow me to be immolated while the altar is ready… I am God’s grain: let me be ground by the teeth of the wild beast so that I may become the pure bread of Christ.”

 

c) Hadrian and Antoninus Pius

Edict: Hadrian and A. Pius Rescript: Christians should not be exposed to mob violence

 

d) Marcus Aurelius (161-180)

Edict: “Against new and unknown religion” – whoever introduces new sects which is unknown, he shall be banished if he is of noble birth and killed if he is an ordinary person.

§    When pestilence, defeat in war and famine come, Christian persecution would be renewed, due to the belief that Christians are abominable to the gods.

§    Persecution in universal.

§    Famous martyr: Justin (apologists) and companions.

The Christians were interrogated: are you a Christian?. If the reply is “yes, I am”, then followed the sentence: “Those who have refused to sacrifice to the gods and obey the orders of the Emperor are to be scourged and taken away to suffer the penalty of death, inconformity with the laws.”

 

e) Commodus

§    Famous martyr: Apolonius, a Senator. Was denounced by his slave who was also executed. He was beheaded.

§    He had a slave who became his wife – Marcia. Marcia was a Christian. She interceded for the release of some Christians condemned to force labor in Sardinia. Among whom was the future Pope Clallistus.

 

f) Maximus Thrax (235 – 238)

Edict of Maximus Thrax: directed against the heads of the community – bishops, priests and deacons.

 

g) Decius (249 – 251)

§    Edict of Extermination (249): it meant to annihilate the Christians (systematic persecution)

a)      all must clear themselves by sacrificing to the gods.

b)      If they failed to present themselves, the magistrate is to force them out of their will to sacrifice to the gods.

c)      The magistrates should impose this law or face death.

 

§    Punishment: a) exile, b) condemned to death, c) confiscation of property

Results: Many Christians became afraid and many of them defected from the Faith. There were 4 kinds of Christians who defected:

a)      thurificati (incense worshipper) – those who had merely fulfilled the edict by offering incense.

b)      Sacrificati (sacrifice offerers) those who had offered sacrifices of animals to the gods

c)      Libellatici (certificate-keepers) those who procured documents of fulfilling the edict through bribery.

§    Famous martyrs:

Pope Fabian, Pionius was seized when he was offering Mass on the anniversary of St. Polycarp.

Origen – one of the greatest theologian of the Church. He castrated himself for a vow. He had a school in Alexandria. He was arrested in Decius time and ready to die. But was released afterwards.

 

h) Diocletian (303-311)

§    He divided the Empire into 4 prefectures: 2 Augustus - Maximian Herculeus (West) capital in Milan; Diocletian (East) in Nicomedia. 2 Caesars – Constantius Chlorus (west) in Treves; Galerius (East) in Sirmium.

§    In the West, persecution was not strictly followed.

§    When Diocletian and Maximian retired, Constantius Chlorus in the West (Augustus) and Galerius succeded Diocletian. Caesars – Severus for the West and Maximinus Daia for the East.

§    In the East, Christian persecution was very severe!

 

First Edict: ordering the churches and scriptures to be burned down. it spared many lives but caused death to those who would not give in the scriptures to the magistrates

            Traditores (traitors) – those Christians who surrendered the Sacred books.

Second Edict: presidents of churches should be imprisoned and should be forced to offer sacrifices to the gods.

Third Edict: prisoners were forced to sacrifice to the gods and be punished severely if they refused.

 

 

            3) Important Dates:

 

64 AD – Burning of Rome by Emperor Nero 67 /68 – Peter and Paul martyred in Rome 305 – 311: Peak of Persecution - this was the time of Emperor Diocletian and Emperor Galerius who persecuted the Christians severely in the East. On the other hand, their counterpart Emperors in the West did not any barbaric attacks against the Christians except by burning down churches.    249 AD – The infamous “Edict of Extermination” – this edict of Decius is meant to annihilate all Christians (one of the systematic persecution against Christians April 3, 311 – Famous Edict of Toleration by Galerius, granting Christians the right to live.             “... Ut denuo sint christiani.”  (“.. And may they from now on be christians.”) 313 AD – Edict of Milan: Constantine granted the Christians the freedom to exercise their Christian religion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     4) The Constantinian Turning Point:

 

      After more than two centuries of both universal and random persecutions against the followers of Jesus Christ, they were at last freed from this frightening moment of history through the instrumentality of another Emperor. By 305 - 311, the Church suffered tremendous outside threat - the threat of their own lives. However, that was the last test placed on them by God in order to test their faithfulness and commitment to Christ.

      Somehow, God rewarded their show of power, a power which the world did not posses. If through infamous emperors they were killed, it was also through an emperor who allowed them to live. The success story of Constantine against Emperor Maxentius was attributed to the 'god of the Christians'. It was he himself who admitted it with conviction. Before the famous battle of the Milvian bridge took place in , he had a some sort of a vision or a dream. In that supernatural event, he saw the symbol of the cross in the noonday sky above the sun accompanied by the voice "by this sign, you shall conquer". True to that encounter, he advanced against his gigantic enemy with only a 'slingstone' of chances in his side. And just like the little David defeated the giant Goliath, he repeated that Israelite story, and made it his own victory. And by autumn of 312, Constantine defeated Maxentius in the battle of the Milvian Bridge, became the emperor of the West-Roman Empire. All because of the 'god of the Christians'.

      From that time onwards, Christianity was highly favored by the Emperor. Though not an official religion yet, some favorable changes were very evident in the side of the Christians themselves:

     

      1) Christian art flourished side by side with the veneration of saints and martyrs

      2) A reform in the administration of the Church

      3) Persecution stopped

      4) Sunday became the official festive day

      5) Clergy obtained some legal privileges

     

      Although, Constantine had a high esteem towards the Christians after that, he was not baptized until before his death. He was not yet completely ascribing himself to Christian principles and practices, evident of his regard to Christ as the god of the Christians. He may interpreted the sign as his own special deity recommending the worship of the Christian god. In proclaiming Sunday as festive in 321, he called it the 'the venerable day of the Sun', suggests his strong pagan sentiments.

 

      Aside from the good things he had contributed to the Church, Constantine made some 'honest' mistakes. It is honest because he had no evil intentions of any sort in bestowing benefits to the Church. At the same time, it is a mistake in a sense that these lavish gifts and immunities to the clergy did moral destructions in the side of the Church herself. In other words, these material favors watered down Christian commitment and life:

 

      1) Bishops assumed temporal functions

      2) increase of wealth

      3) physical power increased of the leaders – this power was used to persecute pagans.

 

      By and by, these acts paved the way for Christianity to become the State Religion - a term embellished with negative connotations. By becoming the State Religion, Christianity sometime became the servant of the Emperor, to realize his temporal end. It would soon experience a tension of being 'torn between two lovers', or masters - God or the Emperor.

 

      Despite all these, it cannot be denied though that Constantine had done a great service to the Church by his special preference for the Christians. His life was tediously recorded by the great Church historian Eusebius of Caesaria. By 330 AD, he transferred his capital from Rome to Byzantium, which he renamed after his name, Constantinople. And by 337 AD, Constantine was baptized a Christian, just shortly before he died.

 

     5) Guides for Reflections:

 

§    Which do you think the best time for Christian to exercise their faith, 'persecuted by the Emperors' or 'favored by the Emperor'?

§    How is the commitment of Christian's life during persecution and after persecution?

§    Basing on the facts of ancient history of the Church, what do Christians need today, in order to deepen their Christian fidelity to Christ? Which do you between the two experiences of the Christians during these times?