The Myth Of Christian Persecutions

Persecution of the Christians To understand to what degree and how the Christians were persecuted in the Roman Empire it would be essential to understand the origins, of Christianity in the 1st Centaury BCE, also the first Christian emperor Constantine, and how today it is one of the world’s most popular religions with over two billion followers. It is also important to point out the differing views relating to the extent, on how the Christians were persecuted. According to the myth or story told Jesus was crucified and killed by the Romans in 30 CE. However, according to Gospels, Jesus was originally persecuted by the Jews. The persecution of Jesus was a foreshadowing of what was to come for the Christians. The word of Christianity was spread
west throughout the Mediterranean because of the apostles like Paul speaking thousands of the poor in desperation. However an early misconception had by the people of Rome was that Christianity was a cult and lumping together Christians with criminals and undesirables it hurt the movement and the purpose behind it. They were also scapegoated for horrible events, for example the fire of 64 CE when Nero was blamed he deflected it onto the Christians for their beliefs. Also in 112 CE Pliny the younger conducting trials of Christians executed people based on little evidence and because of these trials turned into witch hunts to settle scores and grudges. Throughout history there have been only a few instances where Christians have been persecuted and because of the accounts from subjective views from Christians and the films they have become overly exaggerated accounts. Throughout this essay primary and secondary sources will be compared and contrasted. Also I will analyze the detail and specifics of sources on the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire and to what extent they were persecuted. Pliny, Letters 10.96-97. Pliny the Younger a magistrate to emperor Trajan, who lived about 61-113 CE and many of his letters with Trajan still survives today. The importance of these letters between Pliny and Trajan gives evidence on how little evidence was found by Pliny to condemn people of being Christian, but also torture and execute whoever was accused of being a Christian. “Meanwhile, in the case of those who were denounced to me as Christians, I have observed the following procedure: I interrogated these as to they were Christians; those who confessed I interrogated a second and a third time, threatening them with punishment. This source is important because it describes being persecuted by the Roman government. Eusebius: Church History Book I Ecclesiastical History. Eusebius was a Greek historian on Christianity and exegete. He wrote the Gospels and wrote on the differences between biblical texts and Gospels, he is known as the “Father of the Church”. His works, Church History discusses the relationships of Christians with the Jews, but also a chronological history of Jesus and the Martyrs, prophets and apostles who spread the word of Christianity. It is an important document in the history of Christianity that gives, a view into their history, but could also be biased toward the Christians. The document also could be considered myth with the talking of angels, which could hurt the source as credible and objective. The article does provide great insight into the Christian timeline of Jesus and the Christian faith. “Nor it administrable to suppose that the theophanies recorded were appearances of subordinate angels and ministers of God, for whenever any of these appeared to men, the Scripture does not conceal the fact, but calls them by name not God nor Lord, but angels. Kelly, Christopher, The Roman Empire A very short Introduction, Oxford University Press, 2006. The book gives a brief history on the Roman Empire ranging from the rise of the empire and its beginnings as a small city looking to defend itself. Finally describing how the Roman Empire is depicted today in film and literature. The book does describe how the Christians were scapegoats for the fire of Rome and the Martyrs were fed to the lions. The book does give great insight into the empire and the feelings of the Romans including emperors towards Christians. The author mentions Pliny the Younger as well, which indicates some truth to the source, but it is hurt by other stories of Christians being fed to the lions. “Trajan’s reply was both simple and revealing, he instructed Pliny to back off. Christians were not to be sought out; they were to be given every chance to renounce their faith. Moss, Candida, The Myth of Persecution, Harper Collins Publishers, 2013.
The book describes Martyrs throughout in Christianity and other religions, the persecution of Christians, and why the Romans disliked the Christians. Moss provides great examples of specific events that talk about persecutions on all groups, including non-Christians, which would give great information on how perhaps the stories exaggerated the extent of persecutions. It provides excellent insight into the spreading of Christianity through the empire and also the reaction and attitude of the Romans to the Christians in the empire. “The Romans were very tolerant and accepting rulers. In fact the model for Romans interactions with foreign deities and religion was one of tolerance and adaption”. Quotes like this provide great insight to actual feelings of Romans not just what is given to us by films or Christian
perspective. Plescia, Joseph, On the Persecutions of the Christians in the Roman Empire, Societe of d”Etudes Latines de Bruxelles 1971. The article describes in detail on how and why the Christians were treated so different from other religions in the empire at the time. The article not just because it gives information on the persecution of Christians, but why they were seen as different, and why people alienated them across the empire, and the background or almost a prologue of the story. The article provides fantastic examples of legal imperial measure by the government to covert Christians into the dominant religions of the empire, including prayer to the emperor and if not face punishment. In the article he also describes the persecutions of Pliny the Younger and the suspicions Romans had over the new monotheistic religion. In contrast to these points the article provides details to possibly dispute the truth behind the persecutions for example that of Emperor Decius. Frend, W.H.C, The Failure of Persecution in the Roman Empire, Oxford University Press, 1959. This book offers a look into how Christianity managed to survive Roman law and persecutions and became larger than the empire itself. Also takes time to look how it transformed from a sect of a religion supported by the emperor itself and spread beyond that. Gives examples of what the Roman government did to oppose the new religion and who opposed them. The growth of Christianity and the empire together with people in high positions in the empire turning over to Christianity was a big push for being the state religion of the Roman Empire. “There were Christians or their supporters among the families of emperors”. Ferguson, Everett, Persecution in the Early Church: Did you Know?
Christianity Today, Issue 27, 1990. The article gives points on how the idea of Christianity was negative and how the toleration usually shown in the empire was very precarious when it came to Christianity. Also provides great insight into fear someone would experience if they were to be denounced as a Christian very similar to witch hunts based on jealousy and greed. The article goes into depth on why monotheism won out over mythology that the simplicity and the strength it had gathered behind it caused it to appeal to so many. “Popular opinion had been changing in favor of Christianity in the previous 30 years’. Against such spirits pagan authorities were powerless. It gives us a sense of how attitudes and ideologies were changing among people during this period and why the persecutions did not
last.