Church History – Persecution of the Early Church
Introduction
The purpose of this presentation is to provide a foundational understanding of Church History and to stir up your interest on the subject; to provoke further personal study.
The study doesn’t provide a comprehensive insight, rather it highlights key events in the History of Christianity and how it progressed through the ages. It touches on the persecution the early believers went through, the grace with which they faced their challenges, and fulfillment of Christ’s promise that the gates of hell would never prevail against the Church.
Content of Presentation
After this part of the study, you should understand the following:
- How the governing structure of the Roman Empire influenced Christian persecution.
- Why there was a change in Christian persecution from local and sporadic to systemic and widespread.
- The nature of Christianity in the Roman Empire and how it contrasted with the Jewish religion.
- Key figures of the Early Church and how they met their tragic end.
- Slide 6 – What is Church History?
- Slide 7 – Christianity in the Roman Empire
- Slide 8 – Governing Structure of the Roman Empire
- Slide 9 – Persecution Under the Principate Structure
- Slide 10 – Persecution Under the Dominate Structure
- Slide 11 – Roman Emperors – Notorious Persecutors of Christians
- Slide 12 – Notable Martyrs of the Early Church
- Slide 13 – Polycarp–the Bishop of Smyrna
- Slide 14 – The Passion of Saints–Perpetua & Felicity
- Slide 15 – Honourable Mentions
Source of Historical Accounts of Church Persecution
The source from which most accounts of Christian persecution is derived is Eusebius (History of the Church), who doesn’t write from a first-hand perspective as he lived during the Diocletian/Constantine era (which wasn’t a period of strong persecution).
He writes about the first century persecution from the vantage point of Constantine’s rise to power. So, he writes about the way Christians suffered before Constantine became the ruler of the Roman Empire.
Although not present at the height of it, Eusebius attempted to write about the Christian persecution as it happened, so his account is quite reliable.
Presentation Slides
Slide 6
The Church is the body of Christ, extended throughout time and space. The Bible already covers a great portion of the Church’s history. So, when we consider Church History, our focus is usually on the events that occurred and aren’t recorded in the Bible.
Slide 7
The Romans saw Christians as being connected to the Jewish religion, which is only natural because Christianity is connect to Judaism. Contrary to popular belief, the Romans didn’t have any difficulty with differentiating between the Jews and Christians; and the Jews were quick to distance themselves from Christians.
Romans had some respect for Jews because their religion was ancient, and the Jews were not so easily oppressed (they were resilient). However, the Romans had trouble dealing with the Jews (especially Jerusalem). The Romans also believed that they could Romanize the Jews, and whenever the Jews resisted, it led to conflict (First Jewish-Roman War 66-73 AD).
When describing the general make up of Christian community Paul says, “Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;” (I Corinthians 1:20, 21, 26, 27).
God was able to turn the entire world with efforts borne on the backs of men the world regarded as foolish and unlearned.
So, in the early centuries, Christianity was an affront to what Romans stood for. They knew and respected Judaism but regarded Christianity and Christians as a ‘new superstition’, ‘pacifists’ (which Romans regarded as weakness and insanity), and ‘strange’.
Thus, Christians were singled out and persecuted in a way Jews weren’t.
Slide 8
There are popular misconceptions about the way Christians were persecuted by the Roman government. Generally, the perception is that Christian persecution was on the ethnic cleansing scale of the treatment of the Jews by Germans during the Holocaust. Although the persecution the early Church suffered was heinous, this perception is incorrect.
Therefore, to better understand the nature of persecution that Christians endured during the Roman Empire, we need to characterize the types of government that existed during the Roman Empire.
Slide 9
Slide 10
The Dominate period teaches that:
“All power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
John Dalberg Acton
The emperors became increasingly vain and engaged in extreme ceremonies to drum up their claims to divinity.
Slide 11
Source:
- Early Christian Persecution by Ryan Reeves
- The Decian Persecutions: Rome’s First Empire-Wide Targeting of Christians
- 23rd February 303: Start of Emperor Diocletian’s ‘Great Persecution’
Neronian Persecutions
Although Christians were blamed for the burning of Rome and unjustly persecuted for it, historical records suggest that Nero was behind it all. A plan he hatched in order to create space for his building plans.
Neronian persecutions were sporadic, vicious, and cruel.
Christians Set Alight in Emperor Nero’s Garden
Emperor Domitius Nero was a vicious ruler. In addition to crucifixion, he invented many other kinds of tortures.
- Coated Christians in wax and set them on fire to serve as torches during his parties.
- Dressed his victims in animal skins and set wild dogs on them.
The Neronian Persecutions were intense but short-lived and localized to Rome (happened in around Rome). They are described as passionate and hot-blooded.
In the end Nero committed suicide to escape the cruel death that was planned against him.
Trajan Persecutions
To combat the “problem” of many turning to Christianity, Trajan suggested that the best way to deal with them was to treat Christians as they treated other superstitious faiths or cults:
- Bring suspects to trial at the accusation of at least 2 witnesses.
- At the trial, suspects were compelled to offer sacrifice to a Roman god.
- Those found to be Christians were executed.
Trajan’s method of not seeking out Christians and only putting suspects on trial might be perceived as a kinder approach. But by passing a law that convicted Christians were to be killed, it spelt a more systematic persecution than those before Emperor Trajan; he instituted legal persecution of Christians.
However, persecution of Christians wasn’t yet empire-wide at this point because not all governors applied this law.
Thus, from the time of Trajan till Constantine, Christianity becomes an illegal religion.
While Nero’s persecution of Christians was hot-blooded, Trajan’s persecution was cold-blooded.
Decian Persecutions
- Decius launched the first truly empire-wide persecution.
- During his reign Christians were forced into hiding.
- He was the first emperor to die in combat against the Goths in modern-day Bulgaria.
Motivated by desire to return the Roman empire to its pagan traditions, Decius began an empire-wide campaign. He passed an edict compelling all inhabitants of the Roman to offer a public sacrifice of food, drink, or incense burning for the health of the empire in the presence of a Roman magistrate.
Of course, this edit weeded out Christians who would not take part in such pageantries (ceremonies).
Decian Libellus – A certificate given to those who took part in public sacrifice to the Roman empire.
Here, we note another distinction between the Jews and Christians, as Jews were exempted from this edict. Although no religion or minority group was targeted, Christians soon garnered attention with their refusals to comply, and thus, became the subject of persecution ranging from social stigma, confiscation of property, imprisonment, torture, and to even death.
Many prominent Christians (including Fabian, Bishop of Rome, 236-250 AD) refused to obtain the Decian Libellus and lost their lives.
Decius’ successors allowed the Decian reforms to lapse, so the persecution lasted for about 11 months.
Diocletian Persecutions
- Emperor Diocletian was the most complete and calculated persecutor (targeted pastors, burnt churches and destroyed Bibles).
- As a result, no complete manuscript of the Bible predates his time.
In the early years of his rule, Diocletian was tolerant to Christians. But motivated by Galerius (a tetrarch), Diocletian began introducing persecutory policies against Christians.
February 23, 303 AD, Diocletian orders that the newly built church in Nicomedia (modern-day Turkey) be burnt along with its Scriptures.
The following day he issues the first of four edicts that strip Christians of their rights to congregate and worship, commanding them to conform to Roman pagan practices.
Thousands of Christians are killed in the following 8 years of persecution.
Slide 12
All the apostles, except for John the Beloved, were recorded to have suffered violent death at the hands of the Roman Empire.
James (brother of John)
[Beheaded]
36 AD – His accuser was moved by the verdict against James that he got converted and was beheaded alongside James.
Andrew
[Crucified]
60 AD – He was crucified on an x-shaped cross in the city of Patras in Achaea (Greece).
Simon (the Zealot)
[Crucified]
61 AD – Simon was martyred during his missionary journey in Persia.
Paul (Saul of Tarsus)
[Beheaded]
64|65 AD – Paul was beheaded under the reign of Emperor Domitius Nero.
Peter
[Crucified]
Between 64 & 68 AD – He requested to be crucified upside down because he felt unworthy to die like his Lord.
Jude (Thaddeus)
[Clubbed]
65 AD – He suffered martyrdom in Beirut. He was clubbed to death, his head shattered with a broad axe.
Bartholomew
[Speared]
69|71 AD – Bartholomew was beaten with staves, crucified, excoriated (tear or wear off the skin), and then beheaded.
Thomas
[Speared]
72 AD – Thomas was killed with a dart in India (on the 21st of December).
Philip
[Stoned]
80 AD – He was crucified and then stoned to death.
Matthias
[Stoned]
80 AD – He was stoned to death at Jerusalem and died in Sebastopolis.
John (the Beloved)
[Old Age]
99 AD – John was thrown into a vat of boiling oil and after a miraculous escape, he was exiled to the Isle of Patmos where He received and wrote the Book of Revelation.
He died at Ephesus.
Matthew (Levi)
[Impaled]
1st Century AD – He was impaled by spears in Ethiopia.
Slide 13
It is worth noting that Polycarp presided over the church at Smyrna. It is safe to say that he was among those that Apostle John’s letter in the Book of Revelation was addressed to.
Although he might not deserve all the credit, it would not be far from the truth to assume that Polycarp’s influence over the Smyrna church contributed to the reason why the church was one of the churches that wasn’t condemned by Christ (Revelation 2:8-11).
Slide 14
Romans were very superstitious and the Empire itself was tolerant and accepting of other gods. However, it required that its residents to be just as accepting. And the most important religion of the Empire was the worship was the emperor.
Thus, during this period of the Roman Empire, being a Christian was regarded as treason against the government because Christians refused to worship the emperor.
Many calamites were blamed on Christians because the Romans felt their presence and refusal to worship Roman gods incurred the wrath of the gods which resulted in calamities.
LIFE
- She was a catechumen (Christian being instructed in the faith but not yet baptized) with Felicity, Revocatus, Sarturninus, and Secundulus. And all five with their catechist (teacher of the catechumen), Saturus, were martyred together.
- Out of love and devotion, Saturus requested the authorities that he’d be allowed to join his disciples in their fate.
- In this we see the amazing effect of persecution on believers. It inspires unity in a way that nothing else does.
- In the heat of persecution, suddenly, denomination doesn’t matter; doctrine and dogma take a backseat as the real issue at stake is belief in Jesus Christ.
- Soon after her conversion (202 AD), Emperor Septimius Severus prohibits conversion to Christianity.
- Shortly before their execution date is set, the believers begin to pray for Felicity (who was 8 months pregnant at the time) that she would have her child and be able to die in the arena with them.
- The guards and their caretakers in the dungeon (Pudence) come to faith as they see the powerful testimony of the lives of Felicity and her companions.
I believe that the beauty of this story and the reason it has survived is not only because we have a first-hand account of what happened (Perpetua’s journal), but also because it’s a wonderful example of the power of the gospel. It’s a brilliant story of slave and master suffering together for faith.
MARTYRDOM
Perpetua and her fellow believers marched joyfully, singing hymns to the amphitheater where they would be execution.
Slide 15
The following are some honourable mentions of those who were martyred. Please not that some of these are gruesome:
- Blandina – Tortured and speared to death by a bull.
- She was tortured to the extent that those torturing her were worn out with fatigue.
- She suffered greatly and endured it all.
- She was hung on a cross and exposed to wild beasts.
- She, along with Maturus, Sanctus, and Attalus was roasted on a hot iron chair.
- Sanctus – He resisted barbarous torture so firmly that he wouldn’t even divulge his name or country. His only confession was: ‘I am a Christian’.
- Alban – He was whipped and beheaded.
- An infidel who concealed a Christian clerk that was fleeing persecution.
- The first martyr for Christ in England.
- During the reign of Diocletian and Maximian.
- He harboured a fugitive of the Christian persecution (he became a believer through him) and when it was discovered, he took his place.
- Romanus – He was whipped with whips with lead at the end, the skin of his face was torn off, and was strangled when the fire kindled to burn him was put out by a storm.
- He was captured and when asked to recant, refused, and would rather suffer a cruel death than be favoured for his Roman heritage.
- He sang psalms while he was whipped.
- He was killed along with a 5-year-old child who bravely endured cruel torture.
CONCLUSION
In summary, early Christian persecution refers to the period in Church History when followers of Christianity faced widespread hostility and persecution from the Roman Empire.
It began in the first century AD and lasted for several centuries. Christians were considered a threat to the established religious and political order, refusing to worship the Roman gods or acknowledge the divinity of the emperor.
They were subjected to various forms of persecution, including imprisonment, torture, and execution.
However, despite the hardships, the early Christians remained steadfast in their faith, and their willingness to endure persecution ultimately contributed to the spread and resilience of Christianity.
