Under Caesar's Sword: Christian Persecution

From the third to the fourth century, the Roman Empire witnessed a widespread attempt to stop the spread of Christianity. Initially, leaders of the church were predominately targeted, but later anyone admitting to Christianity became a target. The persecutions hit a climax during Diocletian’s reign. These persecutions actually helped the spread of Christianity by glorifying Christians and beginning a tradition of martyrdom that shaped the Church, and the strength that Christians displayed shows that the persecutions could not have possible stopped the spread of Christianity.

In contrast to the persecution experienced by early Christian followers, Christianity today does not experience the level of outward persecution. Christianity is practiced in an atmosphere nearly void of violence. It was not until the reign of Constantine when Christians were authorized to practice their chosen faith. The “Ediet of Milan”(313 A.D.), gave official recognition to the Christian faith, thus ending persecution within the Roman Empire. Before Constantine’s rule, there were many rulers eager to drive out the Christians. The Emperor Trajan (98-117 A.D.) established the first official policy relating to Christians and how they should be dealt with. Diocletion and the Apologists were the last of the persecutors in this era before Constantine. This marked the end of open persecution

Many of the ancient and historical conflicts are believed to be connected to religion in a various ways and proven that religion can be used as an excuse for violence. For instance, The Crusade Wars ended in the brutality of both Christians and Muslims during the mass dispute (Burton 1984). The Jews have perpetrated massacres through nations for the solitary reason to attain their belief. During the reformation of Christians thousands of people were killed because of their religion. In Yugoslavia, the war in 1991 pitted Orthodox Christians, Muslims, and Catholics against each other in a brutal combat (Avalos 2005). Also, thousands of monks were being persecuted in Burma

("Persecution of Christians in the contemporary world.") Young children are being kidnapped from Christian families in the Middle Eastern countries to be raised as Muslims. Children that have well enough memories to still believe their faith are put with their families and most likely killed. ( "Persecution of Christians in the contemporary world.") A recent story tells of two dozen Iraqi Christian refugees who escaped from the Middle East and across the U.S. borders. After coming into the U.S., they were refused any shelter or food; debates are being held if the refugees should be removed or not. The debate is held for the reason that there is not enough room for twenty-four people, but there is for ten-thousand Syrian

Christians were persecuted in the early centuries after Christ. When we hear about the persecution of Christians, you hear about genocide or Christians being dragged out of their homes to be eaten by wild animals. Christians were seen as traitors and were also blamed for the cause of every public disaster. Around 115 C.E, there was an emperor named Trajan. Trajan stated that if Christians refused to make sacrifices to the Roman gods then they would be punished by death. On page 88 it also stated, “...Christians would not go along with the sacrifices necessary for the good of the empire, and so were traitors of the empire.” Another known emperor was Nero. Emperor Nero was also involved in the persecution of Christians. Nero had caused a great

Logan, Lara, Jeff Newton, and Richard Butler. "Iraq's Christians Persecuted by ISIS." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 22 Mar. 2015. Web. 13 Aug. 2015. The main point in this article is to show how far ISIS has gone to eradicate Christians in Iraq; they are causing deleterious effects on Christian towns. Christians have been living in this area for almost 2,000 years and more than 125,000 have been forced out of their homes. The author is trying to spread awareness of things going on in the Middle East. Monasteries that have been there for almost 2,000 years and have perpetuated several empires, invasions and conquests are now feeling threatened by ISIS. They are using Nazi techniques

“What is remarkable about persecuted Christians is their resilience,” said Philpott. “They are not just victims. Understanding this is the key to being in solidarity with them.”

The Roman Empire was arguably the most powerful society the ancient world ever saw. It was an advanced civilization in which not only the rich, but also people of lower classes residing in Roman borders, believed in the strength of unity. The Romans trusted that as long as all people worked as one to help the empire, as it was their duty, they would remain strong and continue to conquer lesser empires and expand their own.. This belief, known as pietas, would manifest itself in many facets of Roman society. One such manifestation examined by historians is the religious belief system known as Paganism. Paganism, for the Romans, took the shape of not only a traditional religion in which people worship and pray

In a book published in 2017, They Say We Are Infidels , the author interviews Christians, especially in Syria and Iraq and describes their reality involving discrimination, persecution, and genocide in the Middle East. Belz narrates stories that reveal how extremist groups like ISIS are currently persecuting Christians and influencing the Christian population in the Middle East: Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant Christians. Also, the book shows how significant the Christian populations in the Middle East are in spite of all the persecution they have faced over the

Years of persecution have seen babies snatched from their mothers and churches burned to the ground before the eyes of those who worshiped there just last Sunday. Yet the Coptic community remains united and stronger than ever. I never truly realized the potential power of this strength until I witnessed it first hand.

First century Christians were persecuted for their faith, because of the assumptions made by the Romans, and sometimes just because they didn’t like them. Even though the first century Christians had it tough, their persecution shaped Christian history. Even though they were persecuted and treated like trash, many converts were made. These Christians made history and put are religion on the map. So what were their terrors like, and why did others join the faith that was being slaughtered?

Since the early 13th century Missionaries have been traveling to foreign lands proclaiming the name of Jesus, but Persecution wasn’t activated immediately, “It wasn't until the 14th century that they began to be persecuted for their faith”, (Macevitt, 2015, p.5). The persecution many of them faced developed them into martyrs (one who dies in relation to their religious beliefs). The lack of protection offered to Missionaries, people who want to share the divine love of Jesus Christ, has gradually became a pressing issue over the duration of many years. “The correlation between religious persecution and national security threats is not just a 21st century phenomenon” (Inboden, 2012, p. 55).The persecution of Christians has been sustained by

The persecutions of Christians occurred over a span of ten Roman Emperors and about three hundred years. Thus, over the years of persecution, numerous reasons arose that caused this treatment of Christians by the Roman Empire. During the latter half of the first century, Christianity was becoming

Nero was the fifth and final Roman Emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. His full name was Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, but when he was adopted by his great uncle Claudius and became his heir to be the next Roman Emperor hi name changed to Nero Claudius Ceasar Augustus Germanicus. He succeeded to the throne on 13 October, 54, after Claudius’s death. “During his rule from 54 to 68 Nero focused much of his attention on diplomacy, trade, and increasing cultural-capital of the empire.” His rule as Emperor was often associated with tyranny and extravagance. He was obsessed with retaining his title as Emperor, and would not hesitate to execute or ruthlessly kill anyone who he saw as a threat or opposition against him. He stamped out all

Throughout history, Christianity always had a reputation, or a “name” following it. Different perspectives approached the reputation that was attached to Christianity in different manners. Justin Martyr and Porphyry had objectives when defining whether this “name” really defined Christianity and the past. They wondered whether the past really represented Christianity. Additionally they honed in on the question of was the past that people represented as Christianity really the roots of Christianity? All around Porphyry and Justin was perceptions of what Christianity rooted from and stood for.