Foxe's Book of Martyrs

Second Lesson

I. 1st from the Jews

II. 2nd from the Roman Empire

Local areas

A few times was it empire wide

Not Nero

III.3rd from Arians (after 325)

IV. 4th Roman Catholic church (1000 On)

I. first from the Jews

First: Jesus

Stephen

James, brother of John, first of the 12 to be killed (Acts 12:2). by King Herod Agrippa 1 of Judea

It is said (Celmens Alexandrinus), when James was being led to his execution, his extraordinary courage impressed of his captors to such a degree that he fell on his knees before the the apostle, asked his forgiveness, and confessed he he was a Christian too. He said that James should not die alone, whereupon they were both beheaded.

II. 2nd from the Roman Empire

Why would Rome, whether emperor or governor want to persecute Christians?

Permitted/Not Permitted Religions

When Christianity was viewed as a sect off Judaism, fine

But when it became distinct (especially after 70AD when Christians did not help with the revolt)

Rome did not see Christianity as legitimate and did not like Christians

Christians refused to believe in other gods

And they were zealous (unlike the Jews) to convert others

Christians refused to participate in Emperor Worship

This was a sign of loyalty to the State

“Caesar is Lord” or “Jesus is Lord”

Falsely accused of: Cannibalism, Incest

Local/Empire wide

Until 250AD there were no persecutions of universal Empire-wide extent

Nero killed Paul and Peter in the 60’s, but that was only in Rome for the fires

Local:

Persecutions were typically local and short lived

Christians were blamed for typical local calamities or disasters (why,? because the gods weren’t happy with them)

Tertullian: When the Tiber (river beside Rome) floods, or the Nile fails to flood, up goes the cry: Christians to the lion!”

A common saying: “No rain because of the Christians.”

Since the Christians failed to worship all the gods of the Romans, a popular anti-Christian cry: “away with the atheists!”

A typical policy of dealing with Christians for the first two hundred years of the church’s existence is seen in a letter to the Emperor Trajan (98-117) from Pliny, a governor of the province of Bithynia (Asia Minor). The governor asked the Emperor how to handle people accused of being a Christian

He should not actively hunt down Christians, and must not accept anonymous accusations. If someone was accused, he could prove he was not by worshipping the pagan gods. If they did they would be immediately acquitted. If they refused, then they would be put to death immediately

Pliny seemed to have a soft spot for Christians, he wrote:

The whole account they gave of their crime or error (whichever it is to be called) amounted only to this: namely, that they were accustomed on a state day to meet before daylight, and to repeat together a set form of prayer to Christ as a God, and to bind themselves by an obligation, not indeed to commit wickedness; but, on the contrary, never to commit theft, robbery, or adultery, never to falsify their word, never to defraud any man: after which it was their custom to separate, and reassemble to partake in common of a harmless meal.

During this same time the famous church father Ignatius was killed. He was an overseer of the Church in Antioch (Syria where the followers of the way were first called Christians)

He had to travel to Rome to be killed, on his journey he had an odd joy about it (foxe page 11-12)

The worst persecution that came before the first empire wide persecution came from Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Are-Reel-ius)(161-80 stoic).

Story of Polycarp (Foxes page 13-14)

It was especially bad in southern France, in Lyons and Vienna

An eyewitness account survives of the treatment of a Christian slave-girl named Blandina (Needham 87-88).

Empire wide:

The first empire-wide persecution came in 250AD

The Roman Empire was busy defending its borders eastern empires in the Middle East and the German tribes in the north

By the middle of the 200’s, Rome got control again

Christianity became very unpopular in this unsettling time (they refused to join in the festivities to celebrate Rome’s 1000 year anniversary

The emperor Decius in 250 organized the first empire wide persuction to rid the world of the cancer of Christianity

He started by killing christian leaders in Rome, Antioch and Jerusalem

Then he ordered that inhabitants of the empire must offer sacrifice to the gods and obtain a certificate that you did

Some got out of it by bribing a local official, others got out of it by doing the sacrifice

Many died refusing to do it.

Decius died a few years later, but the next one, Valerian (253-260) continued but he died a short time later by a Persian enemy.

His son took over and stopped the persecution

In 284 a military coup occured which brought Diocletian, a soldier, to power.

He was tolerant for most his reign but towards the end around 284, he began an empire wide persecution again.

He dismissed all Christians from the government and the army

And in 303 he issued three edicts and a fourth in 304

All church buildings were to be destroyed, bibles burnt, and Christian worship forbidden

All clergy were to be arrested and imprisoned.

All clergy were to offer sacrifice to the gods or be tortured

All citizens throughout the Empire were to sacrifice to the gods and be executed if they refused.

Not all governors participated in this empire-wide mandate, but many Christians were persecuted

Adronicus

Authorities tried to force him to sacrifice, even stuffing into his mouth the bread and meat of the sacrificial ritual. Adronicus’ response was intense:

Needham: PAGE 163

It was later in the 300’s that Constantine would end up taking over the Empire—persecution basically stopped (with a brief return with one his sons as emperor)