Percecution of Christians

Christians today form a happy and integral part of society. They have through history suffered greatly along the way. The most significant and remembered of these were the persecutions endured by the Christians at the hands of Ancient Rome. This Roman Persecution of Christians began in the second half of the 1st Century and continued sporadically until the religion gained official status in 313- under the Emperor Constantine The Great.

Reasons for this persecution occurred have been much debated by historians. Evidence suggests the underlying reason for persecution of the Christians by the Romans was due to their perceived antisocial beliefs and the threat these caused to the stability of the Empire. In support of this hypothesis, the following aspects will be examined: the nature and misunderstandings of the Christian beliefs; how these perceived antisocial beliefs resulted in Christians being used as scapegoats and the way in which these beliefs contradicted the Roman way of life at the time, infuriating the people.

The underlying reason for the persecution of the Christians was the perceived threat that their new beliefs caused especially to traditional worship of the Imperial cult and the Caesar worship which underpinned the Empire. The Romans believed in a pantheon of gods, constantly adopting more from surrounding cultures in order to aid assimilation of new cults. Although they had some figures more dominant than others, eg. Apollo and Mars, there were no controlling deities, and believed that all had to be worshipped equally to preserve the "peace of the gods" (Dowley: 1977, 74). It was believed that the gods determined everything and if upset they would have the ability to devastate the Empire. Therefore, Pax Deorum, maintaining this peace with the gods, was an integral part of the Roman lifestyle as it could make or break the Empire. Every god and Emperor had to be acknowledged and provided for. Upon death the Emperor too would elevate to the position of a god. In contrast the Christians acknowledged one almighty God that did not have any spiritual or physical equal. This assumption resulted in the Christians' rejection of the traditional Roman gods as well as a refusal to partake in any method of traditional Caesar worship. In Romans' eyes this was a personal attack on the country. Not only did their monotheistic belief deny worship to gods threatening the Pax Deorum and Empire stability, but the notion of one God being the only true ruler denied the basis of the Roman Imperial way shattering the balance of power, command, rule and Empire. As Christianity began to spread so did the threat until simply the title of 'Christian' was seen as a danger, declared as Treason - a crime worthy of death. With this stance came what is today known as 'Persecution for the name', an era in which many innocent Christians were sentenced to death and made mockeries of, labelled as "burning with hatred for the human race" (Bosco:1996) merely because of their beliefs.

Misunderstandings and misinterpretations of such a new and unrecognisable doctrine was also a major factor that contributed to the Christians persecution. The Romans could not comprehend the Christian way of life concluding that 'if they were not with them they must be against them'. In the view of the Romans; the Christians were "people who had abandoned their ancestral religious beliefs in order to adopt what the Romans considered at best a groundless superstition and at worst a criminal organization" (Mackay: 2004, 286). The Romans could only see bad in the Christians - hence the extreme misinterpretations of many areas of the Christian doctrine. From the time of Nero's reign (54 to 68 AD) rumours began to spread suggesting that the Christians were Cannibals (last supper), Atheists (lack of imagery in shrines), Criminals and Incestuous (love for one another). The Christians were rumoured to condemn evil practices and deadly superstitions. Their attempt to keep meetings to themselves under the cover of night was manipulated as a cover-up for depraved and criminal conduct (Cherry: 2001, 221). In fact as stated in Octavius (Minucius Felix in Shelton: 1998, 412), it was due to the Christians' attempt to protect themselves downplaying their religion that many of these misconstrued ideas arose leading to severe persecutions.

"Why do they have no altars, no temples, and no recognizable images? Why do they never speak in public, never meet openly, unless what they worship and conceal is either punishable or shameful."

Although mere gossip, these accusations were sanctioned by imperial authority and considered to corrupt society's morals, a legalized crime punishable by death

(Dowley: 1977, 83),

This perception of Christian's beliefs as antisocial, morally and traditionally, set the basis for their use as Scapegoats. Refusal of worship and upset of gods and perceived misanthropic attitude meant that they were liable for any problem; perfect scapegoats. The Christians were constantly blamed for any misfortune that befell the Empire. The most well known example occurred in 64 CE when Rome suffered a fire that cruelled the empire "destroying homes, major works of art and architecture, as well as many people's lives" (Boise State University). Rumour began to spread that it had been set at the orders of the Emperor. In order to deflect accusations and placate the people Nero, as Tacitus claims, tried to shift the blame to the unpopular Christians. "Therefore, to put an end to the rumour Nero created a diversion and subjected to the most extraordinary tortures those hated for their abomination by