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ROPS Week 3- Martyrdom (Persecution in Judea (Pontius Pilate (26 CE),…
ROPS Week 3- Martyrdom
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Socrates- 399 BCE- convicted of influencing children- chose death over exile- death to him was unknown
167-161 BCE, the Maccabean Revolt- led the Jewish revolt against Greeks- Maccabee brothers were executed rather than deny their faiths- believed they would go to heaven
St Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage- 258 CE- went to hide from his death in the arena- god would decide when he died- later, he went to his death in the arena bravely- accepted martyrdom when there was no other choice
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Persecution in Judea
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Paul the Apostle threw the doors of Christianity open to everyone- Judaism without the rules of Moses- no circumcision, not same Sabbath
Romans preferred older religions- believed everything good was old or in the past- wanted to recreate the past- didn't like Christianity- suspicious of change
Two types of prejudice
Intellectual
Argued that Jesus isn't divine- if he is, Christianity isn't monotheism
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Popular
Accused of serious offences e.g. baby sacrifice, incest, cannibalism
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Persecution was local, sporadic- tended to appear after big incidents
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Systemic, empire-wide persecution of Christians in mid-3rd century
Decian Persecution 249- commands sacrifice to pagan gods and obtain certificate to say you’ve sacrificed- an effort to enforce solidarity- Christians can’t do that- blasphemy
Great Persecution of Diocletian 303- ongoing, vicious persecution for c.10 years- persecution of St George- ends with a civil war- alternative emperor named Constantine wins
Constantine- proclaimed emperor in York 306- Henotheist (supreme God in multiple forms)- eventually embraces Christianity- 312 Battle of Milvian Bridge- 313 Edict of Milan (freedom for every man to worship)- 324 secured empire for Christianity
Most likely basis for persecutions against early Christians is the suspicion, contempt and hatred they were regarded with (Bruce Eastman, ‘Causes of Early Persecutions’, History Today, Vol 16, No 18 (1966)