Roman Persecutions
Terms
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- sacrificanti
- Christians who offered their sacrifice to the pagan gods.
- Liberllatici
- Christians who purchased the certificates.
- Apostasy
- Willful denunciation of teh Faith in its entirety. Denontes a backsliding of God.
- Marcus Aurelius
- He was the favorite adopted son of Hadrian. He was a stoic and philosophy was his focus on life. His book "Meditations" was his favorite book, stoicism living for passion, unmoved by grief/joy submitting to fate. He outlawed Christianity; continued to kill Christians eve allowing mobs to kill them. He disdained any new religion. Dealt quickly with and harshly with invading Germanic gribes to the north.
- Hadrian
- He was an ardent advocate of Hellenism, and he was interested in art, philosophy, science, and enjoyed debating sophists. Promote cult of gods and designed a temple for Venus. He bannded circumcision among the Jews, and planned to turn Jerusalem into a Roman colony called Aelia Capitolina. The Jews revolted in AD 132 and were forbidden to enter Jerusalem. Made a rescript, and under him Christians enjoyed a relative amount of tolerance, although ther was no official decree.
- Diocletian
- His great desire was to unify the empire, used great organizational skills to do this finally crushing the Persian empire. Much of his reign was spend battling the Barbarians , which gave a little rest to Christian persecutions. In 303 with the defeat of the Barbarians he again turned his attention towards the church and Christians. Churches were destroyed, books burned. He continued to torture, kill, and imprison Christians for the next 10 years until emperor Constantine
- Septimus Severus
- Issued a decress in AD 202 declaring that circumcision and Baptism were to be forbidden. This threatened not only the Christians, but the Jews as well. Known to have killed two famous women saints at the arena in Carthage; were attacked by wild animals and finally stabbed. After his reign, Christians enjoyed 50 years of peace.
- Decius
- Began the first empire-wide persecution of Christians. Believed that the Empire's survival depended upon the restoration of the old pagan cults, sought to extipate Christianity from the empire. Christianity called for alligence to Christ and not the state. His purpose was to exterminate Christians and those suspected of being Christians. Afraid of Christians because of their loyalty to Christ. If Christians presented himself to the magistrate and offered sacrifice, gave up faith, they could purchase certificate to avoid death.
- Domitican
- He was effective and hardworking ruler. He took particular interest in directing military campaigns and securing the patronage of the army. Relate ship with the Senate was not good. Referred to himself in third person as Dominus et Deus ("Lord and God") Particularly intent on stopping the spread of Christianity from the lower classes to the aristocracy. He murdered his cousin and then a conspiracy against him led by his wife caused his death.
- Rescript of Ad 258
- It was harsher, issued because of political pressure, bishops, priests, and deacons were immediately executed, and Christians of rank were removed from their offices and often sold into slavery.
- Hadrian's Rescript
- He emphasized the primacy of the rule of law over mob action. He ordered that Christians could only be persecuted for actual violations of the common law, not just for professing Christian belief. If an accuser made a false accusation, then the accuser was to be punished.
- thurificati
- Christians burned license to pagan gods.
- Valerian
- Issued two Rescripts. The first Roman emperor to ever be capture by foreign enemy. After his death, Romans stuffed his body and hung it inside a temple. He was held prisoner for five years, humiliated, tortured, and showed great courage during this ordeal.
- Galerius
- One of the four rulers of Diocletian's Tetrarchy (splitting Roman Empire into 4 sections) Ruled the part of the empire along the Danube River He had great power as a Caesar in this district, even though Diocletian retained full leadership of empire. Wary of Christians, continued persecutions as Diocletian had begun. Stricken with leprosy. He admitted politics were failure; this will give peace under Constantine.
- Nero
- Figure of immense cruelty, psychological sickness, and paranoia. He began his rule at the age of 17. He was tutored by Stoic Seneca. His evil character soon emerged and he murdered his mother, beheaded his wife- Octavia, and forced his mentor to commit suicide. Responsible for the fire in 64 that destroyed a large part of Rome. Many were killed across Tiber river in an area called the Vatican Hill were St. Peter stands today. Blamed the Christians for the fire.
- Rescript of AD 257
- Forbade Christians from meeting in public places and from celebrating the Eucharist in the catacombs.