Why Did The Romans Fear Jesus

Why Did the Romans Care about Jesus?

It is the first century of the first millennium. A vast empire dominates the Mediterranean, extending from Spain to Syria, France to Algeria and Egypt, among other places. Its aqueducts, roads, and architectural wonders, combined with legions of soldiers, a comprehensive taxation and census system, a common language, and a complex legal and administrative system, make it the most impressive empire the Mediterranean has ever seen, according to historian Michael Behe. “Love your enemy” and “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” are religious teachings that a poor wandering teacher from an obscure people group spreads across the countryside with a small band of followers in a backwater province on the outskirts of the empire.

What was it that piqued the interest of an enormous empire in a quirky rabbi?

However, things were about to change.

Rome in the Time of Jesus

Kings of Israel and Judah had long since passed away, with the last ruler of Judah having been blinded and carried away by Babylonian invaders in 586 BC. Many Jews were exiled to Babylon, where they died as a result of their persecution. Although some of them returned under an edict issued by King Cyrus of Persia in 538 BC, which granted them permission to rebuild the city of Jerusalem, Israel would remain under the rule of Persia, then Greece, then the Seleucids, with a brief period of relative freedom during the time of the Maccabees, before being conquered by Rome in 63 BC.

He was born in 63 BC and was raised by his great-uncle, Julius Caesar, who was his adoptive father.
Octavian succeeded Julius Caesar as Emperor of Rome when he was just 18 years old, thereby completing the city’s transition from the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire once and for all.
He succeeded where Julius Caesar failed in methodically consolidating his authority and portraying himself as a leader for the people, referring to himself as the “first citizen.” He was the first citizen of Rome.
Augustus increased the population of Rome by nearly doubling its size.
Rome ruled over all that surrounded the Mediterranean and much further beyond.
Augustus was replaced by Tiberius, who reigned until AD 37, during the time of Jesus’ maturity and death on the cross.
The country of Israel was largely regarded a backwater Roman colony, populated by cantankerous people who held weird religious ideas around the time of Jesus.
Some Jews (such as the Apostle Paul) were Roman citizens, and as such had some rights and benefits, but the vast majority were not.

The Jewish people paid taxes to the Roman government and abided by Roman rules. Local administrations, such as Herod and Pontius Pilate, were established by the Roman government.

Jesus’ Threat to the Jews

To be anticipated, the Romans were uninterested in the antics of yet another eccentric, travelling religious instructor. Rome was more concerned with putting down the many insurgent factions that were constantly springing up in Palestine. Jesus, on the other hand, was regarded as a grave danger by the Jewish religious authorities. His apparent disdain for their religious precepts was alarming enough, but this individual went over and above by proclaiming himself to be God, putting himself in the position of God.

“For this reason, they wanted all the more to murder him,” John 5:18 says.

Hundreds of thousands of people came to be cured and to hear Him lecture.

It was necessary to put a halt to this blasphemy.

Jesus’ Threat to the Romans

Polytheistic Roman officials were unconcerned about what the Jews regarded to be blasphemy against their religion. Threats against Roman rule, on the other hand, were taken seriously by them. During the first century, Jesus was far not the only person who was gaining a following in Palestine, and Rome was more than willing to put down any possible uprisings with brutality if they occurred. This Roman commitment to putting down uprisings was not without justification. A few decades after Jesus’ crucifixion, massive uprisings erupted in Judea, culminating in the murder of tens of thousands of people and the final destruction of the Temple in the year AD 70.

Jesus has the perilous capacity to assemble a large crowd.
When Jews from all over the globe gathered in Jerusalem for the Passover festival, the city was suffocating with people.
When He rode into Jerusalem for the Passover — which would be the last time He would be seen alive before He was betrayed and murdered — the people greeted Him with shouts of praise, palm branches, and cloaks placed on the roadside.
When Jesus returned to the Temple, he toppled the money changers’ tables and chased out everyone else who was buying and selling there, proclaiming angrily that they had turned His Father’s home into “a den of thieves” as a result of their actions (Matthew 21:13).
Jesus was generating a commotion, as He frequently did.
This was the final nail in the figurative coffin of Jesus.
And it was something the Romans would never let to occur.
Jesus posed a serious danger to the shaky peace that they had with Rome.

“If we allow him to continue in this manner, everyone will come to believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy both our temple and our nation” (John 11:48). As a result, they determined that arresting and killing Him would be the wisest course of action.

The Jews and Romans Collaborate

The tale of Jesus’ arrest and trial(s) may be found in Matthew chapters 26-27, Mark chapters 14-15, Luke chapters 22-23, and John chapters 18-19, as well as in Mark chapter 14 and Mark chapter 15. One of Jesus’ disciples, Judas, betrayed him to the Jewish authorities, who encircled Him in the Garden of Gethsemane and arrested Him. Jesus was crucified on the cross. Jesus was first brought before the Jewish ruling council, the Sanhedrin, where He was declared guilty of blasphemy for claiming to be the Son of God, and sentenced to death.

The Jewish leaders, on the other hand, were not permitted to carry out executions (John 18:31).

Interestingly, despite the fact that Pilate has earned a reputation as a brutal and bloodthirsty dictator throughout history, the Bible tells that he was hesitant to have Jesus executed because he did not find fault with Him.

The sign attached to Jesus’ cross, notwithstanding Pilate’s reservations about having Jesus executed, was undoubtedly a forceful message about what happened to anyone who ventured to challenge Rome’s dominance over the world.

The Christian Threat to Rome

If Jesus had remained dead, it’s possible that the problem would have died with him (pun intended). He, on the other hand, returned back to life and spurred the birth of a revolutionary new religion. However, it wasn’t until Christianity arrived on the scene that Jesus became a serious danger to Rome. Christians upended the existing quo by insisting on a single God, which flew in the face of the Roman pantheon, which included emperor worship, and the massive economy that had grown up around the temples.

Though a great deal of anti-Christian sentiment stemmed from misunderstandings (for example, the practice of the Lord’s Supper was often misinterpreted as cannibalism), the suspicion and fear were not unfounded — within a few centuries, Christianity had spread throughout the Mediterranean and the Roman Empire was no longer a single entity, but instead had been fragmented.

Why Does This Matter?

At the time, Rome didn’t give a damn about Jesus; he was simply another potential revolutionary who had been put to death by the authorities. Even the Jews were beginning to grasp how strong He was, although they were still in the dark about it. None of them could have imagined that two thousand years later, the Temple would be nothing more than dust, the Roman Empire would be a thing of the past, but Jesus would be adored as Lord by billions of people all over the globe. canbedone/iStock/Getty Images Plus/iStock Alyssa Roat attended Taylor University, where she majored in literature, theology, and the Bible.

Literary Agency, as the PR manager for Mountain Brook Ink, and as a freelance editor for Sherpa Editing Services, among other positions.

Among her many bylines are those in periodicals ranging from The Christian Communicator to Keys for Kids, and she is the co-author of Dear Hero. More information about her may be found here, as well as on social media at @alyssawrote.

The Roman Empire: in the First Century. The Roman Empire. Jesus

Jesus’ brief life and violent death were sufficient to assure that his message of hope and everlasting life would spread throughout Judaea, into the Roman Empire, and ultimately over the entire globe. Judaea, located in one of the most remote regions of the Roman Empire, was a province rich in ancient customs and religious zeal. Years of Roman control had bred increasing hatred among the populace. Descendance into anarchy A family from the hamlet of Nazareth, near the Sea of Galilee, gave birth to Jesus, who was raised by them.

Its populace had become divided into antagonistic factions.
One of these sects accepted Jesus into their ranks when he was thirty years old, and Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River.
Along with many other preachers, he journeyed across Judaea, bringing his message to the homes and synagogues of some of his country’s most impoverished citizens.
That there was a kingdom bigger than Rome, that God would provide, and that the weakest segments of society would find solace and hope in this message were all declared in this message.
Despite the fact that his teaching was becoming increasingly popular, many people were outraged by the assertion made by his disciples that Jesus was the son of God.
Jerusalem is in a state of flux.
There were thousands of pilgrims from all over the world, and the temple provided services for them such as currency exchange and the purchase of animals for sacrifice, among other things.

He argued that such commercial activity polluted the sacred location.

Are you a criminal or a martyr?

Jesus was imprisoned on suspicion of treason and crucified, which was a standard method of punishment for accused criminals at the time.

To the Christians, on the other hand, he was a martyr, and it was immediately apparent that the killing had exacerbated the instability of Judaea.

By murdering Jesus, the Romans had set the stage for the birth of a completely new religion that would soon spread throughout Rome and, eventually, the entire globe.

Where to go from here: Religion in the Ancient Roman Empire Christians in the first century Religion in the Ancient Roman Empire JoesphusJudea – Paul’s Enemies and Rebels

Why did the Roman government fear Jesus? – JanetPanic.com

What was it in Jesus that made the Romans dread him? A large number of people believed in Jesus, who was reported to teach that God was bigger than his ruler, and the Romans were concerned that He might lead an armed uprising against the government. In their persecution of Christians, the Romans imprisoned and put to death as many as they could.

Why did the Romans feel threatened by Christianity?

However, while it is often claimed that Christians suffered persecution because they refused to worship the emperor, it is more likely that general hostility toward Christians stemmed from their refusal to worship the gods or participate in sacrifices, which was expected of those living in the Roman Empire at the time.

What does the H stand for in Jesus name?

A: There have been a slew of hypotheses put out concerning the origin of the “H” in “Jesus H. Christ,” which is one of a number of expletives or exclamations that make use of the name of God. Possibly, it derives from a monogram consisting of the first three letters of the Greek word for Jesus, which is the most plausible explanation. Jesus is referred to as iesus in classical Latin.

Why was Jesus called the Son of David?

Mattew begins by referring to Jesus as the son of David, indicating that he came from a royal family, and also as the son of Abraham, indicating that he came from an Israelite family; both are stock phrases in which son means descendant, and they call to mind the promises that God made to David and Abraham.

Who was the disciple that Jesus loved?

John the Evangelist is a Christian author and preacher who lived in the first century AD.

Are there 2 apostles named James?

Alphaeus’ son, James, has been identified as the subject. James, son of Zebedee and James, son of Alphaeus appear in the lists of the twelve apostles in the synoptic Gospels. They are distinguished from one another by their fathers: James, son of Zebedee, and James, son of Alphaeus.

Did the Apostle Paul ever make it to Spain?

Paul has traveled to Spain on several occasions. Several missionary missions were documented in Acts of the Apostles, and Paul was subsequently imprisoned under house arrest. According to Romans 15:22-29, going to Spain had always been a part of Paul’s original intention from the outset.

When did Christianity reach Spain?

Paul returned to Jerusalem in the late 1950s, bringing with him the funds he had raised as well as a handful of his Gentile converts. He was imprisoned in Jerusalem for bringing a Gentile too far into the Temple precincts, and after a series of trials, he was sentenced to death and exiled to Rome.

What was Paul’s vision in Acts 23?

Paul returned to Jerusalem in the late 1950s, bringing with him the funds he had raised as well as a handful of his Gentile converts from Rome. He was imprisoned in Jerusalem for bringing a Gentile too far into the Temple precincts, and after a series of trials, he was sentenced to death and exiled to the Roman capital of Rome.

Where did Paul go after Rome?

After his conversion, Paul travelled to Damascus, where Acts 9 claims he was cured of his eyesight and baptized by Ananias of Damascus. Paul relates that it was in Damascus that he nearly averted death. Paul also relates that he subsequently travelled first to Arabia, and then returned back to Damascus.

Who founded the church in Rome?

Whether or not Peter founded the church of Rome or served as its first bishop is disputed, and the evidence for this claim does not date back farther than the middle or late second century.

Why did the Roman government feel that Jesus was a threat? – JanetPanic.com

What was Jesus’ relationship to the Roman Empire like? He had the ability to affect the igniting of a revolt. He was “claiming” to be the ruler of the Jews and urging them to revolt against the Roman government. That posed a threat to the state’s security.

Why did the Roman authorities fear Jesus quizlet?

Why did the Romans fear Jesus and Christians?

Why did the Roman Empire fear Christianity?

The monotheistic religions, like as Judaism and Christianity, were the ones with which Rome had the most difficulties. Because these faiths held that there was only one god, they forbade people from worshipping any other gods as well.

Who was the emperor of Rome when Jesus died?

Nero Tiberius Claudius Tiberius Claudius Tiberius Claudius Tiberius Claudius Nero Tiberius Caesar was a Roman emperor.

Why did Christians attract so many followers?

The Roman emperor Tiberius Claudius Nero was born in Tiberius Claudius Nero’s hometown of Rome. Julius Caesar (also known as Tiberius)

Why was Christianity appealing to many Romans quizlet?

So, what exactly did Theodosius do? During his reign, he declared Christianity to be the official religion of Rome and declared all other religions to be illegal. The concept of Christianity was well-known to them since it appealed to their emotions and provided hope of a better future in paradise. 3.

Why was Christianity appealing to the poor quizlet?

What was it about Christianity that made it so appealing to the impoverished and oppressed? They were comforted by Jesus’ message of love and a better life after death, which they accepted.

What did Christianity do to the Roman Empire?

The Edict of Thessalonica, issued by the Roman emperor Theodosius in 380 CE, established Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire, especially Nicene Christianity, as the state religion. Most other Christian groups were judged heretical by the Roman government, and their legal standing was revoked as well as their property taken by the government.

What was the rise of Christianity?

During the reign of the Roman Empire, Jesus of Nazareth began teaching a message of compassion and forgiveness to the people of the world. His life and teachings were instrumental in the spread of Christianity. At first, Christians were persecuted by the Romans. Christianity, on the other hand, eventually came to be recognized as the official religion of the Roman Empire.

Did Christianity Cause the fall of Rome?

7. The decline of traditional values as a result of Christianity In many ways, the downfall of Rome coincided with the expansion of Christianity, and some historians have speculated that the advent of a new religion was a contributing factor to the empire’s fall.

In 313, the Edict of Milan authorized Christianity, and it eventually became the official state religion in 380 as a result of the Council of Trent.

Why did Caesar leave Britain?

The force was so overwhelming that the Britons did not dare to oppose Caesar’s landing in Kent, preferring instead to wait until he began to advance inland.Julius Caesar’s invasions of Britain and Ireland.

What did the Romans leave behind for us?

Many of our buildings and the methods by which they are heated, the methods by which we dispose of our sewage, the roads we use, some of our wild animals, religion, the words and language we speak, the methods by which we calculate distances and numbers, and the reasons for which we use money to pay for goods were all introduced by the Romans.

What religions were practiced by ancient Romans?

Many of our buildings and the methods by which they are heated, the methods by which we dispose of our sewage, the roads we use, some of our wild animals, religion, the words and languages we speak, the methods by which we calculate distances and numbers, and the reasons for which we use money to pay for goods were all introduced by the Romans.

What is the religion before Christianity?

With teachings that are more than 2,000 years older than Buddhism, more than 2,000 years older than Judaism, and thousands of years older than Christianity or Islam, Zoroastrianism is considered one of the world’s oldest surviving religions. It was once considered the official religion of ancient Persia, but it is now considered to be a sect of the Iranian religion of Zoroastrianism. “In the late second millennium B.C.E., Zoroastrianism is supposed to have emerged,” according to historians.

Who were the most important gods in ancient Rome?

Three significant gods were Jupiter (who served as state protector), Juno (who served as woman’s guardian), and Minerva (who served as state protector) (goddess of craft and wisdom). Some of the other important gods were Mars (god of war), Mercury (god of commerce and messenger of the gods), and Bacchus (god of wine) (god of grapes and wine production).

Who is the king of Roman gods?

The twelve Olympians are the major deities of the Greek pantheon in ancient Greek religion and mythology. They are generally considered to be Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Hermes, and either Hestia or Dionysus, with Zeus being the most prominent.

r/AskHistorians – Why did the Roman Empire fear/try to supress Christianity so much?

The early history of the connection between Christianity and the Roman Empire was, to put it mildly, volatile. When we look at Roman society (religious and otherwise) and the components of Christianity that existed at the period (about 100-300CE), a number of compelling arguments supporting this are revealed. As has been noted previously, the Empire was usually supportive of a range of religious views as long as they agreed to “play nice” with the various religious faiths that existed in their culture, which was varied.

When you think of Rome as a truly tolerating religion, it’s hard to imagine how it could have been so contradictory: it’s likely that the Empire destroyed the Temple of Jerusalem, which served as a focal point of Jewish society and worship, while at the same time adopting the Jewish weekday system (instead of the traditional Roman eight) in the same century.

Christianity, a cult in its infancy, was not afforded the same deference, despite its claims to be the spiritual heir to Judaism.

“Christian practices were incompatible with the usual courtesies of obeying the imperial worship, and this made them a potential source of disturbance in Roman society and culture.

Accordingly, a Greek inscription discovered in Ephesus refers to Julius Caesar as “God made manifest”; the Emperor Augustus’ birthday was referred to as “good news,” and his arrival in a city was referred to as “parousia,” which is exactly the same word that Christians used to refer to Christ’s anticipated return.

Christians also went against the grain when it came to Roman military duty, according to popular belief.
For his part, the grave inscription of Aurelius Mannos, who came from Phrygia, demonstrated that he was proud of both his Christian religion and his profession as a military officer.
After the events recorded in the New Testament, there is little evidence that Christians were as publicly active, except in rare cases or when they were severely persecuted, as is commonly believed.
Christians were well-known for avoiding public baths to a significant extent.
Additionally, Christians may have been less hygienic than the general population as a result of this!

Was Jesus a Threat to the Roman Empire?

When it comes to early Christian ties with the Roman Empire, the term “turbulent” is an understatement. It becomes evident that there are several strong reasons for this when we analyze Roman society (religious and cultural) and characteristics of Christianity at the period (ca. 100-300CE). Various commentators have pointed out that the Empire tended to be open to a wide range of religious views so long as they agreed to “play nice” with the other religious faiths that existed in their culture.

When you think of Rome as a truly tolerating religion, it’s hard to imagine how it could have been so contradictory: it’s likely that the Empire destroyed the Temple of Jerusalem, which served as a focal point of Jewish society and worship, while at the same time adopting the Jewish weekday division of seven days (rather than the traditional Roman eight) in the same century.

In spite of its claims to be the spiritual heir to Judaism, Christianity was seen as a pagan cult in its infancy.
“Christians broke with the customary etiquette of obeying the imperial worship, and as a result, they were a potential source of chaos in Roman society.
The Emperor Augustus’ birthday was referred to as ‘good news’, and his presence in the city of Ephesus was referred to as a “parousia” – the exact same term that Christians used to refer to Christ’s imminent return – according to an inscription discovered in Ephesus.
Additionally, Christians rejected widely held beliefs regarding serving in the Roman military.
The grave inscription of Aurelius Mannos, a soldier from Phrygia, on the other hand, demonstrated that he was proud of both his Christian religion and his military career.
After the events recorded in the New Testament, there is little evidence that Christians were as publicly active, except in rare cases or when they were severely persecuted, as is commonly assumed.
In the past, Christians were well-known for abstaining from public bathing.
A possible side effect of this was that Christians were less hygienic than the general populace.

These events are described in detail in the New Testament, but there is no meaningful record or method for how the Christians carried them out: A common misconception among Romans was that Christian meetings were incestual or cannibalistic orgies because of the mention of “love-feasts” and the consumption of flesh and blood.

According to some, their use of sexual magic, in order to entice couples away from their partners’ beliefs and relationships, was a contributing factor to the rapid pace of Christian conversions.

When it came to individuals who actively sought to bring about social unrest, Rome had a long history of showing intolerance in this regard.

tl,dr; By deliberately breaking long-standing cultural conventions (excessive preaching/converting), early Christians defrauded Roman society, but not in the ways you might assume (excessive preaching/converting).

Their disruptive behavior and foul odor would have made them unpopular as well. 109, 155-160 in Diarmaid McCulloch’s A History of Christianity (p.109, 155-160).

The fact that Jesus did not marry and so led a fairly unusual lifestyle for a Jewish adult at the time is documented in Mark 3:35, in which he redefined his “family” as those who obey the will of God. While being notified by the Jewish client king Herod that he was on his way to be assassinated, Jesus did not submit to the king’s authority or fear his wrath, but instead responded angrily (seeLuke 13:32)
When Jesus was asked whether it was permissible for a Jew to pay taxes to Caesar, he responded in a way that both acknowledged Rome’s authority and announced clear limits to that authority: “Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Mark 12:16)
“Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Mark 12:

Indeed, one of the most dangerous aspects of Jesus’ teachings may have been his unambiguous recognition of the limitations of human rulers and organizations. That clarity is one of the most hazardous things for his followers to replicate, whether they were following him then or today.

Constitutional Rights Foundation

Rome established its empire by military conquest. However, in order to maintain control over such a huge empire, it had to gain the cooperation of its subject peoples. It accomplished this in a variety of ways. Instead of seeing conquered nations as enemies, Rome frequently regarded them as partners, inviting them to participate in the grandeur and richness of the empire’s construction. Roman civilisation was a step forward for the more primitive peoples of Gaul (France), Britain, and Spain, providing them with a written language (Latin), a legal system, and well-organized towns.

In recognition of and respect for Hellenic civilisation, Rome allowed Greek language and culture to continue to be spoken by educated people in this portion of the empire.
The Roman religion contained a large number of main and minor gods, all of whom were led by Jupiter, the sky deity.
For the Romans’ faithfulness to the obligatory religious rites, the gods promised them prosperity, good health, and military victory in exchange for their obedience.
They worshipped their own deities, whom they believed to be protecting them.
It was merely a matter of paying homage to the Romans, nothing more.
Throughout reality, at various points in history, the gods of other peoples gained enormous popularity among the Romans.
Jupiter and Zeus, for example, were both considered to be the same deity by the ancients.

At the beginning of the first century AD, the religion of Isis, an Egyptian goddess, spread across the empire.

These religions were largely accepted by the Romans, although there were some outliers.

It was only after several years that Rome relented and permitted it, provided no more than five people were worshiping at the same time.

However, the cult was permitted to continue by the following monarch.

Because these faiths held that there was only one god, they forbade people from worshipping any other gods as well.

These religions put the Romans’ tolerance to the test.

It was instantly realized by Rome that it had a problem since the Jews refused to pay tribute to the gods of the Roman Empire.

Rome did this in part because the Jews had assisted Roman leader Julius Caesar in winning a crucial war some years before, according to historian Josephus.

Rome, on the other hand, regarded Jews with mistrust and punished them on a number of times.

66, when Nero was emperor, and spread across the Roman Empire and beyond.

He claimed that he was collecting taxes owing to the emperor, which he did not.

A patriotic group of Jewish rebels known as the Zealots was incensed by this, and they slaughtered the Romans in Jerusalem and assaulted Roman forces throughout the Roman province as a result of their actions.

During the summer of the year 68, Rome had regained authority over the vast majority of the province.

Masada was under siege for a few more years until it was finally overrun by the Jewish defenders of the city.

Jews, on the other hand, rose up in two more failed uprisings.

During the second, Emperor Hadrian stated that he would construct a temple to Jupiter on the site of the ruined Great Temple in Jerusalem in 131.

However, Judaism continued to be recognized as a legal religion, and Jews continued to be granted religious rights.

As a starting point, it was a long-standing religion with a long history.

In the case of Christianity, neither of these arguments applied.

Many Jews, in fact, would have welcomed Rome’s suppression of the Jewish community.

Emperor Tiberius petitioned the Senate to recognize the Christian faith and declare Christ to be a Roman deity, fearing that this group might diminish the perennially troublesome Jewish religion.

The Senate, on the other hand, rejected.

Despite the fact that Christianity was now legally prohibited in the empire, Tiberius thought that this new religious sect would help him achieve his objective of pacifying the country.

Nero’s Persecution (Persecution of Nero) On the night of July 18, A.D.

The fire spread swiftly and burned most of the city, including Emperor Nero’s palace, over the course of six days.

The lyre (a stringed instrument, similar to a miniature harp) was also said to have been in his possession while observing the magnificent fire.

The suffering citizens of Rome, on the other hand, considered him to be guilty.

He made reference to the Christians, a religious minority that is disliked in society.

Romans in general accepted stories about Christians, which they heard from their neighbors.

Christians, according to some, engaged in incest because they preached the need of loving one’s brothers and sisters.

In response to Christians’ refusal to engage in ancient religious ceremonies, many pagans believed that the gods would get enraged and punish those who lived in the city of Rome.

Because the Christian faith was still considered unlawful at the time, it was simple to order large-scale arrests, trials, and executions.

Tacitus, a Roman historian, characterized Nero’s methods of execution as follows: Having been dressed in wild animal skins, they were either ripped to pieces by dogs or crucified.

He supplied his Gardens for the spectacle and presented exhibitions in the Circus, where he interacted with the crowds—or stood in a chariot dressed as a cavalryman—in order to engage in some form of public relations campaign.

During the year 110, Emperor Trajan sought to find a compromise between the rising Christian minority and the Roman pagans, who were demanding that the unlawful religious group be exterminated.

Christianity – Relations between Christianity and the Roman government and the Hellenistic culture

The Christians were not reverent of their ancestors’ pagan traditions, and their teaching of a new monarch had the ring of revolution in its tone. The Jews’ hostility to them resulted in a number of breaches of the peace. As a result, Christians may very easily be unpopular, as they were on many occasions. Paul’s triumph at Ephesus sparked a riot in which the religion of the goddess Artemis was defended. An earthquake wrecked most of Rome in 64cea, and the emperorNero executed a “great number” of Christians as scapegoats to avoid being held responsible.

However, it is likely that there was no official senate edict prohibiting Christianity at this time.
A short time later, however, the confession of Christianity was designated as a deadly crime—though one of a peculiar sort, because one may be pardoned by committing apostasy (rejection of a faith formerly professed), which could be proven by giving sacrifice to pagan gods or to the emperor.
In the beginning, persecutions were intermittent, triggered by local conditions, and influenced by the attitude of the ruler.
However, Christian detachment and a reluctance to serve in the imperial service and the army only served to strengthen suspicion in the empire.
Unfavorable crop conditions, barbarian assault, or an emperor’s celebration might all lead to acts of violence against the people living in the area.
One of the most famous exchanges between Pliny the Younger, governor of Bithynia, and the emperor Trajanin 111 illustrates the ambiguity of official policy.
As a response, Trajan stated that Christians who had been brought before Pliny in the proper manner should be punished, but that the governor should refrain from seeking out Christians for persecution.

Organized empire-wide persecutions, on the other hand, took place only in times of grave crises and in reaction to the spread of the faith in the empire.

Christians were held responsible for the grave situation because they refused to acknowledge the gods who were supposed to protect Rome, so unleashing their wrath onto the city.

The emperor Decius (reigned 249–251) issued an edict requiring all citizens to offer sacrifice to the emperor and to obtain from commissioners a certificate certifying that they had performed the sacrifice successfully.

Given that certifications could be purchased, the requirement raised questions of conscience among those who followed it.

But the persecuting emperorValerian was captured and imprisoned in Persia, and his sonGallienus issued an edict of tolerance, returning seized churches and graves to their rightful owners.

The reasons for this persecution are unclear, but have been attributed to a variety of factors, including the influence of Galerius, a fanatic follower of traditional Roman religion; Diocletian’s own devotion to traditional religion and his desire to use Roman religion to restore complete unity to the empire; and the fear that rebellious armies would become alienated from emperor worship if they were allowed to practice their religion.

Following his predecessor’s retirement, Galerius maintained the persecution until 311, when he was struck with a severe sickness, which was recorded in excruciating detail by the church historianEusebius, who felt it was an act of vengeance by the Christian God.
The tetrarchy of Diocletian The statue of Diocletian’s tetrarchy, made of red porphyry and dating to the third century CE, was transported to Venice in 1258.
Prior to a fight against a rival emperor the next year, the emperorConstantine had a vision of the cross in the skies with the inscription “In this sign, conquer.” The condition of the early church improved even more the following year.
In 313 the joint emperors Constantine and Licinius issued theEdict of Milan, an amanifestoof toleration that, among other things, allowed Christians complete legal rights and the ability to worship.
The blood of the victims, as some of their contemporaries claimed, had aided the church’s expansion, but schizophrenia soon developed among those who had succumbed to imperial pressure.

During the persecutions, groups like as the Donatists in North Africa, for example, refused to acknowledge as Christians individuals who had sacrificed to the emperor or given over sacred texts to the authorities as Christians.

Christianity andClassical culture

The early Christians’ stance toward paganism and the imperial government was complicated by their intimate affiliation with Greco-Roman literary and artistic culture: it was difficult to condemn the former without appearing to criticize the latter at the same time. But the Christian perception of other religions (with the exception of Judaism) was, on the whole, quite unfavorable. Paganism was considered to be the worship of bad spirits, including the Orientalmystery (salvational) cults of Isis, Attis, Adonis, and Mithra, as well as classic Greco-Roman polytheisms and the Emperor’s cult, all of which were considered to be evil spirits.

In general and to a great extent, with the exception of the concept of baptism as a new birth, Christians eschewed the distinctive languages of the mystery religions.
Tertullian once remarked, “What does Athens have to do with Jerusalem?” in response to this point of view.
St.
The dramatists Sophocles and Euripides were mentioned by St.
This literary legacy was shared by both educated Christians and educatedpagans.
Justin Martyr and St.
It was just their desire to reject all polytheistic mythopoetry and cults, as well as any philosophical and ethical systems that were incompatible with Christian theology (e.g.,Stoicmaterialism andPlatonicdoctrines of thetransmigrationof souls and the eternity of the world).
Unlike him, his successor at Alexandria, Origen, exhibited less interest in literary and artistic things, but was a stronger scholar and thinker, and it was he who was the first to apply the methods of Alexandrian philology to the Bible text.
Augustine believed that while classical literature contained superstitious imaginings, it also contained references to moral truths and understanding that could be put to use in the service of the Almighty.

The Apologists

During the second century, a group of writers called the Christian Apologists set out to defend the faith against Jewish and Greco-Roman critics. They dispelled a slew of scandalous rumours, including claims of cannibalism and promiscuity, among other things. Overall, they attempted to make Christianity understandable to members of Greco-Roman society while also defining Christian concepts such as the existence of God, the divinity of Christ, and the resurrection of the physical body. As a result, the Apologists adopted the philosophical and literary vocabulary of the broader culture in order to develop a more refined expression of their faith that would appeal to the sophisticated sensibilities of their pagan contemporaries.

Aristotle and Philo of Alexandria both described the Logos as serving as a mediator between the transcendent God and the created order.

The Apologists, despite the fact that some of their coreligionists were offended by their use of Greek philosophical ideas, made significant contributions to the development of Christian thought, and they were among the first of the Christian theologians to emerge.