Phase 1: Persecution by The Jews

THE
PERSECUTIO
NS OF THE
EARLY
CHRISTIANS
Phase 1: Persecution by
the Jews
LEARNING TARGETS
I can...
 identify the important details of the course
of persecutions;
 appreciate the martyrdom of many Christians
during and after the period of persecution;
 realize and understand how the persecutions
that the Church went through in her early
years contributed to the strength of her life
and the fullness of her mission.
Different groups of
Jews persecuted the
first Christians.
The Sadducees
The Pharisees
Why did they
persecute the
first Christians?
The Apostles
preached about
the glorious
Resurrection of
Jesus (Acts 4:1).
1
The Sadducees
denied the
resurrection of the
dead in general
(Acts 5:17).
2
“The High Priest and all his companions… became

extremely jealous of the apostles; so they decided to take
action. They arrested the apostles and put them in the
public jail” (Acts 5:17-18).
3 Conservative Jews
like the Pharisees
(Saul of Tarsus
included) felt that the
Christian message
went directly against
their own religion. In
a word, they
considered it
blasphemous.
Martyrdom:
Dying For Christ,
Dying Like Christ
 the very first martyr of
the Church;
 first mentioned in the
Acts as one of seven
deacons appointed by
the Apostles (Acts 6:5);
 stated to have been full
of faith and the Holy
Spirit and to have
SAINT STEPHEN,
performed miracles
Protomartyr (Acts 6:5, 8).
Accused of
blasphemy, at his
trial, Stephen
made a long
speech fiercely
denouncing the
Jewish authorities
who were sitting
in judgment on
him and was
stoned to death.
Soon... many
Christians would also
die as martyrs...
In Acts 12:1-5,
King Herod
Agrippa I
executes James
the Greater,
making him the
first of the
Twelve to die a
martyr.
LET’S CLARIFY:
Do you have questions?
THE
PERSECUTIO
NS OF THE
EARLY
CHRISTIANS
Phase 2: Persecution by
the Romans
Why did the Romans
persecute the
early Christians?
Common Slanders
Against Christians
(spread by those who did not know them).
1. They were atheists.
2. They practiced incest.
3. They were cannibals.

Objections
from Philosophers
1. Christians were ignorant

and pretentious poor.
2. They were bad citizens.
3. Christian doctrine was unreasonable.

The Reply of Christians
to their Detractors
1. No secrets among us.
2. We are good citizens.
3. You are the ones with

despicable customs.
4. Christianity is a reasonable belief.

PERSECUTIONS OF THE
FIRST TWO CENTURIES
Nero,
1
First Imperial
Persecutor
THE AGE OF Domitian

NERO AND (81-96 A.D.)
DOMITIAN
 Nero blamed and persecuted Christians for
the burning of Rome in 64 A.D.
 According to Tradition, Peter and Paul
suffered martyrdom under Nero in Rome.
 These persecutions by Nero, fortunately,
did not yet spread beyond Rome.
 The various measures
of Domitian were also
the murderous acts of a
tyrant.
 According to the oldest

Tradition, he had the
apostle John boiled
(although the apostle
came out alive), then
exiled him to Patmos
where he wrote the
Book of Revelation.
Trajan
2
(98-117 A.D.)
THE AGE OF
TRAJAN AND
ANTONINUS Antoninus Pius
PIUS (138-161 A.D.)
 Tradition dates another famous martyr to the
time of Trajan: Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch.
When Antoninus
Pius became the
emperor of Rome,
Christians were
accused of being
atheists for not
worshipping the
emperor. They were
executed singly or
in groups.
3
Marcus Aurelius
(161-180 A.D.)
THE AGE OF
MARCUS AURELIUS
In the reign of Marcus
Aurelius, these
Christian leaders
became martyrs: the
apologist Justin and
Bishop Polycarp of
Smyrna, a disciple of
John and the
“catechist” of
Irenaeus, the future
Bishop of Lyons.
LET’S CLARIFY:
THIRD CENTURY PERSECUTIONS:
DECREES AGAINST CHRISTIANS

1
Septimus Severus
(193-211 A.D.)
THE LAW OF
SEPTIMUS SEVERUS
•The emperor tried to stop the growth of marginal religious
groups by forbidding conversion to Christianity on pain of
cruel persecution.
•The catechumenate was illegal, and Christians were rounded
up by the police. Tertulian wrote that Christians were fed to
the lions wherever there was a disaster or famine.
In 244 – 249, there was
peace in the empire when
the Emperor Philip the
Arabian ascended to the
throne. His reign provided
the lull for a few years.
Decius
2
(249-251 A.D.)
THE DECREES
OF DECIUS AND
VALERIAN Valerian
(253-260 A.D.)
 Emperor Decius wanted
to be certain that the
citizens remained loyally
behind him. They all had
to sacrifice to the gods of
the empire and obtain a
certificate (250 A.D.).
 That was the start of the

first general persecution
of the Christians. And
many of them underwent
martyrdom.
In 257, Valerian took measures against the clergy, and prohibited
worship and meetings in the cemeteries. In 258, those who
refused to offer sacrifices were put to death; among them were
Cyprian of Carthage, Pope Sixtus and his deacon Lawrence.
 In 261, Gallienus (co-emperor with
Valerian from 253-260, and sole
emperor from 260-268) issued an
Edict of Tolerance.
 Thus for forty years the Church

enjoyed a kind of universal peace.
 Numbers of Christians increased

rapidly, particularly in Asia Minor,
and many churches were built.
3
Diocletian
(284-305 A.D.)
THE GREAT PERSECUTION

UNDER DIOCLETIAN (303-311)
The last and
bloodiest
persecution of the
Christians was
conducted by the
Emperor Diocletian
throughout the
Roman Empire.
 On February 24, 303,
Diocletian decreed that
all churches be
destroyed, their sacred
books burned, and
their treasures seized.
 All meetings of the

Christians were banned
and the immediate
arrest and execution of
all priests and deacons
were ordered.
In February 304, Diocletian passed a general order that all
Christians must sacrifice to the gods. The bloody executions of
Christians were made into spectacles for the crowds. Their eyes
were gouged out and their feet sawed. Many were thrown into
dungeons.
This great persecution continued to
happen during the time of Galerius
(305-311), Diocletian’s successor.
Galerius’s recommendation –
burning alive – became the
common method of executing
Christians in the East.
LET’S CLARIFY:
LEARNING TARGETS
I can...
 identify the important details of the course
of persecutions;
 appreciate the martyrdom of many Christians
during and after the period of persecution;
 realize and understand how the persecutions
that the Church went through in her early
years contributed to the strength of her life
and the fullness of her mission.

Phase 1: Persecution by The Jews

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THE

“The High Priest and all his companions… became

1. They were atheists.

2. They practiced incest.

3. They were cannibals.

1. Christians were ignorant

2. They were bad citizens.

3. Christian doctrine was unreasonable.

2. We are good citizens.

3. You are the ones with

4. Christianity is a reasonable belief.

THE AGE OF Domitian

 According to the oldest

DECREES AGAINST CHRISTIANS

 That was the start of the

 Thus for forty years the Church

 Numbers of Christians increased

THE GREAT PERSECUTION

 All meetings of the

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