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Impact of Christian persecution
Christian response to discrimination and prejudice
Impact of Christian persecution
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Heinous crimes Christians were accused of include sacramental baby-killing, sacramental baby-eating, and performing illicit sexual acts after banquets “under covers of darkness”. As quoted in the Apologia, “We are said to the be the worst of criminals because of our sacramental… modest for our impious lusts”. (2, 8) According to Tertullian, Christians were hated because, they did not worship the Roman gods nor did they offer sacrifices to the emperor. As a result, Christians would be accused of sacrilege and treason. Referenced in the Apologia, “You say, 'You do not worship the gods, and you do not offer sacrifices for the emperors.'… we are accused of sacrilege and treason.” (2, 9) Tertullian’s rebuttal against this claim is, Christians ceased …show more content…
to worship Roman gods because, they do not recognize them as gods. Tertullian also says, in court Christians should be held accountable to prove, “that those gods do not exist and for that reason should not be worshiped because they deserve worship only if they are gods.” (2, 9) The perceptions of Christians as described by Tertullian tell us that, the relationship between the Roman authorities and Christians were both strained and tense.
This can be interpreted early on in the Apologia, Tertullian exposes the Magistrates of Rome, "If you are not allowed to conduct an open examination, face to face, into the truth regarding the Christians, if in this case… by the secret pathway of literature." (1, 1) Tertullian openly expresses how Magistrates fail to exercise their authority to conduct a just public investigation because, of the hatred shown to Christians, which inhibits their defense in court. On top of that, Emperor Trajan, proclaimed that Christians were not meant to be hunted down, however, they were to be punished when brought to court. “To the contrary, we find that it is forbidden to hunt… but when brought to court, they should be punished." (2, 4) Tertullian responds to the emperor’s statement by saying, “What a decision! How inevitably self-contradictory! He declares that they should not be… forbidden to be look for, when he was found!" (2-1, 5) In this quotation, Tertullian calls to attention the hypocrisy of Trajan and the cowardliness of Pliny the Younger. By reiterating, how Christians are punished as if they are bandits, traitors, or public enemies. "A person shouts out, 'I am a Christian.' He says what he is. You want to hear he is not. You preside to extort the truth yet in our case alone you take infinite pains to hear a lie." (1, 5) Tertullian emphasizes how Christians are treated differently from all other
criminals.
The Catholic Church referred to most groups that attempted to improve the Church and failed as ‘heretics;’ heresy could include “resistance to or rejection of Catholic sexual belief” (Crawford 73). Through use of this term, Catholics attempted to discredit these groups by categorizing them as counters to Catholic morality. Catholics previously had used this method to discredit groups like the Cathars, Waldensians, and Albigensians; all three of which rejected Catholic hierarchies regarding sex (Crawford 74). Like the Catholic Church, throughout the chronicle, Jeanne de Jussie continuously referred to Protestants as ‘heretics.’ Jeanne de Jussie too used the term to discredit the Protestants and to create a division between them and those who she considered to be true Christians: the
The Romans captured people from the demonstration that they suspected of having ties with the terrorists Bannus and Barabbas. While being interrogated about the demonstration, Andreas is given a choice, to both further prosecution and imprisonment or to gather information for the Romans about rising movements that might take over the land. Black mail and Decision • Andreas had been locked up in a cell for what it seemed like years but he was counting the days and by the third week he was dragged out to confront Pontius Pilate, the perfect of Judea and Samaria (12). This is when Pilate gave him the choice to either be persecuted or gather information about certain religious movements that would be considered a threat to the country. Andreas shouts, “That’s blackmail
...icus and was therefore suspect. Tacitus was writing about Tiberius after the emperor had died and probably believed that since he was most likely killed by his nephew Caligula that Tiberius was probably justified in suspecting his relatives.
Justin Martyr explains that the people are demons, while Tertullian proclaims that is not the individual who is evil; it is the soul of the individual. Therefore when the martyrs are prosecuted it is not because they believe in Christianity it is because deep down inside they are channeling their evilness to those who are trying to an explanation or philosophic view on God. Justin focuses more on persuading the readers, giving them facts, and other situations to refer to. Tertullian, whom believes in divine revelation, does not even refer to the bible; he feels as if what better evidence than God himself is.
...for success, he robs his audience of the right to make certain determinations about characters such as Tarquin Superbus and Romulus because of his bias toward the motivation behind their actions. Livy’s The Rise of Rome was a grand effort and an amazing undertaking. Cataloguing the years of Roman history consolidated rumor and legend into fact, creating a model for Rome to follow. Livy’s only error in this vast undertaking was in imprinting his own conception of morality and justice onto his work, an error that pulls the reader away from active thought and engaging debate. In doing so, Livy may have helped solidify a better Rome, but it would have been a Rome with less of a conception of why certain things are just, and more of a flat, basely concluded concept of justice.
Despite what justice the courts delivered God showed his mercy to Thomas who held steadfast in his faith. Preachers of the time would probably tell this tale to help demonstrate the core ideas of Christianity. Missionaries could also use this tale as a way to bring non-Christians into their
Christianity, originally, was thought of as an outsider religion, and wasn’t accepted by most Romans. The Romans could learn to live with other religions, but not when they were harmful to public order. At one point, Romans viewed it to be just that. Christians tended ...
The religious tension between Christians and Jews can only be describes as potent and toxic in the eleventh century. The emergence of Jewish ritual murder, or blood libel, was just one of the ingredients involved in the messy upheaval of Jewish life, culminated by the Crusades. The Life and Passion of William of Norwich by Thomas of Monmouth is considered the founding texts that document a blood libel. Thomas of Monmouth chronicles the events leading to William’s murder, as well as all the supposed miracles that occurred afterward. John McCulloh’s article, Jewish Ritual Murder: William of Norwich, Thomas of Monmouth, and the Early Dissemination of the Myth, he analyzes not only Thomas of Monmouth’s text, but also the surrounding circumstance.
... Roman morals in the eyes of early Roman Christians. By convincing them to repent and turn their back from the games he believes they can all be forgiven by god. While it is still up for debate whether his debates made any change on the views of the games, it is clear the Tertullian was strongly opposed to them. In his eyes “True” Christians would turn their backs to the games and try to turn non-Christian Romans with them as to save them from Judgement.
This quotation comes from “The Deaths of the Scillitan Martyrs” translated by H. Musurillo. Starting around the year 60, Rome began having issues with the how the Jewish and Christian religions differed from the normal Roman religion. As time went on, things began to get worse. “The Deaths of the Scillitan Martyrs” takes place in 180 in a small town called Scillium in North Africa (Musurillo, The Deaths of the Scillitan Martyrs CP 123). In the quotation, the proconsul reads his decision on the fate of twelve Christians who have been captured. Christian’s disloyalty was often displayed by their refusal to attend most of the Roman religious ceremonies that honored the emperors (Musurillo, The Deaths of the Scillitan Martyrs CP 123). While there was no law in place that dealt with consequences of this religious defiance, some
Even those who were considered heretics, the Albigensians, critique the church for its corruption and simony. Drawing from Bernard Gui’s critical opinion of the Albigensians in Medieval Sourcebook: Bernard Gui on the Albigensians, they claim “the churchmen sell this water out of avarice, just as they sell earth for the burial of the dead, and oil to the sick when they anoint them, and as they sell the confession of sins as made to the priests. Hence, they claim that confession made to the priests of, the Roman Church is useless, and that, since the priests may be sinners, they cannot loose nor bind, and, being unclean in themselves, cannot make others clean (Gui).” These “attacks” on the Church by the Albigensians directly call out the rampancy of simony and corruption within Church positions. In conclusion, the punishment and discussion of simony in Dante’s Canto XIX is highly emblematic and important in understanding the highly religious social climate at the time the Inferno was
In opposition to these things Titurius kept shouting, when it would become too late, greater bands of forces of the enemy, after having been joined to the Germans, when some disaster having had occurred in a neighboring camp, they should have assembled. The opportunity was short for deliberating. He believed Caesar had set out for Italy: for neither have the Carnutes have taken the measure of killing Tasgetius, nor have the Eburones, if he had been present , they would have come to the camp with such great disdain of us. He did not regard the enemy as an authority: the Rhine was close by, the death of Ariovistus and our previous victories were the Germans, for the purpose of producing great grief; Gaul was burned, after having received great
During the first half century after the crucifixion of Jesus, the Roman government including governors in the eastern provinces took no active measures against Christians. The attitude of the higher Roman authorities had always been that Christianity was merely a sect of Judaism, and as such, were entitled to share in its privileges as a recognized religion. In 64 A.D. this attitude suffered a severe alteration. On July 19, 64 A.D. occurred the great fire of Rome. Half a million people were left homeless. Popular rumor persistently asserted that the fire was started by incendiaries acting under the orders of the Emperor Nero. It was said that Nero wanted the city burnt down so he could build a new city which was to be re-named after himself. Nero felt that something must be done to deflect the public indignation against him. To do this he contrived that accusations should be brought against the Christians. So Nero began an aggressive persecution of the Christians in Rome. Those who confessed their guilt were brought to trail. During these trials a great number of other Christians were uncovered and were also brought to trial. Oddly enough, these people were not charged with starting the great fire of Rome, but rather for “hatred of the humankind.”
Tertullian spent his life dedicated to his faith in a way that few have done. He was bold and wasn’t afraid of making a defense, he knew how to. Because Tertullian wasn’t afraid to stand up, he made an impact on both the secular and Christian world. The results of his writings were that many came to believe, as it was the only logical thing to do after reading his defense. Many Christians changed their ways to pursue holiness because of Tertullian. And today we could still learn much from him, as Christians have strayed far from
The first step towards salvation on the Roman Road is to understand that “all have sinned and co...