EARLY LIFE OF THE CHURCH
I. Moral Degeneration of the Roman Empire
A. Roman life
- Their god = power, wealth and fame
- Their values and lifestyle = homosexual acts, perversity, w/o conscience, w/o affection, malice,
deceit, etc.
B. Christian life
1. fundamental worth and dignity of the person
-equal rights and privileges
-dignity of women-exalted
-gained status in the society as wives and mothers
-Virgin Mary-glorious status as mother of God and first disciple of Christ.
2. Christian compassion-for the poor, sick and abandoned
-Christian charity-care of the afflicted
3.Thirst of power in wealth by the Romans-confronted by Christians’ respect for the rights of
others to the goods of the Earth and by the belief in the everlasting treasures of the next life.
II. Basis of Persecution
1. Secret Christian meetings done in catacombs
-eucharistic celebration
-was considered as cannibalism
2. Gladiatorial Games was considered inhuman by Christians
3. Natural disasters and catastrophes were attributed to the Christians
4. Christians don’t pay temple tax
III. The Course of Persecution
a. First Period
Year Persecutor Nature of and Reason for Persecution Famous Martyr
54-60 A.D. Nero He blamed the Christians for the six days Peter and Paul
of fire that destroyed three fourths of
the city of Rome.
Tacitus a great Roman historian said that
Nero himself was responsible for the fire
to gain glory in rebuilding the city.
Early Christians were made as a living
torches in the garden of Nero.
81-96 A.D. Domitian The various measures of Domitian were Apostle John was
also the murderous acts of a tyrant. exiled to Patmos,
where he wrote the
Book of Revelation or
Apocalypse.
b. Second Period – The persecutions started from 98 A.D. to 250 A.D. Christianity continued to be
an illegal religion in the Roman Empire. Informers were hired to report to the authorities those
engaged in Church worship and practice. Many were forced to deny and abandon their faith.
Year Persecutor Nature of and Reason for Persecution Famous Martyr
98-117 A.D. Trajan Issued a decree stating that simply to be a Ignatius of Antioch
Christian was punishable by death.
The implementation of the decree was
left at the hands of the governors of the
Roman Provinces.
117-138 Hadrian Issued a decree that governors should not
A.D. follow the desires of the mob.
Christians who were accused of a crime
must be judged according to the nature
of their crime.
The decree gave some relief to the
suffering of the Christians.
130- Antoninus Pius Christians were accused of being
161A.D. atheist for not worshipping the
emperor.
They were executed singly or in
groups.
161-180 Marcus Aurelius The Christians faced another Among those
A.D. tyrannic emperor. persecuted were
He decreed the legalization of Justin the
persecution. Philosopher,
Polycarp of
Smyrna, and the
martyrs of Lyons.
193-211 Septimus Severus Ordered the cruel persecution of the
A.D. early Christians.
Tertullian wrote that Christians were
fed to the lions whenever there was
famine.
244-249 Philip the There was peace in the empire
A.D. Arabian during his terms. But it lasted only a
few years.
c. Third Period: This was the last course of the persecution of Christians.
Year Persecutor Nature of and Reason for Persecution Famous
Martyr
249-251 Decius Saw Christianity as a terrible poison.
A.D. Ordered all Christians to make a public
act of homage to the Roman gods.
He passed a law which required all
citizens to the worship of the state
religion.
His goal was to eradicate Christianity
completely.
257-284 Valerian Decreed that all bishops, presbyters and Cyprian of
A.D. deacons were to offer sacrifice to the Carthage and
gods. Pope Sixtus II
He ordered the immediate arrest and of Rome.
execution of all clerics who refused to
offer sacrifice to the gods.
Christians were tortured and sent to hard
labor or were executed.
284-305 Diocletian The last and bloodiest persecution of the
A.D. Christians.
He divided the Roman empire into a
tetrarchy.
He decreed that all the churches be
destroyed and Bibles burned.
He 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 and tongues were gouged out
and their feet were sawed.
305-313 Galerius Issued an Edict of Tolerance, granting
Christianity the right to exist.
He realized that persecutions only made
the Christians more firm in their faith and
attracted more pagans to become
Christians.
Maximinus Daia Demanded Christian blood. But suddenly
he ordered persecutions to cease
because of the pressure put on him by
the new conqueror of Italy and Africa.
313-325 Constantine Issued and Edict of Milan, which put an
A.D end to the persecution of the Christians
and established a policy of complete
religious tolerance. Christians were
allowed to get back their properties.
He attributed his victory to the Christian
God to whom he turned from help. He
was converted into Christianity.
Little by little, he eradicated pagan
practices and made Christianity as the
state religion.
The Church during and after the period of Persecution
• Christian persecution lasted for more than 300 years
• Age of Tribulation-splendor of Christian discipleship in martyrdom was made possible by the
immense and intense power of the Holy Spirit in individual Christians and in the suffering Church
as a whole.
• the lofty teachings and practices of the Christian faith confronted the moral decadence and
crass idolatry of the pagan society of Rome.
Unity and Division in the Church
1. The martyrdom of Stephen, the deacon of the Helenist Chrsitians, marked the dawn of the
spread of the Church outside Palestine.
2. Jerusalem –center of Christianity, under the leadership of Peter and the Apostles
3. Antioch – became the center of missionary work for the Gentiles and the second center of
Christianity. The Church in Antioch took a radical step by preaching the Gospel to the Gentile
Christians and they were first called Christians there.
Religious Controversies: Dogma and Council
Ecumenical Councils were convened to settle the controversies in the fourth & fifth centuries.
Time Place Main Theme Opposed
325 Nicea The divinity of Christ Arianism
381 Constantinople The divinity of the Holy Spirit Macedonius
431 Ephesus The divine Motherhood of Mary Nestorius
451 Chalcedon The two natures ( divine & human )
in one divine person of Jesus
Reference: The Church on the Move By: Josefina Manabat, Ed.D., SLD
