The Decian Persecutions: Rome's First Empire-Wide Targeting of Christians

Summary

This script explores the rise of Christianity within the Roman Empire and its initial perception as a curious sect. It details how Christians were seen as a threat due to their rejection of Roman traditions and gods, leading to sporadic persecutions, notably under Nero and later systematic ones under Decius. Despite the trials, Christianity persisted, influencing the Empire's eventual conversion under Constantine.

Takeaways

• 🟢 Christianity was born in the Roman Empire during the reign of Augustus Caesar and spread throughout the empire after Christ’s crucifixion.
• 📉 Roman religion was already in decline during Augustus’s time, with Roman polytheism more of a ritual than deeply felt belief, and many new mystery cults rising.
• 😲 Early Christians were initially seen as a curious and strange sect by Romans, who regarded their rejection of Roman and Jewish traditions with suspicion.
• ⚔️ The first organized persecutions of Christians occurred under Emperor Nero, with Christians blamed for the Great Fire of Rome in 64 A.D. and subjected to brutal executions.
• 📜 Early Christians refused to worship Roman gods or perform sacrifices, leading to perceptions of them as atheists in the Roman context where public religious practices were central.
• 💥 Roman elites saw Christianity as a threat to social order, as it rejected family traditions, polytheism, and loyalty to the emperor, which were key to Roman society.
• 🔥 While Nero’s persecution was harsh, it was mostly limited to Rome, and broader, systematic persecution only began later under emperors like Decius and Diocletian.
• ⚖️ Under Decius in 250 A.D., all inhabitants of the empire were required to offer sacrifices for the empire’s well-being, but Christians faced death for refusing to do so.
• ⛪ Despite waves of persecution, Christian communities survived and grew, with many persecuted Christian leaders becoming martyrs and later saints in the church.
• ✝️ Christianity ultimately triumphed, with Emperor Constantine converting to Christianity in 306 A.D., beginning the transformation of the Roman Empire into a Christian empire.

Q & A

What role did the Roman Empire play in the spread of Christianity?

Christianity began to spread throughout the Roman Empire after Christ's crucifixion, initially being viewed as a strange sect before eventually gaining prominence within the empire.

How did Augustus Caesar attempt to revive traditional Roman religion?

Augustus Caesar made organized efforts to restore traditional Roman paganism by emphasizing rituals and customs, but these efforts ultimately proved too late as Roman religion continued to decline.

How did early Christians’ rejection of Roman polytheism contribute to their persecution?

Early Christians rejected Roman polytheism and refused to participate in public sacrifices or rituals, leading the Roman Empire to view them with suspicion, ultimately perceiving them as social threats and atheists.

Why were Christians referred to as 'atheists' in the Roman context?

In the Roman context, Christians were called 'atheists' because they refused to make sacrifices to the Roman gods or recognize the emperor as divine, which led Romans to believe that Christians did not recognize any supernatural reality.

How did the Great Fire of Rome in 64 A.D. impact the treatment of Christians?

After the Great Fire of Rome, Emperor Nero blamed Christians for the disaster, resulting in violent persecutions, including torture, crucifixions, and public executions.

What was the significance of Emperor Decius's persecution of Christians?

Emperor Decius's persecution marked the first empire-wide effort to compel Christians to perform public sacrifices to show loyalty to Rome, leading to widespread martyrdom among Christians who refused.

How did Emperor Trajan's policy towards Christians differ from earlier persecution efforts?

Emperor Trajan’s policy was more lenient, allowing Christians who performed a sacrifice to the emperor to avoid punishment, though those who refused were still executed.

Why did many Romans initially tolerate Jews but become hostile toward Christians?

Romans tolerated Jews because they maintained their ancient customs and traditions, but Christians were seen as socially disruptive because they rejected both their own traditions and Roman religious practices.

What motivated Emperor Decius to enforce traditional Roman religious practices across the empire?

Decius wanted to revive traditional Roman religious values, which he believed were essential for the stability of the empire, especially in the face of internal and external threats.

What lasting impact did the persecutions of early Christians have on the Christian Church?

The persecutions united the Christian community, strengthened their resolve, and contributed to the emergence of key figures, such as Saint Fabian and Saint Cyprian, whose legacy helped shape the early Christian Church.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 The Birth of Christianity and Roman Religious Decline

This paragraph discusses the origins of Christianity during the Roman Empire under Emperor Augustus. It highlights how Christianity emerged in a time when traditional Roman religion was in decline, with many turning to mystery cults or viewing the emperor as divine. The early Christians were seen as a peculiar sect that rejected their ancestral faith, Judaism, and were viewed with skepticism by Romans. The paragraph also touches on the confusion Romans had regarding Christian beliefs, leading them to label early Christians as atheists. The narrative sets the stage for understanding the growing tensions between the Roman Empire and the emerging Christian faith.

05:02

🔥 The Persecution of Christians Under Nero

Paragraph 2 delves into the organized persecution of Christians during Nero's reign. It describes how Christians were scapegoated, especially after the Great Fire of Rome in 64 A.D., where they were accused and punished for the catastrophe. The text recounts the brutal tortures inflicted upon Christians, as documented by Tacitus, and how Nero's reign became synonymous with cruelty. Despite these persecutions, the paragraph notes that systematic targeting of Christians was largely confined to Rome and did not extend to a unified policy across the empire under subsequent emperors like Trajan. The narrative illustrates the beginning of Roman efforts to suppress what they saw as a disruptive and potentially subversive religious movement.

10:03

📜 The Decline and the Rise of Decius's Persecution

This section explores the broader context of the Roman Empire's internal struggles and the rise of Emperor Decius, who initiated empire-wide persecution of Christians. It discusses the empire's political instability, economic challenges, and military discontent leading up to Decius's reign. The paragraph explains Decius's efforts to restore traditional Roman values and his introduction of an edict requiring public sacrifices to the emperor's health, which indirectly targeted Christians. It also details how some Christians complied with the edict while others refused, leading to severe penalties. The narrative captures the escalating conflict between the Christian faith and the Roman state, culminating in Decius's reign.

15:05

🛐 The Impact and Legacy of Decius's Persecution

Paragraph 4 examines the impact of Decius's persecution on the Christian community, detailing the social stigma, imprisonment, torture, and death that Christians faced for refusing to comply with the emperor's edict. It highlights the martyrdom of several prominent Christian figures, such as Pope Fabian, and the widespread sentiment of fear and alienation among believers. The paragraph also discusses the collective trauma experienced by Christians and how it forged a stronger sense of community and identity. Furthermore, it mentions the eventual decline of Decius's religious reforms and the subsequent rise of Christian figures who survived the persecution, setting the stage for the eventual triumph of Christianity in the Roman Empire.

Keywords

💡Christianity

Christianity is the religion that was born during the Roman Empire and centers around the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the video, Christianity is portrayed as a faith that emerged during the reign of Augustus Caesar and spread throughout the Roman Empire, initially seen as a strange and radical sect. Its growth ultimately challenged traditional Roman religious and social structures.

💡Roman polytheism

Roman polytheism refers to the traditional Roman religion that worshiped multiple gods, each overseeing different aspects of life and society. By Augustus’s reign, Roman polytheism was more ritualistic than deeply believed. The decline of Roman polytheism coincided with the rise of Christianity, as the empire shifted away from traditional religious practices.

💡Augustus Caesar

Augustus Caesar was the first Roman Emperor, reigning from 27 BCE to 14 CE. He tried to restore the centrality of Roman paganism during his reign, but his efforts were too late to halt its decline. The video discusses Augustus’s era as the time when Roman polytheism began to lose its influence, marking the environment in which Christianity began to spread.

💡Nero

Nero was the fifth Roman emperor, infamous for his brutal persecution of Christians. He ruled from 54 to 68 AD, and during his reign, Christians were scapegoated for the Great Fire of Rome. Nero’s extreme cruelty toward Christians, including public executions, marked one of the earliest and most infamous persecutions of the religion, as discussed in the video.

💡Great Fire of Rome

The Great Fire of Rome was a six-day fire in 64 AD that destroyed much of the city. In the video, the fire is presented as a catalyst for Nero’s persecution of Christians, who were blamed for starting the blaze. This event marks a significant point in early Christian history where they were targeted as scapegoats for a national tragedy.

💡Persecutions of Christians

Persecutions of Christians refers to the organized efforts by Roman authorities to suppress and punish Christians for refusing to worship the Roman gods or the emperor. Throughout the video, multiple emperors, including Nero and Decius, are mentioned as figures who led such persecutions. These persecutions often resulted in torture, death, or social alienation for Christians, shaping their sense of identity and martyrdom.

💡Decius

Decius was a Roman emperor who ruled from 249 to 251 AD and led the first empire-wide persecution of Christians. He is noted in the video for his effort to restore Roman traditions by mandating public sacrifices for the health of the empire, which put Christians in conflict with Roman authorities. His actions marked a turning point in the Christian experience of persecution.

💡Libellus

A libellus was a certificate issued by Roman magistrates to individuals who performed a public sacrifice to the gods, proving their loyalty to Roman traditions. In the video, this document plays a crucial role in Decius’s persecution of Christians, as those who refused to perform sacrifices and obtain a libellus were punished, deepening the divide between Christians and Roman authorities.

💡Paganism

Paganism in the context of the Roman Empire refers to the polytheistic religious practices that preceded the rise of Christianity. In the video, the term contrasts with Christianity, which was monotheistic and rejected the Roman gods. Pagan rituals, festivals, and sacrifices were central to Roman public life, and the rejection of these practices by Christians was viewed as a threat to the social order.

💡Mystery cults

Mystery cults were religious groups in the Roman Empire that offered secret rituals and teachings to initiates, often promising personal salvation or a deeper connection with a particular deity. The video mentions these cults as competitors to traditional Roman polytheism, further fragmenting Roman religious life and contributing to the empire’s declining religious unity during the rise of Christianity.

Highlights

Christianity was born in the Roman Empire during the reign of Augustus Caesar and began spreading after Christ's crucifixion.

Traditional Roman religion had already been in decline by Augustus's time, with polytheism existing more as ritual and tradition.

Roman views of Christianity began as a strange curiosity, perceived as a sect of bizarre zealots who had rejected Judaism.

The Roman Empire became suspicious of Christianity as it rapidly diverged from its Jewish roots and rejected traditional Roman beliefs.

Romans valued adherence to ancient traditions, and the Christian rejection of these traditions was seen as socially dangerous.

The first organized persecution of Christians occurred under Emperor Nero after the Great Fire of Rome in 64 A.D.

Tacitus wrote about Nero’s brutal persecutions of Christians, including their use as scapegoats and public spectacles of torture.

Nero’s persecutions of Christians were largely limited to Rome itself, with no wider empire-wide actions against Christians at that time.

Emperor Decius initiated the first empire-wide persecution of Christians in 250 A.D., mandating sacrifices to show loyalty to Rome.

Christians who refused to perform sacrifices for the empire’s well-being faced penalties such as property confiscation, imprisonment, or death.

Decius's persecution targeted Christian clerics like Pope Fabian, who were either martyred or sent into exile.

Despite Decius's efforts, his reign ended after less than two years, and his persecution of Christians was relatively short-lived.

The DC persecution created a collective trauma that unified the early Christian community, enhancing their sense of survival and identity.

The story of the 'Seven Sleepers,' a group of Christians who survived the Decian persecution by hiding in a cave, became a popular legend.

Christianity ultimately triumphed as Emperor Constantine would later convert and initiate Rome’s gradual conversion into a Christian empire.

Transcripts

if you've ever been to a Christmas

service you've heard the story of how

Jesus was born and the Roman controlled

territory of Judea during the reign of

Rome's first emperor Augustus Caesar

Christianity as religion was literally

born in the Roman Empire and after

Christ's crucifixion the new Creed began

to spread throughout its territory

the rise of Christianity coincided with

a general decline in adherence to

traditional Roman religion after a

century of immigration cross-cultural

exchange economic growth and even Civil

War by augustus's time Roman polytheism

existed more as ritual and tradition

than as deeply felt belief and its

customary Pantheon of gods competed for

attention against dozens of various

mystery Cults as well as the new belief

that the Empire itself and possibly the

emperor himself were divine entities

during his reign as print caps Augustus

made organized efforts to restore the

centrality of traditional Roman paganism

but it would prove to be too little too

late and in the centuries following

after augustus's death the slow decline

of Roman religion accelerated

in its first years of proliferation the

empire did not view Christianity as

anything more than a strange curiosity

it was yet another Messianic movement

emerging from the Eastern fringes of its

territory

in contrast to proper Roman piety the

very first Christians were generally

perceived to be a sect of bizarre

zealots if anything Romans broadly

viewed the early spread of Christianity

with bemusement and faint pity

the initial Christians were people who

had foolishly rejected the religion of

their fathers Judaism and in doing so

had shattered the family bonds and the

ancient traditions of their own people

it was this radicalism however this

willingness to give up one's own

cultural heritage based on faith alone

that would eventually lead the Empire to

view Christianity with greater suspicion

as Edward Gibbon wrote in his massive

series the history of the decline and

fall of the Roman Empire

the whole body of Christians unanimously

refused to hold any communion with the

gods of Rome of the Empire and of

mankind

they had separated themselves from every

mode of superstition of polytheism but

it was not altogether so evident what

deity or form of worship they had

substituted to the gods and temples of

antiquity

the pure and Sublime idea which they

entertained of the Supreme Being escaped

the gross conception of the Pagan

multitude who were at a loss to discover

a spiritual and solitary God that was

neither represented under a corporeal

figure or visible symbol nor was adored

with a custom pump of Libations and

festivals of altars and sacrifices it

was this confusion regarding the beliefs

of the first Christians that would see

Romans refer to this upstart sect as

atheists

though this terminology is utterly at

odds with the modern use of the word it

made sense in a Roman context where

public practice of religion mattered

more than interior belief someone who

made no sacrifices to the recognized

Pantheon clearly didn't believe in a

supernatural reality that they could

recognize it was dissonance like this

that led some within the Empire to see

the emerging Christian communities and

their bizarre practices as more of a

threat in the half a century after

Christ's death

the most natural comparison to a modern

audience is with Judaism and the heavy

Jewish population in the East and the

emergence of communities in Rome itself

meant that most Romans were at least

passingly familiar with Jews and their

distinct religion Jews had long stood

apart from the bulk of Rome citizenry in

custom and religion but prior to the

Jewish revolts of the first century

there had generally been an

understanding of Live and Let Live

between the Jews and the leadership of

Rome Christians joined Jews in insisting

that the most basic foundations and

traditions of Roman religion were

immoral both believe that polytheism was

an abhorrent system they acknowledged

only one God

but the Christian communities began

rapidly diverging from their Jewish

roots when speaking of a new Divine

figure the son of this one God

Christianity first came to Roman

attention because of how disruptive it

was proving to be Christians

proselytized and boldly pronounced with

borderline apocalyptic fervor that they

held no other Allegiance not to Nation

nor even to their own families

Romans had accommodated and even

respected Jews because they had Customs

that had gone mostly unchanged for

centuries this was Paramount to the

Romans a differing religion or culture

could be trusted only insofar as it

honored its own ancient history in

Traditions to honor one's predecessors

and their ways was the mark of a

civilized people and one with whom the

Romans could find shared interests

Christians in contrast were a people who

would actively and consciously reject

their own Traditions these people had in

many cases alienated their closest

relatives by insisting that the way

they'd done things for thousands of

years was wrong the Christians believed

that they had borne witness to a new

revelation one that was incompatible

with the ways of their forefathers to

the Roman mind this decision however

honestly motivated was a mark of

insolence and ingratitude

thus Christianity was not merely a

different Creed as Judaism had been it

was to the Roman Elite an engine of

social dissolution a force which ripped

apart the traditional bonds upon which

Roman society was built

in the hierarchical and conservative

Society of Rome how can a person who

rejected his or her own parents ever be

trusted how could they ever become a

loyal or honorable citizen

the first organized reprisals against

Christians took place during the reign

of the emperor Nero the fifth Roman

Emperor who reigned from 54 to 68 A.D

during his Reign Christians often made

convenient scapegoats for the various

failings of the Empire

unsurprisingly these shortcomings were

growing exponentially with Nero at the

helm

The Watershed event was The Great Fire

of Rome in 64 A.D the fire lasted for

six days and damaged or destroyed

two-thirds of the city's structure

in the face of such an enormous

catastrophe blame had to be assigned and

a recently formed and radical sect of

marginalized social outcasts which

refused to swear loyalty to the emperor

made for an easy and obvious Target

as tacitus writes in Book 15 of his

annals Nero fastened the guilt and

inflicted the most Exquisite tortures on

a class hated for their Abominations

called Christians by the populace

Christus from whom the name had its

origin suffered the extreme penalty

during the reign of Tiberius at the

hands of one of our pro-curators Pontius

Pilate and a most mischievous

Superstition thus checked for the moment

again broke out not only in Judea the

first source of the evil but even in

Rome were all things hideous and

shameful from every part of the world

find their Center and become popular

accordingly an arrest was first made of

all who pleaded guilty then upon their

information an immense multitude was

convicted not so much of the crime of

firing the city as of hatred against

mankind

mockery of every sort was added to their

deaths

covered with the skins of beasts they

were torn by dogs and perished or were

nailed to crosses or were doomed to the

flames and burnt to serve as a nightly

illumination when daylight had expired

Nero offered his Gardens for the

spectacle and was exhibiting a show in

the circus while he mingled with the

people in the dress of a charioteer or

stood Aloft on a car this wanton cruelty

would in time come to Define Nero's

reign in popular imagination he's not

remembered as the artist he fancied

himself but as a bloodthirsty psychopath

whose name will live forever as the

inspiration for the enigmatic 666 of

Revelation

however despite the extremity of his

persecutions the campaign against

Christians would remain largely

restricted to the city of Rome itself

perhaps because the fire remained

limited to the capital city Nero made no

wider efforts to persecute Christians in

other parts of the Empire after Nero's

suicide in 68 systematic persecutions of

Christians slowed considerably and

Christian populations largely became

regarded as a local nuisance dealt with

sporadically by the governors of

concerned provinces and their

subordinate officials rather than by

Emperors no unified policy of

persecution existed and correspondence

between Pliny and trajan indicated that

the emperor did not want Christians to

be sought out or to be condemned through

Anonymous accusations alone anyone

brought before Pliny who was willing to

perform a sacrifice to the emperor's

genius was free to leave but those that

refused were to be killed by providing

such an easy way to escape drastic

punishment we can see that trajan did

not care so much about about the content

of a Christian's belief so much as their

societal impact it's doubtful that he

cared about the defendant's theology at

all Christian or not it was only those

that refused to sacrifice that risk

punishment

but before we begin thinking of this as

tolerant we can't lose sight of the fact

that people died for their refusal to

honor the Divinity of trajan which is

somewhat out of sync with his modern

reputation as Optimus print caps

one notable uptick in anti-christian

violence however is believed to have

occurred during the reign of Marcus

Aurelius a man that most modern Scholars

likewise regard as the height of

erudition and sophistication from 161 to

180 A.D

the exact causes of this spike in the

actual involvement of irelius himself

are disputed

the first truly empire-wide persecution

of Christians was to occur during the

reign of the Emperor decius who ruled

for only a few short years between 249

and 151 A.D before being killed

alongside his son and battle against the

gods and what is now Bulgaria this

defeat made him the first emperor to die

in combat against a foreign enemy and a

sign of the cataclysmic disruption that

punctuated the third Century Romans no

longer had a monopoly on Emperor murder

to understand decius's motivations for

taking systemic action against the

Christians though it's helpful to look

at his predecessor

the Emperor who preceded Theseus was

born in the Roman province of Arabia and

was popularly known as Philip the Arab

during Philip's Reign the Empire had

celebrated the Milestone of the Roman

Millennium according to the Roman

Calendar the year 248 A.D marked one

thousand years since the founding of the

city the occasion was marked with

widespread festivities and Philip

ordered the celebration of the lavish

secular games daring which more than 100

Gladiators were killed in the Coliseum

alone to Mark the passage of an era

however like any great historical

Milestone the Millennium was also an

occasion for reflection and many Romans

both in and out of the halls of power

couldn't escape the sense that things

were trending unfavorably

by 248 the territory held by the empire

was slowly but surely Contracting within

its borders it faced widespread revolts

and uprisings its politics were volatile

with the title of Emperor Changing Hands

often and often through violence

the economy was similarly unpredictable

with frequent problems including grain

shortages inflation and inconsistent

taxation

most of all Rome's military felt itself

badly neglected the soldiers of its

Legions were frequently underpaid and

overworked and in time the situation

became so dire that several Legions

revolted proclaiming decius a general to

be the new emperor and marched on Rome

to install him

Philip's own Legions opposed them but

decius's faction won-handily and Philip

himself was killed in battle

however during Philip's Reign rumors had

begun to circulate that the emperor was

secretly a Christian

this rumor would later be recorded as

fact in the history of the Christian

Church written by eusebius Bishop of the

Roman province of caesarea some 70 years

after the end of Philip's Reign most

modern historians reject the idea that

Philip was actually a Christian but the

mere suggestion combined with the chaos

of Philips later Reign would have been

damning in the Roman imagination and

it's possible that decius's

anti-christian efforts were to some

extent a reaction against a predecessor

he imagined to have been a secret

Christian himself either way decius

began his consulship with a coordinated

effort to make Rome culturally Roman

again

he led a failed attempt to revive the

bygone office of censor in an attempt to

restore Morality In traditional values

in public discourse when that was

unsuccessful he began an organized

empire-wide campaign to bring Rome back

to its traditional religious roots

in late January of 250 A.D DC has passed

an edict that all inhabitants of the

Empire had to offer in the presence of a

Roman magistrate a public sacrifice of

food or drink or burn incense for the

health of the Empire and the emperor

in return the person offering the

sacrifice would receive an official

government-issued certificate a lie

bellus proving his or her loyalty to

Rome and its Traditions these

certificates were issued in such great

numbers that many survived today

this edict was not officially targeted

at Christians or at any other minority

religious group though Jews were

specifically Exempted but the popular

belief was that Christians in particular

would be unwilling to offer sacrifice in

the name of the emperor

the exact wording of the edict stated

that the offering was for or in Latin

Pro the emperor not to the emperor and

thus many Christians saw no issue with

completing the sacrifice and receiving a

certificate having found a kind of

loophole by which they could be

satisfied that they were not worshiping

the emperor but merely wishing him

health

however it was not uncommon for

individual magistrates to demand a

sacrifice not merely for the emperor but

to the traditional gods of Rome

additionally magistrates often demanded

the sacrifice in the name of local or

Patron gods in the Roman province of

Carthage for example applicants were

made to sacrifice specifically in the

names of Jupiter Juno and Minerva

all the same a significant number of

Christians still complied even

confronted with these more stringent

circumstances some engaged in a kind of

legalistic interpretation since there

was only one actual God calling him by

another name didn't matter God was God

regardless and God would know the heart

of the believer

others though refused outright the

penalties for failing to obtain a

certificate of loyalty ranged from

confiscation of property and

imprisonment to if the refusal persisted

torture and death

Additionally the perception that one was

putting off receiving the certificate

was enough to cause social stigma and

alienation from one's Neighbors

many of Rome's most prominent Christians

refused to obtain a certificate the

bishop of Rome Fabian had previously

divided the city into seven districts

and had appointed a deacon and a

subdeacon as the governing authorities

of each district

many of these deacons died during the DC

in persecution as did Fabian himself now

more commonly known as the saint Pope

Fabian the title of Pope from the Greek

Papas father was not a title unique to

the bishop of Rome during early

Christianity

it is thought that Fabian and the other

martyred Roman deacons likely died in

prison rather than being executed

as the edict went out throughout the

empire was accompanied by a wave of

anti-christian sentiment Bishops and

other clerics throughout the empire were

killed including BaByliss Bishop of

Antioch and Alexander Bishop of

Jerusalem both now regarded as Saints by

the Orthodox and Catholic churches

those clerics who were not killed were

generally sent into exile

many Believers went into hiding there

were anti-christian pogroms in Carthage

Alexandria and several other cities

across North Africa and the Middle East

Alexandria in modern-day Egypt became

home to an especially large underground

population of Christian refugees some of

whom buried their dead beneath the same

safe houses where they hid

after only a short time facing the new

reality of the prescriptions many

Christians came to mythologize the time

before Odysseus as a golden age when

they had not known how good they had it

still others gave up the faith when the

DC and persecutions ended the question

of whether or not to honor the

sacraments of the church leaders who had

lapsed would fuel controversy

scale and ferocity of the persecutions

waned after only a year by early 251

decius seemed to have shifted his

priorities and in June of that year he

was killed in battle

his successors tribonius gallus and Son

volusianus allowed decius's religious

reforms to lapse bringing the total

duration of the persecution to roughly

11 months

early Christians would remember DCS as a

horrific Tyrant and his Reign is a time

of Great Tribulation for the church

nonetheless the ordeal of the DC and

persecutions would also have a binding

effect as collective traumas often do

giving the Christian Community a sense

of having survived a great trial and

emerged mostly intact

several survivors of the dcn era would

go on to become prominent figures in the

church including Dionysus the great who

would become Bishop of Alexandria and

cyprian who would become Bishop of

Carthage both were forced into hiding

during the first year of decius's Reign

and both are now regarded as Saints by

the Orthodox and Catholic churches

a curious Legend would also emerge from

the time of the DC in persecution that

of the seven sleepers a group of seven

sometimes fewer sometimes more Christian

youths who hid in a cave to escape the

DC and tribulations were walled in left

to die and emerged no worse for the wear

some 300 years later it's a kind of

proto-rip Van Winkle story and the

sleepers are venerated not only by the

Catholic and Orthodox Churches but

within Islam as well

though Christians in the empire were no

doubt relieved to have the DC and

prescriptions rolled back in 251 A.D

they were not out of the woods only six

years later in 257 the emperor Valerian

would introduce his own anti-christian

mandates and in 303 under Diocletian the

final and worst persecution of

Christians the great persecution would

ensue

the Christian Church would ultimately

have the last laugh though only three

years later in 306 the empire was in the

hands of Constantine who would not only

convert to Christianity himself but

began the slow inexorable process of

converting all of Rome into a Christian

Empire

[Music]

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