Martyrdom and Persecution in the Early Church, part I.

I. Religion and politics in the Roman Empire.1. Homeric gods.2. Mystery Cults. 3. The cult of the Emperor.

II. Early Local Persecutions.1. Persecution under Emperor Nero in 64 AD.2. Pagan perceptions of Christians.3. Persecution under Emperor Trajan in 112 AD.4. Persecution under Marcus Aurelius in 177 AD.

Olympic gods

Popular Greco-Roman gods

Ceres. Latin goddess of vegetation. Vatican

Museum.Demeter. Cnidus,

330 B. C.Asclepius. National Museum of Athens.

Diana of Ephesus.Ishtar (Astarte). Phoenician ivory plaqueMercury

(Hermes).

Mystery cults: Persian god Mithras

Triclinum

Mithraeum (1st c. C. E.) under the Church of San Clemente in Rome

The Murder of Julius Caesar The Senate declared him god

”Yet this father, this high priest, this inviolable being, this hero and god, is dead, alas, dead not by the violence of some disease, nor wasted by old age, nor wounded abroad...but right here within the walls as a result of a plot... Of what avail, O Caesar of what avail was your humanity, of what avail your inviolability, of what avail the laws?” Marc Antony's funeral oration for Caesar, Cassius Dio, XLIV.

“Yet this father, this high priest, this inviolable being, this hero and god, is dead, alas, dead not by the violence of some disease, nor wasted by old age, nor wounded abroad...but right here within the walls as a result of a plot.”

Dio Cassius. Marc Antony's funeral oration for Caesar, XLIV.

Emperor Cult

• Julius Caesar divinized after his death

• Temples dedicated to the genius of emperors

• Test of civil duty: Caesar is (divine) Lord!

Julius Caesar 100-44BC

Octavian Augustus

63BC-14AD

To the Lord (Dominus) most invincible and most powerful over everyone,

Military Commander Caes[ar] M[ark] Antony

GORDIAN Pius [225-244]

Apotheosis of Hadrian’s wife Sabina

Antoninus Pius (138-161) divinized after death

Funeral pyre of four tiers with garlands

Four-horse chariot

Ironies of history… the cult of the emperor revived

Vladimir Lenin (1870-1924)Julius Caesar (100-44 BC)

History repeats itself…today

Giant image of Kim Il-sung, the father of Kim Jong Il

Persecution of Christians under Nero

• Time: 64 AD• Place: Rome• Occasion: the great

fire in Rome• Nero blamed the fire

upon Christians• Christians burned as

torches & used as gladiators

Emperor Nero (54-68)

Pagan caricature of the Christian God (see Octavius 9. 3)

Tertullian complains about common pagan sentiments:

If the Tiber reaches the walls, if the Nile does not rise to the fields, if the sky does not move [drought], or the earth does [earthquake], if there is famine, if there is plague, the cry is at once: ‘Christians to the lion!’

Persecution under Emperor Trajan

Emperor Trajan 98-117

Pliny the Younger Governor of

Bythinia 111-113

• Time: 112AD

• Place: Bythinia, Asia Minor

• Occasion: Pliny toured his province and discovered a group that looked like a secret society

Why are Christians a problem?

• Temples deserted• Nobody buys sacrificial

animals• Christians disrupt local

economy

Remains of the Temple of Trajan and Hadrian. Pergamum, Turkey.

New Testament Parallels: Acts 19: 23-41• 23 About that time no little disturbance broke out concerning the Way. 24 A man named Demetrius,

a silversmith who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the artisans. 25 These he gathered together, with the workers of the same trade, and said, "Men, you know that we get our wealth from this business. 26 You also see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost the whole of Asia this Paul has persuaded and drawn away a considerable number of people by saying that gods made with hands are not gods. 27 And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be scorned, and she will be deprived of her majesty that brought all Asia and the world to worship her." 28 When they heard this, they were enraged and shouted, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" 29 The city was filled with the confusion; and people rushed together to the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul's travel companions. 30 Paul wished to go into the crowd, but the disciples would not let him; 31 even some officials of the province of Asia, who were friendly to him, sent him a message urging him not to venture into the theater. 32 Meanwhile, some were shouting one thing, some another; for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. 33 Some of the crowd gave instructions to Alexander, whom the Jews had pushed forward. And Alexander motioned for silence and tried to make a defense before the people. 34 But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours all of them shouted in unison, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" 35 But when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, "Citizens of Ephesus, who is there that does not know that the city of the Ephesians is the temple keeper of the great Artemis and of the statue that fell from heaven? 36 Since these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash. 37 You have brought these men here who are neither temple robbers nor blasphemers of our goddess. 38 If therefore Demetrius and the artisans with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls; let them bring charges there against one another. 39 If there is anything further you want to know, it must be settled in the regular assembly. 40 For we are in danger of being charged with rioting today, since there is no cause that we can give to justify this commotion." 41 When he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.

Statue of Artemis. Museo Pio Clementino. Vatican

Museums, Rome.

Theater. Ephesus

Ruins of the Temple of Artemis. Ephesus

Statue of Artemis. Museo Pio Clementino. Vatican

Museums, Rome.

Enormous Temple of Artemis. Vicinity of Sardis.

Some ‘horrible’ facts about Christians that Pliny discovered

• Christians meet on Sunday• Sing a hymn to Christ ‘as to a god’• Promise to each other not to act

immorally• Eat together• Conclusion: ‘depraved, excessive

superstition’

Trajan’s reply to Pliny

• Do not seek Christians out • do not consider anonymous accusations• Give them a chance to sacrifice• Punish only those who refused to sacrifice

Map 2nd c.

Martyrs of Vienne and Lyons, 177.

Execution of Blandina (177 CE)Blandina was hung up fastened to a stake and exposed, as food to the wild beasts that were let loose against her. Because she appeared as if hanging on a cross and because of her earnest prayers, she inspired the combatants with great zeal. For they looked on this sister in her combat and saw, with their bodily eyes, Him who was crucified for them, that He might persuade those who trust in Him that every one who suffers for the glory of Christ has eternal communion with the living God. When none of the wild beasts at that time touched her, she was taken down from the stake and taken back to prison. She was preserved for another contest. By gaining the victory in more conflicts, she might make the condemnation of the Crooked Serpent unquestionable, and she might encourage the brethren. Though she was an insignificant, weak, and despised woman, yet she was clothed with the great and invincible athlete Christ. On many occasions she had overpowered the enemy, and in the course of the contest had woven for herself the crown of incorruption.

Coliseum, Rome.

Underground Zoo

Arena

Amphitheater

Martyrdom was a public event

“A great audience is gathered to watch you who are engaged in conflict and are called to martyrdom, such as we might compare to the vast crowd that gathers to watch the conflict between popular wrestlers. As you fight you may say no less than Paul, ‘We are become a spectacle to the world and to angels and to men.’ The whole world, then, and all the angels of the right and left and all men, both those who belong to God’s portion and the rest, will be watching us as we fight for Christianity.”

--Origen, Exhortation to Martyrdom, 18. Wrestlers. Floor Mosaic. Terme di Porta Marina,

Ostia Antica.

Martyrdom and Persecution in the Early Church, part II.

I. The Response of Christian Apologists.II. Martyrdom of Polycarp (discussion).III. Martyrdom and Christian Self-Definition.

I. Ignatius of Antioch.

IV. Theological Significance of Martyrdom.V. Modern Martyrs.

St. Ignatius of Antioch (35-107 AD)

• Bishop of Antioch• Composed 7 letters on his way

from Syria to Rome• Sentenced to be devoured by wild

beasts in the reign of emperor Trajan

• Major points of his letter to Christians in Rome

Modern martyrs