Persecution of the Early Church - 2471 Words

Persecution of the Early Church Objective The objective of this study is to examine Christian persecution first by beginning in Greece and Rome in the ancient world. Jews were people that dressed differently, spoke differently and were even labeled as atheists due to their lack of a belief in any of the Greek or Roman gods or goddesses. The Jewish people were referred to as enemies of the human race since the foods that they ate were different and they did not mingle in with others in social activities. Even more hated in the mainstream society were the Christians especially those who lived and became martyrs around the year A.D. 155. During this time, a persecution arose against Christians in Asia Minor with many of these becoming martyrs for the Christian faith. Introduction The Christians of the time around A.D. 155 were of great courage and for example Germanicus, is reported to have particularly astounded the crowd. He encouraged his fellow Christians and spurred the wild beasts, to which he had been thrown, to slay him. (Light to the Nations, Chapter 3, date unknown) This resulted in the pagans crying out to do away with the atheists (the Christians) and cried out as well to seek Polycarp! (Light to the Nations, Chapter 3, date unknown) It is reported that Polycarp was 86 years of age, bishop of the church of Smyrna and One of the last living links with the Apostles, having spoken with Apostle John at some past time. Polycarp is reported to have been:Show MoreRelatedPersecution In The Early Church3587 Words   |  15 Pagesï » ¿ PERSECUTION IN THE EARLY CHURCH BEFORE CONSTANTINE TONNIE L. COLLINS DR. DAVE PEDERSON CHHI 520 B11 – LUO CONTENTS Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.....3 Persecution in the early church†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦4-10 The growth of the Church ....................................................................................................10-14 Concludes†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦14-15 Bibliography†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.17-18 INTRODUCTION Read MoreThe Christianity Of Persecution Of The Early Church2528 Words   |  11 PagesFor Christians, the persecution of the early church is generally accepted as fact. So much so that we rarely seem to consider the possibility that this is not the case. The martyrdom of saints for their faith is taken for granted as historically accurate. Furthermore, we admire them, looking up to the strength of their faith during the most challenging of times. But are we believing in a false history? Are we taking the truth of Christian persecution for granted when it is, in fact, not true at allRead More A Critical Interpretation of Hans Kung?s Historical Analysis of the Development of the Hierarchical Church1390 Words   |  6 PagesKung’s Historical Analysis of the Development of the Hierarchical Church nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The beginnings of the Christian church are shrouded in mystery. With the lack of evidence about that time in history, it is hard to draw conclusions of any type. However, the historical analyst, Hans Kung, has written a book to shed some light on the subject. In this book, Kung discusses his opinion on the development of the early church, and its hierarchical structure. In the following paper, I willRead MoreChristian Horbury : Early Christian Persecutions1490 Words   |  6 PagesThis is what theologian Horbury surmised about early Christian persecutions, and I largely agree with this view. The Jews sometimes persecuted the early Christians because their beliefs clashed and this caused friction between the two religions. As well as this ‘incompatibility’ between the two faiths, Donatism also developed as a separate sect of Christianity within the orthodox church and a lot of persecution and hate was directed towards the early Christians. Howeve r, without this I do not believeRead MoreHow Christianity Changed Between The First Century And Its Legalization1036 Words   |  5 PagesJudaism, and the early believers were comprised of an apocalyptic Jewish sect. It was thought that the Lord may return at any time and the end must be close. The persecutions of the Christian’s by the Romans began when the Christian’s became too public of their beliefs. One of the most notable persecution was when Nero of Rome, blamed the Christians for a devastating fire that ravaged the city in 64 AD. He used Christians as human torches to illuminate his gardens. The Christian Church had a hardRead MoreChurch History : A Important Class1277 Words   |  6 PagesChurch history is a very important class, especially to us as Christians. When we look back at the history of the church we are able to see how God worked in the formation of the church, as we know it today. In Hebrews 13:7 it reads, â€Å"Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.† By learning the good things in history we are able to imitate and live out the gospel the way that God would have us to live. Church historyRead MoreChristianity And Its Impact On The Devel opment Of Christianity1283 Words   |  6 PagesChristianity was closely linked to Judaism.† â€Å"Early Christian missionaries, being Jews, interacted at first with the Jewish communities in the empire’s cities.† â€Å"This was only natural and gave them common ground with other groups in the provinces in which Jews were a minority.† â€Å"Among the Jews, however, resistance to Jesus being the Messiah was often encountered, and early on, the Christians or the church gained converts from non-Jews.† â€Å"Christianity in its early stages used the Jewish synagogues, allowingRead MoreThe Twelve Colonies Of America774 Words   |  4 PagesChristian schools in the Middle colony started with the first century Christians in the Roman Empire. The early church parents, both Jewish and pagan, who did not want their children to be educated in pagan Roman schools with no moral instruction clandestinely taught their children about God and his precepts in th eir house schools. The Christians education was the key to the growth of the early church in the Roman Empire. With conversions of Roman Emperors, the Christianity became the state religion,Read MoreThe Between Pliny And Trajan976 Words   |  4 PagesAs the church moves into the second century, authorities begin to recognize Christianity distinct from Judaism. With this new distinction, persecution also increases. Society viewed Jews who lived in communities throughout the Roman Empire (Diaspora Judaism) as monotheistic. This standing provided Jews with political and societal exemptions from pagan worship and military service. As Christianity grew distinct from Judaism, these exemptions did not apply to this new movement whom many in societyRead MoreThe Christian Of Christian Education777 Words   |  4 Pageswas a driving force behind the Christian school education that emerged in the early centuries. When Christians were dispersed throughout the Roman Empire after the destructi on of Jerusalem, Christian parents - both Jewish and Gentile- faced a dilemma for their children’s education. The Jewish people had a long history of their commitment to the spiritual education of their children. They were the first to establish church-supported religious school system when they exiled to Babylon and started to