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The persecutions were caused by two conflicting views of religion. Christians saw religion a matter of belief, and they refused to participate in rituals that t
by jltsiren 3y ago
The persecutions were caused by two conflicting views of religion. Christians saw religion a matter of belief, and they refused to participate in rituals that they considered incompatible with Christianity. To Romans, religion was all about rituals, while belief was more in the domain of philosophy. By rejecting Roman rituals, Christians were rejecting the ties that bound the society together. They were therefore rejecting Rome itself. When Christians were persecuted, they were persecuted less because of their religion and more because of their sedition.
- jtbayly 3y agoOne of the common charges that Christians were prosecuted for was atheism.
- InTheArena 3y agoIt's also worth noting that these rituals included worship of the Caesars themselves. The rejection of an imposed faith then, necessarily, also included a rejection of empire.
- jltsiren 3y agoImposed religion, not imposed faith. That difference between religion as a civic duty and religion as a matter of faith was the core issue.
- InTheArena 3y agoI think that's a fair comment. Christianity being a matter of personal faith rather than government mandate was a core issue. Like many empires, Rome could not survive a world where the state itself was not the deity.
- nyokodo 3y ago> Rome could not survive a world where the state itself was not the deity. Except it could, and did for a thousand years depending on how you measure it.
- nyokodo 3y ago> The rejection of an imposed faith then, necessarily, also included a rejection of empire The issue of being a good Roman citizen apart from worship of the Emperor was a key issue for early Christians. The answer was that they most certainly could do so, including serving in the army. It was obviously possible as after Rome became Christian it carried on for centuries.