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A: Edward Gibbon (The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire) tells us that, in spite of later Christian traditions, the pagan emperors were very tolerant of religious beliefs that differed from their own. Jews were exempted from military duty out of respect for their dietary laws and were generally free to practise their faith openly and as they chose. He says there must have existed some other cause which exposed the Christians to those severities from which the Jews were exempt. It seems that such persecution as the Christians did suffer was the result of the contempt Christians appeared to display for the civil laws and the Roman peace.

While there were brief periods during which the Christians suffered official persecution, Gibbon says about the attitude of the emperors to the Christians:

  1. That a considerable time elapsed before they considered the new sectaries as deserving of the attention of government.
  2. That in the conviction of any of their subjects who were accused of so very singular a crime, they proceeded with caution and reluctance.
  3. That they were moderate in the use of punishments; and
  4. That the afflicted church enjoyed many intervals of peace and tranquillity.

Severus Alexander (222-235) even placed statues of Abraham, Orpheus, Apollonius and Christ in his domestic chapel, thereby honouring each. Emperor Philip (244-249) was so partial to Christians that it was rumoured that he was a secret convert to the religion, a possibility that continues to attract debate today.

This era of relative tolerance came to an end with the rise to power of Constantine in the fourth century. A brief period of religious tolerance occurred under Julian the Apostate in 361-363, but his death brought about a return to Christian rule, and with it the harshest persecution of the pagans.

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Q: In what ways was Rome tolerant of religion?
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