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Prior to the rule of Constatine, Christians were considered a dangerous subversive sect. Not because they refused to worship the gods, but because they refused to accept the divinity of the Emperor. It was from that supposed divinity that he derived much of his power. Julius Caesar himself was a descendant of Iulus, son of Aeneas, who claimed to be a son of Aphrodite, and each of the first five Emperors, including Nero, one of the worst persecutors of Christians, claimed divinity through him.
Persecution of the Christians started with the reign of Nero and became heaviest through the reign of Domitian. At best, Christians were made slaves (perhaps if they were noble born or powerful), at worst they were declared enemies of the state and executed. This usually meant being forced to participate in Games or being crucified.
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Why did Augustus refuse emperor worship?
The worship of a living person was considered un-Roman by the ancients. It was an eastern custom, but not a custom of the west. Augustus was merely following Roman tradition, just as Julius Caesar refused to be worshiped in Rome, although he wasworshiped as a god in the east.
Under which Roman Emperor did Christians first become a target of the Romans?
Nero was the emperor who fed to the lions, burned alive, and crucified Christians of the early church. He was also emperor when Rome burned to the ground.
Who were non-Christians in the Roman Empire?
Most people who lived in the Roman Empire were non-Christians until the Empire itself became Christian (and even then, there were many non-Christians). Most people who lived in the Roman Empire were polytheists (especially the Romans; remember, the Romans conquered many other peoples), though not all believed in the same gods. Others were Jews or had other religious beliefs. There were basically no atheists.Another answerNon-Christians were called pagans.
Why were christians considered disloyal to the Roman Empire?
The number of Christians started to grow, so the Romans saw them as a threat to Roman order and patriotism.The Romans believed they were favoured by the gods because of their devotion to them. They even brought the images, statues and sacred objects of the gods of some of the tribes that they conquered to Rome, so that they could show devotion to them.In this sense, because Christians did not honour the traditional gods, they were considered to be a danger to the welfare of the Roman state. While this was not necessarily a universally held opinion, this attitude seems to have influenced Emperor Decius, who in 250, soon after becoming emperor, declared that everyone had to declare that they supported the (traditional) gods. This led to the first empire-wide persecution of Christians.The same religious conservatism, and a fear that Christians in the army were hindered the prayers to the gods for military success, was probably behind the Great Persecution, begun by Emperor Diocletian and his colleagues in 303, which continued off-and-on until 313, when the last of these persecutors, and one of the most determined, eventually gave up.In the meantime, Constantine (now a co-emperor) won a victory in a civil war in Italy against a usurper, and at the time believed that he had been aided by the Christian god. This changed the dynamics of the situation, and it turned out to be a long-lasting change, with Constantine eventually coming to a better understanding of the Christian faith.In its early years, Christianity was too small to be thought by many to be a threat to the Roman Empire. We do find in the epistles (for example 1 Peter: "you are a holy nation") obscure references that could suggest that some Christians felt themselves independent of secular rule, but these would have passed unnoticed by the Roman people.By the third century, there were enough Christians for people to notice if the Christians refused to abide by the same rules as everyone else. People were becoming aware that Christians paid more obedience to their bishops than to the civil authorities, and even had their own courts.Christians incurred the displeasure of the pagan Roman government because they did not seem entirely loyal. They were becoming a threat to the proper governance of the Roman Empire, which required respect for the civil authorities and obedience to the law. At last, there were three periods of widespread, official persecution in 249-51, 257 and 303-311.As an example of treason or desertion, Edward Gibbon mentions Marcellus, the centurion who threw away his arms and the ensigns of his office, and exclaimed with a loud voice that he would obey none but Jesus Christ the eternal King, and that he renounced forever the use of carnal weapons and the service of an idolatrous master. The soldiers, as soon as they recovered from their astonishment, secured the person of Marcellus, who was condemned and beheaded for the crime of desertion. Examples like this savour less of persecution than of martial or even civil law, but they served to alienate the emperors.
Why did the Romans make offerings to their Gods?
Gods and goddesses had always been a part of Roman religion of ancient times, as they spead out and other people became a part of Rome, those gods and goddesses became as Roman as the people.
Why did Romans Emperor's persecute Christians?
Christians refused to worship Roman gods.
Why did the Roman Emperor persecute Christian?
Christians refused to worship Roman gods.
Why did the early christian face persecution from the Romans?
Christians also posed a problem for Roman rulers. The main reason was that they refused to worship Roman gods. This refusal was seen as opposition to Roman rule.
What are some of the issues that divided pagan Romans and Christian Romans during the Roman Empire?
Pagan Romans believed that there were many gods, and wanted the Christians to worship or at least recognize Roman gods in their worship as well as the Christian God. The Christians wouldn't do this, because it went against their religion to worship more than one god. The pagans also wanted the Christians to do ritualistic sacrifices to their gods, which the Christians also refused to do, as well as worship the Roman emperor. Not worshipping the Roman gods, not sacrificing to the gods, and not worshipping the emperor were all crimes of law in Rome, and so many Christians were killed for not doing these things. Christians were also accused of cannibalism (this is my body, eat this is remembrance of me...), and not contributing to society/laziness.
Why did roman officials consider christians enemys of the empire?
Because they did not worship gods or goddesses like the Romans did. Some Christians turned away from their responsibilities as Roman citizens, such as serving in the army.
Why were Roman rulers opposed Christianity because Christians would not worship?
The roman emperors kept the general populace in check by circulating the belief that they were part gods. When Christians refused to worship them they saw it as a threat to their position.
What characteristics of the christian and Jewish religions most troubled Romans?
The Jews and Christians both refused to worship Roman gods, they recognized only one God. Jews believed in a coming savior and most believed He would free them from the Romans. The Romans feared insurrection because they saw that Jews and Christians gave their loyalties to their God, rather than joining Roman culture. Save
What didn't the Romans like about Christianity?
It isn't that they didn't like it, the Romans allowed freedom of religion as long as you showed respect and worship to the emporer and the Roman gods. When the early Christians refused, the Romans were hostile. Also, the Romans believed that Jesus would lead a revolt against them, because that was what the messiah was fortold to do.
Why roman Rulers opposed Christianity?
Christians were falsely suspected of plotting to overthrow Rome. They worshipped privately and/or secretly, which understandably caused others to suspect them of plotting something. Beause Jesus stressed pacifism, Christians refused to fight in the Roman Army, which led people to think that they were anti-Roman. This was not true; they just did not want to kill. In the same way, the Christians' understanding that the barriers of peoples/countries are artificial and that all are one in Jesus was also misinterpreted as an anti-Roman belief. For these reasons, the Roman rulers, and most non-Christian Romans, were afraid of Christianity.
Why did roman government fear the spread of Christianity?
The Roman government feared the spread of Christianity because the Romans thought that if people who became Christians would stop worshipping the Roman gods. Early Christians also refused to pay homage to the Roman Emperor as divine, which was seen as challenging the Roman government.
Why did the Romans fear the spread of Christianity?
The Roman government feared the spread of Christianity because the Romans thought that if people who became Christians would stop worshipping the Roman gods. Early Christians also refused to pay homage to the Roman Emperor as divine, which was seen as challenging the Roman government.
Many Christians refused to burn in front of the statue of the Emperor?
To prove that they were loyal Romans, everyone in the empire had to burn incense to Caesar and declare that "Caesar is Lord" once a year. It wasn't the incense as nearly as much as the declaration, because for the Christian there is one and only one Lord, Jesus Christ.
