Roman Persecution of Christians
Matt Ripp
Mr. Mathias
New Testament
4-17-2011
Romans Persecution of Christians
In early biblical times the Christians were not always welcomed where they went or by whom was there. They faced many persecutions over the years but continued to trust in God and stand up for their faith. Although there were many places where the Christians faced these persecutions, the main place was the Roman Empire. The Romans persecutions over the Christians are probably the most well-known and some of the cruelest actions known in text. A religious persecution is when an individual or a group of people are mistreated because of their religious faith. Although this essay will only cover points about how the Romans persecuted the Christians, there are many other cases of religious persecution. The main reason for a persecution is to try and persuade groups of people to change their point of view. They do this by out casting these groups and even torturing them. Religion was very important to the Romans; the gods they worshipped were looked at as part of their state religion. I wouldn’t really even call it a religion, it was more of a social activity that promoted unity and loyalty to the state. It was said that the gods should be worshipped daily by Romans or they would not be victorious in battle or prosperous in agriculture. (Explain) It was considered a Roman’s duty to regularly make sacrifices to the gods they worshiped. St. Peter was the first man to bring Christianity to the Roman Empire. When Christians first came to the Roman Empire, the only interested converts they found were the poor and homeless. The poor and the homeless were so easy to convert because they were already out casted in the Roman Empire and the Christians were willing to except them. The Romans did not really go out of their way to persecute the Christians at first, but by no means accepted them. The Roman authorities were very hesitant with the Christians and were uncertain what to do with
Mr. Mathias
New Testament
4-17-2011
Romans Persecution of Christians
In early biblical times the Christians were not always welcomed where they went or by whom was there. They faced many persecutions over the years but continued to trust in God and stand up for their faith. Although there were many places where the Christians faced these persecutions, the main place was the Roman Empire. The Romans persecutions over the Christians are probably the most well-known and some of the cruelest actions known in text. A religious persecution is when an individual or a group of people are mistreated because of their religious faith. Although this essay will only cover points about how the Romans persecuted the Christians, there are many other cases of religious persecution. The main reason for a persecution is to try and persuade groups of people to change their point of view. They do this by out casting these groups and even torturing them. Religion was very important to the Romans; the gods they worshipped were looked at as part of their state religion. I wouldn’t really even call it a religion, it was more of a social activity that promoted unity and loyalty to the state. It was said that the gods should be worshipped daily by Romans or they would not be victorious in battle or prosperous in agriculture. (Explain) It was considered a Roman’s duty to regularly make sacrifices to the gods they worshiped. St. Peter was the first man to bring Christianity to the Roman Empire. When Christians first came to the Roman Empire, the only interested converts they found were the poor and homeless. The poor and the homeless were so easy to convert because they were already out casted in the Roman Empire and the Christians were willing to except them. The Romans did not really go out of their way to persecute the Christians at first, but by no means accepted them. The Roman authorities were very hesitant with the Christians and were uncertain what to do with
Cited: "Explain Why the First Christians Were Persecuted." Coursework Help - GCSE and A-Level Course Work. 9 Nov. 2010. Web. 09 Nov. 2010. . Harris, Stephen. The New Testament A Students Introduction. 6th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2009. Print. Russel, Adrian. ""Roman Persecution of the Early Church" by Adrian Russell." EarlyChurch.org.uk: An Internet Resource for the Study of the Early Centuries of Christianity. 1991. Web. 09 Nov. 2010. . Time, By This. "Christian Persecution." UNRV History - Roman Empire. 9 Nov. 2010. Web. 09 Nov. 2010. . Walton, Steve. "Church History." The Theologian. 2005. Web. 09 Nov. 2010. .