Diocletianic Persecution

Why were Christians persecuted and what did that persecution look like?

In the first few hundred years of the last millennium 1.5 million people on all sides of the conflict were killed in the Crusades to the Holy Land which was suppose to be led by “Christians”.

During the late 1500s in the Wars of Religion in France people claiming to be Christians killed 4 million people claiming also to be Christians. If you add in the inquisitions there were at least 6 million people killed by people claiming to be Christians. Other estimates reach number three and four times that. The question is are those killers “real Christians”.

Back in the late second century when Romans were persecuting Christians the Taoists of the Yellow Scarves Rebellion in China were causing the death of over 7 million people. A dearth and crop failures had brought famine and displaced the people. The Taoists of that Rebellion had organized the people to rise up and throw off the oppression of corrupt governments and those who became wealthy by exploiting cheap labor. Others took advantage of this to become rich at their expense because of their misfortune.

The truth is if you look at the Democratic Socialist Party in Germany they killed close to 20 million people including about 9 million Christians only to be out done by Stalin who killed some three times that number of his own people. China’s People Revolution topped that with their own efforts to murder each other from World War II to 1970.

The truth is people kill people.

Religion is sometimes used as an excuse. As we have shown there are two definitions of religion floating around in the mind of men throughout history. There is the religion of love and service steeped in forgiveness and giving and the religion of prideful theological opinions. The more people lean to the definition that “religion” is “what you think about supreme beings” (personal or private theological opinion) the more likely religion can be used as an excuse to oppress and even kill people.

Just as an example, Pope Innocent the III pronounced it the duty of each secular government at the Lateran Council in 1215 to execute heretics and Frederic the II obliged him just 5 years later to get himself off the heretic list.

Fred’s edict said, “Heretics of all sects were outlawed; and when condemned as such by the Church they were to be delivered to the secular arm to be burned.” even if they recanted they would get life in prison.

But of course the real motivation could be seen in the unjust terms of the edict “All the property of the heretic was confiscated and his heirs disinherited. His children, to the second generation, were declared ineligible to any positions of emolument or dignity, unless they should win mercy by betraying their father or some other heretic.”

Pope Pius II engaged in this profitable search for heretics as late as 1458 when dead people were still being accused of heresy. They would be literally dug up, put on trial, found guilty, and their remains burned. The key motivation here too was again the heirs of estate of the dead heretical ancestor would have all their property confiscated by religious rulers of Rome. And of course someone would have to manage these properties which was often the accusers themselves if not the inquisitors.

The combining of secular powers of the earth with the desires of opinionated theologians was often a recipe for death and oppression. But when you sweep away all the labels like religion and government it comes down to the real cause of mass murder is pride, hate and greed. So the true followers of Jesus the Christ who preached humility, love and charity never killed anyone nor has the religion preached by Jesus caused the death of any people.

Jesus came to serve1 not to be served. He came to sacrifice himself for others not to make himself2 or his ministers rich.3 But a great many people still call themselves “Christians” and believers in Jesus but they are in fact taking that label or name in vain. They are clearly and actually workers of iniquity.4

RELIGIO quid sit5

Those who want to blame religion for the deaths and murder often use that label to cover their own covetous hearts and slothful practices. Pure religion6 is the way you take care of your obligation to your fellow man. We do that by providing for the widows and orphans and needy families of society who have fallen on hard times. In order to do that in a way that strengthens the poor we need to gather together in away that allows us to strengthen those in need. The true followers of Christ, John the Baptist, Moses and Abraham want to do that with freewill offerings which is what we call charity while the secularist wants to force the offerings of the people through authoritarian governments.

The people of the world often want to force all people to do what they want, pay for what they want, do things their way. Such covetous and autocratic practices are anti Christ whether you rely upon a king or the ballot box. Socialism is secular religion in the sense that it is the way some people take care of the needy of society. The socialist is not pro choice though he or she may profess they are with their lips.

Since the definition of religion just two hundred years ago consisted of “the performance of all known duties to God and our fellow men”7 the socialist believes that duty should be enforced by secular government. While the socialist may have a variety of opinions about the existence or non existence of a spiritual supreme being they all believe that some men should have the right to rule as supreme over their fellow man in the performance of that “religious” duty of social care.

“The various modes of worship, which prevailed in the Roman world, were all considered by the people, as equally true; by the philosopher, as equally false; and by the magistrate, as equally useful.” Edward Gibbon (1776)(Chapter II: The Internal Prosperity In The Age Of The Antonines.—Part I. Second Paragraph)

But when Gibbons wrote this quote he was not referring to religion as much as he was speaking of superstition for it appears between two lines with that reference.8 The real problem with what had become Roman religion was its connection to civil government. Like Herod’s system of Corban the Κορβάν system of Greece and Rome were religious institutions with its “Roman Pontiffs”9 but forced its offerings through the secular authority of magistrates appointed by civil and imperial governments.10

It has been reported that Lucius Annaeus Seneca, the Younger once said "Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by rulers as useful." Atheists and anti religion factions love to quote him but I find no evidence that he ever did actually say or write this. In fact he makes a distinction between the two Latin words that are each sometimes translated as “religion”. One is “riligio” which he regarded as virtue and “superstitio” which he believed became a vice.11

“...just as religion does honour to the gods, while superstition wrongs them, so good men will all display mercy and gentleness,...” Lucius Annaeus Seneca, the Younger , De Clementia On Mercy , II. iv. 4-v. 4

He went on to connect religion with duty, the weightier matters of Christ and the whole list of Social virtues that appear in true fellowship. And it points out that it is avarice that degenerates society: “ ...[Philosophy’s] sole function is to discover the truth about things divine and things human. From her side religion never departs, nor duty, nor justice, nor any of the whole company of virtues which cling together in close-united fellowship. Philosophy has taught us to worship that which is divine, to love that which is human; she has told us that with the gods lies dominion, and among men, fellowship. This fellowship remained unspoiled for a long time, until avarice tore the community asunder and became the cause of poverty, even in the case of those whom she herself had most enriched. For men cease to possess all things the moment they desire all things for their own.” 12

That avarice was the “extreme greed for wealth or material gain” at the expense of your neighbor that moves the socialist toward a welfare state. Romans had spoken of and warned Roman society from Polybius to Plutarch and Seneca was no different.

Early Christians were fond of Seneca and his writings, and authors like Tertullian referred to him as "our Seneca." This was because he was not against religion but superstition. Superstition is used to unmoor our understanding from the wisdom of God. We are warned against the same in the Bibles reference to “fables”13 which is translated from the Greek word “muthos” from which we get the word myth.

There are countless warnings in the Bible and by Christ that we would be deceived by false Christs preached by many professing Christ.14 It was Christ and the apostles who preached charity, love and forgiveness and Cain, Nimrod, Caesar and Herod who preached the socialist state which forced offerings compelled by civil government which takes away the freedom of man. Even Cicero understood that “If we do only what is required of us we are slaves, the moment we do more we are free.” Cicero, 106 - 43 B.C.

A free society cannot survive as free unless the people embrace the wisdom of Christ and walk in His way of love. Coveting the goods or sweat of your neighbor, even though he may be wealthy, drags society into a path of degeneration and hopelessness.

If you will not trust your neighbor to make the righteous choice of helping those in true need why do you trust them with the power to force and distribute contributions needy in society? Those who choose to imagine that people will not volunteer to help their neighbor like faith but those who want to force the contributions of others covet power more than righteousness. They love their own pride more than they love their neighbor.

In Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, he praised “the union and discipline of the Christian republic”. He also pointed out that “it gradually formed an independent and increasing state in the heart of the Roman Empire”.15 The early Christian ekklesia was a republic that was recognized by Rome through the proclamation nailed to the cross of Christ by order of the Proconsul of Rome, Pontius Pilate. When Jesus rose from the dead to stand again upon the earth, so did His Kingdom.

The apostles when instilled with the Holy Spirit came out preaching the kingdom of God was at hand and comes to us by grace as we love one another by doing the will of the Father in heaven instead of the fathers of the earth. That Kingdom is now living in the hearts of those who follow His way as doers of His word.

Diocletianic Persecution

The Christian Martyrs' Last Prayer, by Jean-Léon Gérôme (1883)

Why were Christians persecuted and what did that persecution look like?

The Diocletianic Persecution was sometimes called the Great Persecution in the Roman empire. In 303, The Emperors including Diocletian at the beginning of the 4th century issued a series of edicts rescinding the legal rights of Christians. This tells us that Christians had legal rights at that point. But rights at Law are not the same as Legal rights. Freedom of religion had existed but there had been changes concerning the Christian conflict.

They had outlawed foreign religions through the edicts of Emperor Septimius Severus but now they demanded that everyone comply with traditional Roman religious practices.

What were those practices?

They demanded all inhabitants sacrifice to the gods.

In a nation where public welfare was run through government buildings called Temples what did that mean sacrifice to the gods?

The Latin word salus means "safety", "salvation", "welfare". Salus was the goddess of security and well-being so this would include individual welfare, health and prosperity. This prosperity was perceived as important for the peace of the state and the Pax deorum (“peace of the gods”) was the goal of Roman state religion.

Being at peace with the gods was mutually beneficial to the state and the Roman public welfare (salus publica; cf. Cic. Rab. perd. 5). If the Romans were not providing to the gods their desired worship there would be shortages in the treasuries of the Temples and there would be a shortage in the distributions of salus or welfare and riots would ensue.

The Christian community grew from 250 to 300 A.D. The estimated population of 1.1 million may have grown to as many as 6 million which may have been about 10% of the empire's total population.

With the rise of its popularity with successful Romans who paid into the Church rather than the Pagan Temples of Rome came jealousy and envy. Christians received a lot of criticism but the real problem as always was the money.

The Christian apologist Arnobius of Sicca wrote Adversus Nationes. He composed it in response to Diocletian's persecution of Christians, and attributes that persecution to financial concerns of providers of welfare benefits through the pagan temples.

"The augurs, the dream interpreters, the soothsayers, the prophets, and the priestlings, ever vain...fearing that their own arts be brought to nought, and that they may extort but scanty contributions from the devotees, now few and infrequent, cry aloud, 'The gods are neglected, and in the temples there is now a very thin attendance. Former ceremonies are exposed to derision, and the time-honoured rites of institutions once sacred have sunk before the superstitions of new religions.'"

Religion was more than just superstitions and doctrines. It was the performance of the peoples duty to their fellow man by providing a Daily ministration for the needy of society. Fortūna, equivalent to the Greek goddess Tyche, was the goddess of fortune while Spes was the goddess of hope. The Christians only practiced Pure Religion and did not depend on the the fortunes of the Fathers of Rome in hope for their benefits. Christians depended upon Charity and not the "extort(ed) but scanty contributions from the devotees" subject to the Genius of Rome.

These were cults and the word cult was a noun from cultus originating from the past participle of the verb colo, colere, colui, cultus, which means "to tend, take care of, cultivate".

Cultus was an aspect of the contractual nature of Roman religion.

You could choose any cult, but you had to contribute to one, and would need the symbol of that temple displayed by you out side or in your house. You might carry a pendant.

Understanding things like the Imperial Cult of Rome and the two Welfare_types will give you a perspective on the Christian conflict and the difference between what Rome was doing and what we are doing today.

Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus Augustus was "the embodiment of irrational ferocity" Henry Chadwick

Roman government become despotic because the people wanted to force their neighbor to secure their welfare. Corruption followed from this centralization power by focusing the greed and covetous of every man's soul, their "genius", into the office of the emperor. When Diocletian was asked to come back from retirement and settle the grab for power, he replied, "If you could show the cabbage that I planted with my own hands to your emperor, he definitely wouldn't dare suggest that I replace the peace and happiness of this place with the storms of a never-satisfied greed." A votive deposit or votive offering is one or more objects displayed or deposited, without the intention of recovery or use by the giver, in a sacred place for broadly religious purposes. The Sacrifices upon the living Altars of the Kingdom of God were votive offerings and the compelled and even voluntary offerings given to the temple of Rome were also votive deposits. Things sacred were things given up or over to the priests of religious institutions. Religion was the fulfillment or performance of your duty to your fellow man. That duty included the care or welfare of other members of your society who fell into need.

Rome and Israel, as Republics, both cared for the needy with freewill offerings through a system of ministers. These offerings (also called Corban, qorban, korban) or sacrifice were for religious purposes. Both nations began to force these offerings or contributions through government-run social welfare schemes. This was contrary to the teachings of Moses and the Torah, John the Baptist, Jesus and Paul the Apostle and therefore the early Christian Church. It was also against the principles of many Romans and Greeks like Polybius and Plutarch who warned the people of their Socialist tendencies.

In ancient Roman religion, Annona (Latin annōna “corn, grain; means of subsistence”, from annus "year") is the divine personification of the grain supply to the city of Rome. She is closely connected to the goddess Ceres, with whom she is often depicted in art.

Later edicts targeted the clergy and demanded universal sacrifice, ordering all inhabitants to sacrifice to the genius of the gods.

Diocletian's second edict targeted deacons, lectors, priests, and bishops. These people were essential to providing Church services to the needy of the Christian society. So many were arrested the prison system overflowed which caused ordinary criminals to be released.

The fourth edict at the beginning of 304 A.D. ordered all men, women, and children, to gather in a public space and offer a collective sacrifice. If they refused, they were to be executed.

The persecution varied in intensity across the empire — weakest in Gaul and Britain, where only the first edict was applied, and strongest in the Eastern provinces. Persecutory laws were nullified by different emperors at different times, but Constantine and Licinius's Edict of Milan (313) has traditionally marked the end of the persecution.

Evil Elements

There is always an element of a society or of the world that wants to force contributions of their neighbors because they are both covetous and slothful. Early Christians practiced Pure Religion and did not take benefits from Public religion run by men who called themselves Benefactors but exercised authority in the collection of these votive offerings.

"Votive" means something "Given or dedicated in fulfillment of a vow or pledge: a votive offering." The term votive comes from a Latin term which means a vow[see: Vows and Swear not]. When Jews signed up for Herod's public Corban they vowed to pledge regular contribution by statutory directives. The same was true for those who signed up with Augustus and his free Bread and circuses of Rome. Many people saw the error of this way and with the hearing of the Gospel they repented and became Christians.

These same systems have been set up in almost every country and government of the world today. Your national social security contribution is your votive offering given to take care of the needy of your society and the administrators of those systems who enforce your pledges and vows according to statutory directives are your true religious ministers. Early Christians died rather than sign up for such Covetous Practices.

Modern Christians have need of Repentance. If people imagine themselves to be Christian but are not doing what Christ said, not keeping his commandments they may not be Christians at all but merely under a strong delusion, lieing to themselves and to God.

Are you truly faithful, a true believer, a follower of Christ? Are you a worker of iniquity or are you attending to the Weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith which include caring for the needs of our neighbors and the widows and orphans of our society through Pure Religion in matters of health, education, and welfare. We are NOT to provide for the needy of society through the Covetous Practices and the men who call themselves benefactors but who exercise authority one over the other like the socialists do.

The Way of Christ was like neither the way of the world of Rome nor the governments of the gentiles who depend on those fathers of the earth through force, fear and fealty who deliver the people back in bondage again like they were in Egypt. Christ's ministers and true Christians do not depend upon systems of social welfare that force the contributions of the people like the corban of the Pharisees which made the word of God to none effect. Many people have been deceived to go the way of Balaam and the Nicolaitan and out of The Way of Christ and have become workers of iniquity.

The Christian conflict with Rome in the first century Church appointed by Christ was because they would not apply to the fathers of the earth for their free bread but instead relied upon a voluntary network providing a daily ministration to the needy of society through Faith, Hope, and Charity by way of freewill offerings of the people, for the people, and by the people through the perfect law of liberty in Free Assemblies according to the ancient pattern of Tuns or Tens as He commanded.

The modern Christians are in need of repentance.

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