Writing assignment: Answer one of the following in 250 words:
1) Based on what you read in Acts, discuss Paul's missionary journeys.
2) Based on what you learned in Lesson 62, what was Christian life like between the famous letter of Pliny until the reign of Constantine?
3) What are some of the arguments advanced by Minucius Felix in defense of Christianity?
4) What are a few things we learn about early Christianity from the Didache?
2.Based on what you learned in Lesson 62, what was Christian life like between the famous letter of Pliny until the reign of Constantine?
Christian life was very difficult and unpredictable before the reign of Constantine. It was generally considered illegal and scorned, until the Edict Of Milan was enacted. Many Romans scorned and hated the Christians and wanted nothing to do with them. Because of the Christians refusal to worship Roman Gods, they were generally hated and looked down on. The Roman emperor was also considered a God and it was mandatory to worship him. Yet this was in strict contrast with the Christians belief in only one God, Jesus. They believed the emperor was only a man, to be respected and revered, but was not immortal. Naturally, this outraged a great many people in authority, as a blatant act of disobedience.
Also, there were those who made ludicrous claims that the Christians were cannibals. This conclusion stemmed from their ritual act of communion, the eating of Christ's body and drinking his blood. Obviously this wasn't a literal, but rather symbolic act of remembrance of how Jesus saved them from sin(by his death).Christians were also accused of committing incest and murdering infants. These condemnations were also completely unfounded and had no evidence to them at all. Followers of Christ met together in his name and referred to each other fondly, as brothers and sisters. They sang hymns and discussed their commitment to love each other and not fall into serious sin.From this, somehow rumors were spread that these gatherings involved incest and open sex. These were just some of the unjust and bizarre allegations made against them.
However, Christians were not specifically sought out all the time. There wasn't constant purges, where many of them were executed at a time. If someone was reported by their neighbor, then they had reason to fear death and severe punishment. But if they kept their activities undercover, there wasn't a lot for them to be concerned about. There were some areas of Rome, where it was certainly more dangerous to be Christian than others. You could be disowned by your own family and turned over to the authorities, if your beliefs were discovered. But in other provinces, as long as you kept to yourself and didn't stir up trouble, you had little to worry about.
A good portion of the Emperors didn't bother with the Christians, if they weren't causing mob riots or disturbing the public peace. They had more pressing matters on their mind, then this fairly peaceable religion that had emerged. There were several of the Emperors, who detested the Christian sect with burning passion Nero was a notorious one of these, annihilating a multitude of Christians in 64 A.D. He purposely started the Great Fire of Rome and then proceeded to blame it on them. They were then executed in the most brutal manners, with some being crucified and thrown to beasts, in the arena. The Christians also suffered tremendously under the rule of Diocletian, from 303-305 A.D.(during the Great Persecution). During this time period, they were forced to make sacrifices to the Roman emperor, or be put to death. Their property was confiscated and their sacred books and churches burned.This persecution went down in history as the most severe, devastating one in the Roman empire.
It wasn't until Constantine took power in 306 A.D.,that the Christians were granted liberty and freedom to live out their faith. He composed the Edict of Milan in 313 A.D. which granted Christians complete rights to worship the God of their choice. By this time, the public had grown rather tired of the persecutions and the drama had begun to wane. As a result of the edict, Christianity was eventually adopted as the official religion of the Roman Empire, in 380 A.D( by Theodosius I). An era of peace was ushered in, and pagans and Christians could mingle freely, in spite of their differing ideologies.
However, Christians were not specifically sought out all the time. There wasn't constant purges, where many of them were executed at a time. If someone was reported by their neighbor, then they had reason to fear death and severe punishment. But if they kept their activities undercover, there wasn't a lot for them to be concerned about. There were some areas of Rome, where it was certainly more dangerous to be Christian than others. You could be disowned by your own family and turned over to the authorities, if your beliefs were discovered. But in other provinces, as long as you kept to yourself and didn't stir up trouble, you had little to worry about.
A good portion of the Emperors didn't bother with the Christians, if they weren't causing mob riots or disturbing the public peace. They had more pressing matters on their mind, then this fairly peaceable religion that had emerged. There were several of the Emperors, who detested the Christian sect with burning passion Nero was a notorious one of these, annihilating a multitude of Christians in 64 A.D. He purposely started the Great Fire of Rome and then proceeded to blame it on them. They were then executed in the most brutal manners, with some being crucified and thrown to beasts, in the arena. The Christians also suffered tremendously under the rule of Diocletian, from 303-305 A.D.(during the Great Persecution). During this time period, they were forced to make sacrifices to the Roman emperor, or be put to death. Their property was confiscated and their sacred books and churches burned.This persecution went down in history as the most severe, devastating one in the Roman empire.
It wasn't until Constantine took power in 306 A.D.,that the Christians were granted liberty and freedom to live out their faith. He composed the Edict of Milan in 313 A.D. which granted Christians complete rights to worship the God of their choice. By this time, the public had grown rather tired of the persecutions and the drama had begun to wane. As a result of the edict, Christianity was eventually adopted as the official religion of the Roman Empire, in 380 A.D( by Theodosius I). An era of peace was ushered in, and pagans and Christians could mingle freely, in spite of their differing ideologies.
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