For
Christians, the crucifixion is the event that changed everything. Prior
to the death of Jesus and the emergence of Christianity most ancient
people interpreted oppression, persecution, and violence as a sign that
their deity was either irate or impotent. The crucifixion forced Jesus’s
followers to rethink this paradigm. The death of their leader was
reshaped as triumph and the experience of persecution became a sign of
elevated moral status, a badge of honor. The genius of the Jesus
movement was its ability to disassociate earthly pain from divine
punishment. As a result Christians identified themselves as innocent
victims; they associated their sufferings with those of Jesus and
aligned the source of those sufferings with the forces that killed
Jesus. From the very beginning, victimhood was hardwired into the
Christian psyche.
The
enduring impact of this idea is evident in the rhetoric of modern-day
Christians. In the weeks that followed the recent papal resignation,
Cardinal Mahony of Los Angeles, who was accused of participating in the
coverup of sexual abuse by priests, described himself in terms
appropriate to a martyr: as a scapegoat who suffered like Jesus. Because
of the nature of the crimes for which he is suspected, Mahony’s claims
that he is being persecuted have been universally dismissed, but other
similarly hyperbolic instances of American Christians crying
“persecution” slip into the public square.
The
belief that Christians are continuously persecuted has a basis in
Scripture. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus instructs his followers to take
up their cross and follow him and predicts that his followers will be
persecuted for his name. Then again, in the very same passage he
predicts that some of those standing before him will not taste death
before the arrival of his kingdom in glory.
Why do we accept the prophecy of persecution when the statement about the disciples living until the last judgment clearly failed? The reason why Jesus’s statements about persecution have had such a pronounced impact on the formation of Christian identity is that this prophecy is believed to have been proven in the experiences of the early church. The Church has suffered since the beginning, the argument goes, and we are persecuted now as we have always been.
Why do we accept the prophecy of persecution when the statement about the disciples living until the last judgment clearly failed? The reason why Jesus’s statements about persecution have had such a pronounced impact on the formation of Christian identity is that this prophecy is believed to have been proven in the experiences of the early church. The Church has suffered since the beginning, the argument goes, and we are persecuted now as we have always been.
But
what if Christians were not always persecuted? What if there never was
an “Age of the Martyrs”? When we look at the evidence, it becomes clear
that the stereotype of cruel Roman emperors persecuting innocent
Christians is a myth. From the Roman side, there is scant evidence for
the persecution of Christians.
It is not even clear that the Romans knew about the existence of Christians until the early second century. Even then they didn’t see Christianity as a religion. They describe it, rather, as a foolish superstition that could potentially harm local economies. Christians undoubtedly died as a result of legislation passed during the reign of the emperor Decius (ca. AD 250), but not because he was targeting them. Intriguingly, not a word of our Roman evidence for his legislation refers to Christians.
It is not even clear that the Romans knew about the existence of Christians until the early second century. Even then they didn’t see Christianity as a religion. They describe it, rather, as a foolish superstition that could potentially harm local economies. Christians undoubtedly died as a result of legislation passed during the reign of the emperor Decius (ca. AD 250), but not because he was targeting them. Intriguingly, not a word of our Roman evidence for his legislation refers to Christians.
The overwhelming majority of Christians idealized martyrdom and suffering like Jesus, but very few of them died violently.
With
the exception of the Great Persecution of Diocletian (AD 303-305), when
Christians were indeed actively persecuted, it is difficult to find any
examples of Roman emperors behaving as Christians typically portrayed
them. Apart from this comparatively brief period, and an even briefer
one during the reign of Valerian in 257-58, Roman emperors never
targeted Christians for attack. At the beginning of the second century,
the emperor Trajan actually stipulated that Christians were not to
be sought out. Roman emperors simply don’t appear to have been that
interested in Christians. For most of the first three centuries of their
existence Christians flourished: they held lofty political positions,
and were so comfortable under the Romans that they even constructed a
prominent church across the road from the imperial palace in Nicomedia.
The
overwhelming majority of Christians idealized martyrdom and suffering
like Jesus, but very few of them died violently—and even fewer died as
the result of the kind of persecution described in Sunday school. Romans
had good reason to be concerned about Christians. Scandalous rumors of
Christians participating in incestuous orgies and practicing cannibalism
were widely circulated.
More important, Christians sounded a lot like revolutionaries. In courtrooms they stated that they were unable to respect anyone but Christ, their new emperor. Roman officials had no problem executing political subversives—this was a world in which Jon Stewart would be executed for his institution-challenging satire. Ancient empires were accustomed to reshaping the religious identities of those they bested in war. The Romans magnanimously allowed conquered groups to maintain their own religious traditions and implement their own law at their own discretion. But this generosity ended when it became socially disruptive or politically subversive. Christians threatened the stability of the empire, and when we look at their interactions with Roman authorities, we might even find ourselves sympathizing with the Romans.
More important, Christians sounded a lot like revolutionaries. In courtrooms they stated that they were unable to respect anyone but Christ, their new emperor. Roman officials had no problem executing political subversives—this was a world in which Jon Stewart would be executed for his institution-challenging satire. Ancient empires were accustomed to reshaping the religious identities of those they bested in war. The Romans magnanimously allowed conquered groups to maintain their own religious traditions and implement their own law at their own discretion. But this generosity ended when it became socially disruptive or politically subversive. Christians threatened the stability of the empire, and when we look at their interactions with Roman authorities, we might even find ourselves sympathizing with the Romans.
