The Christian Church, in its earliest centuries after Jesus, endured wave after wave of persecution. All types of insults and expenses have been hurled at them.
A doc written within the late 2nd century A.D. referred to as The Octavius of Minicius Felix describes a debate between a Christian and a pagan on the Roman port of Ostia. It supplies precious perception into how Christians have been reviled and the way they responded.
Minicius Felix was strolling about Ostia with two mates, Octavius a Christian, and Caecilius a pagan. When Caecilius pauses to pay respect to a pagan idol, Octavius objects. An prolonged debate develops. Right here is an adaptation of their debate drawn from that doc in addition to different early church sources for a style of that point. We recommend you look rigorously on the following expenses and think about in what methods Christians at present are equally accused, and the place the specifics of opposition now could have modified.
Cost: Cannibalism
CAECILIUS THE PAGAN: You Christians are the worst breed ever to have an effect on the world. You deserve each punishment you may get! No one likes you. It will be higher should you and your Jesus had by no means been born. We hear that you’re all cannibals–you eat the flesh of your kids in your sacred conferences.
OCTAVIUS The Christian: That story might be primarily based on experiences that we share collectively a meal of the physique and blood of Christ. That we do. However it’s not human flesh we eat. It’s bread and wine we consecrate to commemorate our Lord’s demise.
It amazes me you give credibility to those rumors of cannibalism. You understand what we’re like. Understand that in case you have a baby and it’s a woman however you wished a boy, or if the kid is deformed, or should you merely don’t need it, what is finished? You allow the kid outdoors, uncovered to die.
CAECILIUS: You understand that it’s much more merciful to let the infant die than to deliver it up in a house the place it’s not wished.
OCTAVIUS: We don’t expose our kids, and you’re properly conscious how so lots of the little ones which were not noted to die have been rescued by Christians and given a house. So it is simply the other of what you accuse us of, Caecilius. We do not eat human life; we reasonably defend and defend it.
Cost: Gross Immorality
CAECILIUS: All proper. Granted, it was only a rumor, however we additionally hear that you simply meet in secret, even earlier than dawn, and the gross immorality that we hear goes on in these locations is repulsive — particularly the incest.
OCTAVIUS: If you happen to got here to certainly one of our conferences you’ll discover that the lovemaking and intimacy you’re so fast to think about is of a very totally different nature. We meet earlier than dawn as a result of we’re working folks. We’ve jobs to go to. We don’t at all times meet in secret, however now we have no temples or synagogues, so we use someone’s house which has sufficient room. We name each other brother and sister and pledge to like each other as a result of that’s what our Lord commanded us to do. And we greet each other and bless each other with a holy kiss, not out of lust however out of real love and concern for each other. Come and you will note that we demand the very best requirements of morality amongst all who be a part of us.
Cost: Poor and Decrease Class
CAECILIUS: Check out your gatherings. What are they made up of? Principally ladies, gullible kids, the bulk are from the working lessons, not well-educated, largely poor and even slaves. It makes me chortle once I assume how poor you’re, barely sufficient to dwell on. If this God of yours is so nice and so loving, why are so a lot of you so poor? Both He is not that loving and does not care that you’re poor or He isn’t that nice and is unable do something about it. Some God! No marvel you¥re all thought to be fools.
OCTAVIUS: If you happen to had bothered to take the time to search out out, you’ll know that there are various from the higher lessons amongst our quantity, even a few of Caesar’s employees. And notable students, who have been as soon as pagans, have written in protection of our religion for the extra educated to contemplate. However let’s not quibble. A lot of our quantity — most of our quantity are poor. However what’s extra vital is how we regard ourselves. We think about ourselves to be wealthy. We’ve that which is most dear, essentially the most treasured present, which can’t be misplaced. And to your info, there are these of us who’re rich. We don’t despise wealth; we welcome it when it comes lawfully. However we don’t lust after it. And after we get extra wealth, we merely give extra away. Wealth generally is a nice burden. It weighs you down with many cares and considerations. Touring gentle has its benefits — some huge benefits!
CAECILIUS: Sorry, I have not seen any. I will take the wealth as a substitute any day.
OCTAVIUS: You understand, Caecilius, speaking to you makes me understand why God does not mechanically bless us with wealth. As a result of if he did, folks such as you would rush to turn into Christians and miss the entire level. So do not pity us. We’ve a lot, not just for ourselves but in addition for these in want, those that you simply stroll proper by.
Cost: Self-righteousness
CAECILIUS: Oh, aren’t you so pure and good. That is one other factor that bothers me: you all assume you’re so righteous and higher than the remainder of us.
OCTAVIUS: First you accuse us of cannibalism and orgies, now you are offended as a result of we search to guide a holy life. Let me guarantee you, we don’t think about ourselves to be holy. Each Lord’s day now we have a service of communion, and it’s a service of thanksgiving — thanksgiving as a result of we’re forgiven, not as a result of we’re holy, and if we’re forgiven, then we will search to guide lives which can be like Christ.
Cost: Atheism
CAECILIUS: What considerations me is what you actually are. That is the rationale that you’re hated throughout all of the lands of this huge empire. Let’s get to the actual downside. You might be atheists.
OCTAVIUS: Sure, we’re atheists — should you imply that we don’t pray to or consider in the entire gods that we’re anticipated to worship. However these should not gods. We worship the one true God, the Lord over all.
Cost: Novelty
CAECILIUS: You act as should you folks know greater than the remainder of us. You assume you already know greater than all of our fathers. What it comes right down to is that you simply persons are captive to novelty.
OCTAVIUS: That’s merely simply not the case. Why is it you don’t require the Jews to sacrifice to your gods. They alone are given exemption. Why? Due to the antiquity of their faith. Nicely, be assured that the God that the Jews worship is the exact same God that we worship. Their sacred writings, the Regulation and the Prophets, we revere and skim aloud in our conferences. And since we worship this God of the Jews, the one factor we can’t be accused of is novelty. It’s simply the other. Our religion appears again past the start of time to the God who created all that’s. What you will not take heed to and what the Jews refuse to simply accept is that this God has come into our world to point out us what He’s like within the particular person of his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, whom we love and serve.
Cost: Foolishness, Lack of Patriotism
CAECILIUS: The way you tire me with this reckless babble! I shall not take the time now to reply you, besides to say, how absurd to assume that even when the “one true God,” as you say, have been to return to earth, he would absolutely do higher than to return as an unschooled, working-class carpenter in a spot like Galilee in Judea. And if forgiveness have been to be discovered by some man, I guarantee you that it will by no means come by the demise of some convicted and crucified legal. However let’s put apart such simplicity and naivet¨ for now, for we’re a tolerant folks, and you’re free to consider as you would like. In some ways you don’t sound all that totally different from a number of the thriller religions, and they’re left alone. However what makes you folks so offensive is your stubbornness. Consider what you’ll, however that’s no excuse for the dearth of patriotism.
You persons are joyful to learn from all that’s ours, residing on this best time of all historical past, however the place is your gratitude? You might be delinquent snobs. You’ll not present correct respect for our anniversary festivals. You’ll not sacrifice to the genius of the emperor. You’ll not combat and be a part of the empire. Merely put, you’re disloyal, unpatriotic, and to not be trusted. So far as I’m involved, you’re a hazard to society.
OCTAVIUS: Maintain on! Separately, please. We don’t be a part of the military, and we don’t combat as a result of we don’t consider in killing. We love our enemies and do good to them. Though we are sometimes hunted down and killed due to accusers such as you, we don’t even take up arms to defend ourselves. So I miss out on how we’re any hazard to anybody. However sure, you’re proper. We don’t pray to the emperor or be a part of with our neighbors within the sacrifices to the gods. However whereas we don’t pray to the emperor, we do pray for the emperor. We acknowledge these in authority as appointed by God to protect order. We search, we pray for the peace and tranquility of the empire. God is aware of, if any group seeks a quiet and undisturbed life, it’s us. We by no means know after we will probably be blamed for something that’s going fallacious, be hunted down and arrested.
Cost: Explanation for God’s Anger
CAECILIUS: Not with out trigger, I guarantee you. Why are you able to not see what’s so clear to everybody? Your lack of patriotism has precipitated us all grief and struggling. The gods have been good to Rome. They’ve given us nice victories, good meals, fertile land. That’s the reason we should propitiate them and rid ourselves of you atheists. You might be not more than criminals and should be handled as such.
OCTAVIUS: Oh sure, now we have heard that earlier than, too many instances. As certainly one of our fathers wrote: If the Tiber overflows its partitions, if the Nile doesn’t rise to the fields, if the sky does not transfer or the earth does, if there may be famine, if there may be plague, the cry is without delay, “The Christian to the lion!”
(“Why Early Christians Had been Despised” revealed on Christianity.com on April 28, 2010)
Photograph Credit score: © GettyImages/TonyBaggett
