Christian Persecution

Christian Persecution – The Beginning

The persecution of the Christians was started with Jesus himself. At a trial he was asked the direct question, ‘Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?’ He left no ambiguity when he uttered the two words. ‘I am’. As Jesus claimed to be the son of God, he was put to death on a Roman cross for the crime of blasphemy and also became the first martyr of what went on to become the Christian Church.

Christian persecution formed a very dramatic part of the early church history. Anyone who believed in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ were persecuted. As a matter of fact, eleven of twelve apostles of Jesus and many other disciples died because they adhered to this story. The only apostle who escaped a violent death was John but it is believed that a miracle saved him. He was sent from Ephesus to Rome where he was put in a cauldron of boiling oil. But he is said to have escaped without any injury. He was banished to the Isle of Patmos where he wrote the Book of Revelations. Another apostle of Jesus, Peter was hunted and crucified by Nero. It has been written that Peter was crucified with his head down and feet up as he thought it he was not worthy to be crucified in the same manner as Jesus himself.

Despite the persecutions, the growth of the Christian faith did not slow down during the first few centuries following the crucification of Jesus. Although the early leaders of Christianity died horrible deaths, Christianity flourished throughout the Roman Empire.

Ten primitive persecutions are mentioned in the Foxe’s Book of Martyrs:

• Nero ordered the first mass persecution in 67 A.D. He is remembered as the person who set fire to Rome and then set the blame on Christians.
• The second persecution took place under Domitian in 81 A.D. He blamed all natural disasters like earthquakes and famines on Christians and put them to death.
• The third persecution took place under Trajan in 108 A.D where over ten thousand Christians were put to death.
• The fourth persecution took place in 162 A.D under Marcus Aurelius Antoninas.
• The fifth persecution took place in 192 A.D under Severus and the Christians were burned, beheaded and savaged by wild beasts.
• The sixth persecution took place in 235 A.D under Maximus. During this, the Christians were slain with no trial and buried together in heaps.
• The seventh persecution took place in 249 A.D uder Decius. The main person martyred during this time was Fabian, the bishop of Rome.
• The eight persecution took place in 257 A.D under Valerian. The Christians were mocked for their beliefs and were used for the entertainment of the rulers and their guests.
• The ninth persecution took place in 274 A.D under Aurelian and started with the persecution of Felix who was the bishop of Rome.
• The tenth persecution took place in 303 A.D under Diocletian. This period is commonly called the Era of the Martyr’s. The persecutions was carried out with swords, draggers and poisons.

Christian Persecution – Present Scenario

It has been over 2000 years since Jesus was crucified on the cross. But sadly, Christians around the world today are still being persecuted for their belief in Jesus and Christianity. Further, Christianity is not a homogenous group and consists of 3 sects. These sects often find themselves against each other.

Extremists behead and kill Christian missionaries as and how they please. The churches are looted and bombed without any thoughts. It has been estimated by the Christian Solidarity International Organization that more Christians have died for their faith and belief in the twentieth century than any period in history. Reports indicate that more than 150,000 Christians were martyred last year mainly outside the United States.

The latest victim of persecution by Islamist extremists is Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho of Mosul who was found dead in a shallow grave in a Northern Iraq city. He was abducted by the same people on February 29, 2008 while he was praying in Aramaic, the language that was spoken by Jesus Christ himself.

I do not believe in religion. But I do believe in God. I believe that different religions use different names to identify and worship the same God. When we understand this, then we will truly have a peaceful world where every individual will be able to coexist harmoniously.