Saints LightWhy Did Rome Kill Christians?
Rome killed Christians for refusing to worship its gods, but the courage of the martyrs, and the Church's mercy to those who failed, made the Church grow.
What this lesson teaches
- Rome persecuted Christians because they refused to worship the state gods and the emperor.
- Persecution came in waves, the worst under Decius, Valerian and Diocletian.
- Martyrs numbered in the thousands, and the Church chose mercy for those who lapsed and repented.
- Martyrdom is the supreme witness to the faith, and it still happens today.
Catechism paragraphs this lesson cites
- CCC 2473-2474
CCC means the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Saints Light teaches it in its own words and never quotes it. Look up any paragraph in a printed copy or at vatican.va. See every lesson by paragraph in the Catechism index.
Scripture read in this lesson: Matthew 5:10; John 15:20.
A sample question from this lesson
Why did Roman authorities treat Christians as a threat?
- Christians tried to overthrow the emperor with armies
- Christians refused to honor the state gods and the emperor
- Christians refused to pay any taxes to Rome
- Christians were all foreigners who could not speak Latin
Show the answer
Christians refused to honor the state gods and the emperor. The lesson explains that Rome expected everyone to honor its gods and the emperor, and Christians refused, which looked like disloyalty.
The lesson in the app has three questions, each with an explanation.
Words to know
- Martyr
- From the Greek for 'witness': someone who bears witness to Christ even unto death.
- Great Persecution
- The last and harshest Roman persecution, begun by Diocletian in 303 and ended by 313.
More terms in the Catholic glossary. More passages in the Scripture index.
Read the full lesson in the app
"Why Did Rome Kill Christians?" is lesson 2 of Two Thousand Years in Twelve Lessons. In Saints Light you get the whole teaching, the Scripture quoted in full, all three questions and a step to live it this week.
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