Sacrifice certificate on papyrus from Oxyrhynchus, in Egypt, dating to the Decian persecution (about 3 inches wide)

Sacrifice certificate on papyrus from Oxyrhynchus, in Egypt, dating to the Decian persecution (about 3 inches wide)

Rome celebrates 1000 Years

About 249 AD, the situation of the Christians took a sharp turn for the worse. The year 247 AD marked 1000 years since the founding of the city of Rome: the Millennium.

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A lot of people were frightened and thought this might mean the end of the world. Many Christians thought it might mean the Second Coming of Christ. But the world did not end.

Why did Romans persecute Christians?

After the Millennium was over, the Roman Emperor Decius announced that every person in the Empire should sacrifice to the gods to show how thankful he or she was that the world hadn’t ended. Decius seems to have meant this as a sort of nice idea, like announcing Grandparents Day. He didn’t mean to force people into it.

Who was Decius?
What is sacrifice?

But in some places in the Roman Empire, people were looking for any opportunity to hurt the Christians. This was especially true in Africa, in the city of Carthage.

How did the government find Christians?

In Carthage, the local town council used Decius’ law to find out if people were Christians. Everybody had to come to the middle of town, to the forum, and sacrifice to the gods (by dropping some incense into a fire and saying a prayer). That’s the Decian persecution.

Roman Carthage
What is a Roman forum?
What is papyrus?

Then they would get a piece of papyrus saying they had done it (a certificate). But Christians would not sacrifice to another god. So anyone who didn’t have a certificate was a Christian and could be killed for breaking the law.

What did the Christians do?

This is the amphitheater in ancient Carthage where Romans killed Christians during the Decian persecution.

This is the amphitheater in ancient Carthage where Romans killed Christians during the Decian persecution.

Many Christians were frightened by this and went to sacrifice. Other Christians bribed someone to get a certificate without sacrificing, or they forged a certificate (they made a fake one).

What is an amphitheater?
Roman executions

Some Christians left town and moved somewhere that didn’t take this law so seriously. But some Christians did stand up for their beliefs and refused to sacrifice. Many of them were thrown in jail, and a few of them were actually killed.

Cyprian and the Christian persecutions

Cyprian, the bishop of Carthage, insisted that if you wanted to go to heaven you could not get a fake certificate, or sacrifice, or even run away.

What is a bishop?

But when the police came for him, he ran away to the hills. He said it was okay for the bishop to run away because he was so important, but a lot of people made fun of him anyway and called him a coward. Finally he came back and the Roman police cut off his head.

Did you find out what you wanted to know about the Decian persecution? Let us know in the comments!

Peace for a while
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Bibliography and further reading about the history of Christianity:

  

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