Christianity

• Tolerance of Christianity


  • Offered something new and different, with one clear God and a reasonable hope of immortality
  • Any religion was permitted, provided that it did not encourage activities subversive to the state, and provided that it extended to other religious bodies the same tolerance that it received from the state authorities
  • Laissez-faire under the magisterial eye was a traditional line of Roman policy
  • Untolerated due to monotheism 'belief in one god'
• Tolerance of Romans to Christians

  • Christianity was regarded as mistrusted and superstitious
  • Some Romans believed that due to Christianity being a relatively new concept, they believed that their secrecy may have been due to incestial behaviour
  • Tactitus reports that during the great fire of Rome in 64AD some believed that Nero was responsible; however, he blamed the Christians instead
  • Emperors disliked the Jews; however, then began to hate the Christians as a result of "guilt by assassination"
• Relationships in sources 

  -The book of acts describes how the apostles were imprisoned and executed by the Roman authorities. 

  -Trajan supports Pliny’s decision to put Christians to death who refused on three occasion to worship the Roman gods. 

  -But, Trajan also warned Pliny not to seek out Christians to persecute. 

  -Pliny describes that Christianity was a fast-spreading religion, and by the 1st century AD, it was beginning to become established.