Quiz Answers: Why were early Christians persecuted?

Ok, ok, I will give you the answers to the quiz. My original plan was to write a post about each answer this week, but my research has taken me on a different path this week (Shepherd imagery in the OT). So, for now I am simply going to give you the brief answer, leaving me with the frustration of not being able to explain in full or fully document my responses. So here we go:

T/F Since the reign of Nero, it was illegal to practice Christianity in the Roman Empire.

False. In the first century there was never a empire-wide law that made Christianity illegal.

T/F Christians were charged with being atheists.

True. Being an athesist meant not worshipping the gods. Because Christians and Jews were monotheists, exclusivists, the were frowned upon by their fellow polytheists.

T/F Emperor worship was enforced by the Roman government.

False. The emperors did not force anyone to worship them. The pressure to worship the emperor came more from the locals from the Roman provinces of the east.

T/F Failure to worship the emperor was tantamount to political disloyalty and could ultimately be considered treason.

This one is complicated. It is sort of true, but with lots of qualifications. Stayed tuned for a future post!

T/F When a Christian was brought to trial, he or she was nearly always executed.

False. Most of the examples we have are of Christians who were executed, but there was no law that stated they must be exectuted and we have some evidence of provincial govenors dismissing cases if (a) the accuser did not show up at court or (b) there was insufficient evidence for the charge.

T/F Sometimes Christians volunteered to be martyrs.

This is true. More on that later.

T/F Persecution of Christians was frequent and wide-spread in the first two centuries.

We don't know how frequent or wide-spread it was. 1 Peter 5.9 talks about universal suffering. In the NT perecution seems to be the norm. At the same time, external evidence, that is evidence outside of the Bible, shows that persecution in the first two centuries was almost always local, sporadic and disorganized.

As I continue on with my research, I will be sure to post more.