Decius Early church

How did the 3rd century start?

N R Needham tells us that ‘the first half of the third century was a time of peace and numerical growth for the church’

Examples of how Christianity had grown?

Many rich families became christians, buildings were set aside for christian worship and in Rome the first Christian cemetery was built.

Emperor who showed positive attitude towards christians?

Philip the Arabian was well known for his Christian inclinations - the church enjoyed toleration and even protection.

What happened in 249AD?

Military coup and Philip was overthrown by his general in the army- Decius

What happened at the millennial celebrations?

Origen tells us in his work ‘Against Celsus’ that ‘there was a resentment at the toleration extended to Christianity and at its growing influence in the empire’

What did Decius believe about Christianity?

N R Needham tells us that Decius believed ‘the Church was a deadly threat to the empire’s unity and stability’

What cause anti-christian sentiment in the Empire?

• They refused to join in pagan festivities which celebrated the 1000th anniversary of the founding of Rome.

• Starting in 248AD, there was a series of invasions by northern Germanic tribes known as the Goths, which shook the empire - suspicion of the Christians that they would betray the empire

What did Decius blame on the Christians?

The Empire’s calamities - the gods were angry because the church was taking away so many people from worshipping them

What did Decius decide to do?

Needham tells us that ‘Decius decided that he must eliminate the church’

What did Decius do to reaffirm imperial strength?

• assumed the name of a popular previous emperor (Trajan)

• Appointed a deputy

• Minted coins with former imperial worthies

• Requires a universal sacrifice to Rome’s gods

When was the first phase of attack?

December 249 to February 250

What happened in the first phase of attack?

Church leaders were targeted

Examples of church leaders attacked?

• Fabian, bishop of Rome was arrested, tried before Decius and executed

• Bishop Babylas of Antioch was also killed

• Bishop Alexandria of Jerusalem died in prison

• Bishop Cyprian of Carthage and Dionysius of Alexandria went into hiding during this period

When was the second phase of attack?

June - Autumn 250

What was the second phase of attack?

Decius ordered a general sacrifice which was to be made by all citizens of the empire, probably with the intent of forcing Christians tot either obey or to declare themselves. The result was almost total disaster and the church practically collapsed as they had never faced this onslaught before

What was the immediate christian response to the persecution?

At first there were many apostates, but as the persecution continued and the waverers weeded out, resistance became fiercer.

Why did many people apostate?

many had entered the church in a period of peace and had never been tested

Why did the Decian persecution mark a new stage in action against the early church?

• Persecution was now universal not local

• Persecution was now systematic rather than spontaneous

• Decius allowed no variation

Outline the course of the persecution

• A date was set by which sacrifice to the gods had to be made

• the edict was to be enforced throughout the empire

• In the presence of specially appointed commissioners and officials int he temples, citizens had to offer a sacrificial victim

How did people react to the edicts?

• The enforcement of the decree had a devastating impact upon the church

• Compliance with the edict, and thus apostasy from the faith was widespread

• So many took the initiative in offering to sacrifice that the officials had to ask them to return the next day

Why did Cyprian go into hiding?

not out of cowardice but the shepherd his persecuted flock from a safe distance by means of many letters.

What was the most difficult legacy of the persecution?

The problem with the lapsed

What was the problem with the lapsed?

• Could the lapsed christians (Sacrificati) be readmitted to the church? if so, when and on what conditions?

• What about those who has purchased certificates without sacrificing (the libellatici)? Was their guilt less than the lapsed and therefore their readmission to the church easier?

When did Cyprian go into hiding and when did he return?

• Withdrew from carthage in January 250 (beginning of the persecution) and did not return until at least March of 251

What happened in Rome where the bishop had been martyred?

Presbyters tried to deal with the problem of the lapsed in consultation with the presbyters in carthage

What did the confessors do at the end of 250?

Those who had remained faithful and suffered through the persecution (Confessors) wrote ‘letters of peace’ to those who had lapsed and repented. This letter stated that peace had been granted to all those whose behaviour before they had lapsed had been accepted

What was Cyprian’s response to the letters of peace?

he was opposed to this solution. He wrote a document known as ‘On the unity of the catholic church’, where he argued that apostasy was serious yet pardonable where there is genuine repentance. - it was for the Bishops in conjunction with the Church, to examine each case

Why did Cyprian think this?

He felt that the presbyters had acted too hasty in restoring the lapsed Christians to the eucharistic fellowship. To readmit the lapsed immediately would be unfair to the faithful who has suffered during the persecution

From who did opposition towards Cyprian arise while he was in hiding?

Carthage and Rome

Describe the opposition in Carthage

A group, including five anti-cyprian presbyters led by Nova’s, took a more lenient attitude to the lapsed.
This is Cyrpian’s own city

Describe the opposition in Rome

A group, headed by presbyter Novatian, took a stricter line towards the lapsed than Cyprian and argued that they should not be readmitted to the church at all

Who did Rome appoint as a new Bishop and why?

Bishop Cornelius- Fabian had been martyred

Why was the appointment of Cornelius as bishop a problem?

Novatian set himself as a rival bishop, in protest to what he perceived to be bishop Cornelius’ lax attitude to the lapsed

What decision did the Church come to?

After Cyprian returned to Carthage, the council of Carthage met. The letters of the confessors were not to be taken into account, rather each case should be judged on its own merits.

Libellatici where to be restored to the church after penance appropriate to each case

The sacrificati however could only be rested on their deathbed if they were penitent to the end

What happened after the Decian persecution?

Decius’ successor, Gallus, renewed the persecution against the church

What did the church decide after the persecution was renewed?

The second council of Carthage with its forty two bishops chaired by Cyprian, responded to the renewed threat by deciding to readmit the penitent lapsed to the church so that the church could present a united front

What was the related legacy of the Decian persecution?

Schismatic baptism

What was the problem with Schismatic baptism?

Presbyter Novatian has left the church and created a breakaway
What was the status of those baptised into the Schismatic church?
Created disagreement among church leaders when they wanted to return to the Catholic church

What did Stephen in rome say?

No baptism was needed as it was valid

What did Cyprian say?

it wasn’t valid so they needed to be rebaptised