Alyssah A. Said IV- VIDES
Persecution of Church- is the religious persecution of Christians as a consequence of professing their faith, both historically and in the current era. Early Christians were persecuted for their faith, at the hands of both Jews from whose religion Christianity was an offshoot, and the Roman Empire which controlled much of the land early Christianity was distributed across Christian Persecution is any hostility, experienced from the world, as a result of one’s identification with Christ. From verbal harassment to hostile feelings, attitudes and actions, believers in areas with severe religious restrictions pay a heavy price for their faith. Beatings, physical torture, confinement, isolation, rape, severe punishment, imprisonment, slavery, discrimination in education and in employment, and even death are just few examples they experience on the daily basis. In its first three centuries, the Christian church endured regular (though not constant) persecution at the hands of Roman authorities. This experience, and its resulting martyrs and apologists, would have significant historical and theological consequences for the developing faith. Among other things, persecution sparked the cult of the saints, facilitated the rapid growth and spread of Christianity, prompted defences and explanations of Christianity (the "apologies"), and, in its aftermath, raised fundamental questions about the nature of the church.
Reasons why Christians were persecuted:
1. Theological- The very message of Jesus invited persecution from the religious teachers of his day. While, he, himself, had insisted that he had not come to destroy the law but to fulfil it, there was no mistaking that he saw himself as at least the equal of Moses in the eyes of the religious leaders of his day. His teaching had “authority” meaning that he spoke on his own behalf, instead of teaching as was common in His day, by relying on rabbinical teaching and authority.
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