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Through Persecution to Victory

Through Persecution to Victory. Key source: F. W. Mattox, The Eternal Kingdom: A History of the Church of Christ , Delight, Arkansas: Gospel Light Publishing Company, 1961. Seeming Rebellion. Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords. Christians share in Christ’s kingdom.

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Through Persecution to Victory

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  1. Through Persecution to Victory Key source: F. W. Mattox, The Eternal Kingdom: A History of the Church of Christ, Delight, Arkansas: Gospel Light Publishing Company, 1961.

  2. Seeming Rebellion • Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords. • Christians share in Christ’s kingdom. • Christians are sealed members of a new covenant. • Opposition led to secret meetings, which led to all kinds of suspicion. • The development of extreme gnosticism partly led to these charges. • Pagan societies, which were illegal, had actually practiced some of the things of which Christians were accused.

  3. Gnosticism • Matter, including the human body, was thought to be evil. • One group thought it could only be conquered by depriving it of its desires (asceticism). • The other believed the body should be destroyed by indulging its desires until they were satisfied (debauchery). • The Apologists explained they could not justify this type of life. • They said such actions were not Christian. • They also explained Christians are good citizens.

  4. Conflicts with Religion • Christians could not take part in the worship of the gods. • They were called “atheists,” “godless” and disloyal. • When all citizens were called upon to sacrifice, they were conspicuous by their absence.

  5. Gaius (Caligula, 37-41 A.D.) • No official persecution • When his sister, Drusilla, died, she was deified among the Roman gods as a universal goddess. • Caligula then made himself a universal god. • Official oaths were taken in his name. • People were required to consider him as a deity. • When the Jews refused to worship him, the Romans erected images of him in synagogues and outside the temple, with the intention of taking it inside.

  6. Claudius (41-54) • Released Jews from obligation to recognize the emperor as deity. • Gave Judea to Herod Agrippa who was sympathetic to the Jews. • They turned him against the Christians (Acts 12:2). • Riots in Rome were said to be at the instigation of Christus and the Christians were expelled (Acts 18:2).

  7. Nero • Revolutionary activities of Theudas and “the Egyptian” (Acts 5:36; 21:38) in 53 A.D. were blamed on Christians. • Nero came to power in 54 A.D. • July 18, 64, fire burned Rome for 6 days • Nero blamed it on the Christians • Such made them stand out and led to future official persecution • Though severe, it was local in nature

  8. Vespasian (69-79) and Domitian (81-96) • All Christians withdrew from Jerusalem before the final siege began. • Vespasian’s son, Domitian, began to think of himself as divine and instituted persecution against Christians. • However, through his reign, Christians were still viewed as a sect of the Jews.

  9. Trajan (98-117) • A clear distinction was made between Christians and Jews. • The Romans looked on deification of the emperor as necessary to the existence of the state. • Christianity was referred to as superstitition

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