SUCH of our readers as have followed us in these brief sketches are fully prepared to allow that the Church offered no compromise to the world, that the world could but hate the Church, and hence the only result towards the Church could be persecution. The Jew, with all his religious zeal, most violently opposed the Christian faith: to the Jew it was a blasphemy against Moses. The Gentile, in whose hands was the government of the world, despised the Christians, and allowed the faith neither position nor tolerance.
In the records of the early life of the Church we are accustomed to consider a specific number of great persecutions as befalling it; but, while this is so, we do well to remember that almost the whole of the early life of the Church was one of persecution. Immediately after Pentecost, the apostles Peter and John were cast into prison and beaten, and very shortly after that great day, an organized effort was made by the Jews to crush Christianity out of the earth, and, almost in every place where the faith was brought, its messengers were met with antagonism.
Many of the epistles bear internal evidence of the persecutions and afflictions of the churches.
The Hebrews, though not resisting unto blood (ch. 12:4) had, nevertheless “endured a great fight of afflictions " (10:32-34) ; the strangers, to whom the apostle Peter wrote, had to suffer a "fiery trial " (1 Peter 4:1212Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: (1 Peter 4:12)); the churches among the Gentiles were sorely wounded ; the Thessalonians, who turned to God from idols, received the word "in much affliction" (1 Thess. 1:66And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost: (1 Thessalonians 1:6)), and bore their "persecutions and tribulations" with exemplary patience and faith (2 Thess. 1:44So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: (2 Thessalonians 1:4)) ; and in Pergamos Christ's " faithful martyr " ( Rev. 2:1313I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth. (Revelation 2:13)) was slain. To the Corinthians the apostle Paul speaks of the horrors of the amphitheatre, where the well-known cry was heard, " The Christians to the lions " (2 Cor. 1:1010Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us; (2 Corinthians 1:10)) ; to the Philippians he wrote from the prison cell, and in imminent peril of his life (Phil. 1:13-2613So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places; 14And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. 15Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: 16The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: 17But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel. 18What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice. 19For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 20According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. 21For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labor: yet what I shall choose I wot not. 23For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: 24Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. 25And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith; 26That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again. (Philippians 1:13‑26)) ; and by the account of his years of imprisonments and sufferings he appealed to the somewhat worldly Corinthians to think a little less of their attainments than they were wont (2 Cor. 13). The story of the triumphs told in the Acts, abounds with incidents of persecution in either its most bitter or in its less severe forms.
However, it was not until Christianity had spread over a very large area of the world, and very many were of the faith, that the Gentile power made organized efforts to do what the Jews had attempted—to extirpate the followers of Christ from off the earth. But persecution does not destroy true Christianity, it aids its growth. It is a great work of weeding in the Church, and tends to strengthen those plants which our heavenly Father has planted.
So early as the year A.D. 64 a great persecution broke out in Rome against the Church, but due to the unexampled cruelty of the Emperor rather than to popular feeling against Christians.
Nero, whose name is a by-word for all that is base and horrible in man, was Emperor of great Rome at the time of which we speak. Never should it be forgotten that no uncivilized hordes of debased savages gloating in human suffering and misery is before us, but an exalted and mighty nation that prided itself upon its honor. Some of its philosophers, whose words we quoted in our last chapter, were then in their prime; arms, arts, and luxury, were in their glory ; and the senate and the laws held their authority; indeed, leaving out the name of God, all that makes a nation great was then in Rome in full energy.
Yet the head of that nation was a model of iniquity, and the nation not only accepted his evil deeds, but the senate, philosophers, and people partook of them; indeed, in the persecution of the Christians, Rome was as vile as its Emperor.
In the year 64 Rome was ravaged by a huge fire, which laid by far the greater part of the imperial city in ashes. From some cause or other Nero, whose cruelties were familiar to the people, was popularly supposed to have had a hand in this destruction. A victim was needed to appease not only the gods, but the feeling of the people, and the Christians in Rome were fixed upon. The burning of the city was attributed to them, or, at least, they not being of the religion of the gods, nor being partakers in the sins of Rome, were selected as the objects for popular fury to expend itself upon, and also for an expiation to appease the popular deities.
In a short time the prisons began to be filled with Christians, who, though not convicted of the crime under the charge for which they were imprisoned, could be condemned to death for being haters of the human race. So says Tacitus.
Then followed the death of the victims, and the more cruel their death was, the greater was their guilt supposed to be.
Rome, familiar with murders and gladiatorial shows, began to witness scenes of death more horrible than had previously been seen, every kind of ingenuity being called forth to torture the Christian devoted to destruction. Some were crucified in mockery of their once crucified Lord; others, half slain on the cross, were next thrown to the wild beast; some were sewn up in skins of wild animals and then cast to devouring dogs; others robed in scarlet were supposed to be undergoing the torments of the dead, and, after being tormented with nameless insults, were slain. Maidens were tied naked to posts to be torn and devoured by lions, and others were lashed to the horns of wild cattle to be so destroyed. Upon these horrors the Emperor, his Court, and Roman matrons gazed, and, day after day, he sat lolling upon his purple cushions, untired with his hellish pleasure.
But the victims were numerous. Their constancy was unchanged. They were more than conquerors. What was to be done? Some new torture was required. Then the thought of a fresh doom entered Nero's imperial mind. He had a lovely garden, rich in trees and fountains, and adorned with statues to the gods of Rome.
Here on one night would he invite all Rome to a spectacle never before witnessed. His garden should be illuminated, the illuminations should emit sounds, and the delighted eyes of the people should behold such a scene as had never been beheld, even in the amphitheatre.
All along the broad paths of the gardens at intervals he had great stakes driven into the ground. The Christians were brought from the prisons, robed in garments saturated with pitch, and were bound to the stakes, and lest the living torch should fall into the fire at its feet, a smaller stake was designed having an iron point, so fixed, that the victim's chin should fall upon it when the suffering body failed. As the dark of the evening fell, hundreds and hundreds of these torches adorned his gardens, and Rome poured in to see the sight. Nero drove round about the walks in his chariot garbed as a charioteer, applauded and adulated by the people, joking with the commonest as they looked into the faces of the martyrs and watched their agonies. To this sight parents took their children, and told them that these were the criminals who hated the whole of the human race.
We have enlarged a little on these terrible details, and with this object. Cruelty, such as this, is of the devil, and whether the persecutor be Pagan Rome or Popish Rome there is no difference. Certainly Popish Rome has copied, if it has not outdone, Pagan Rome in cruelty.
It was about this time that the Church lost by martyrdom the apostles Paul and Peter. The spokesmen of the Word of God to them were no more, John alone, and banished, remained, but the Church grew and flourished, though in Rome its chief home was the catacombs.
Other persecutions, besides this in Rome, at this time fell upon the Church of God, which had made conquests for Christ over a very wide area of the earth. But the persecutions by no means stayed the work of God. How could they do so? His hand is stronger than that of the devil. For one martyr slain for Christ many other confessors were raised up by Him to continue His work.