Persecution as a Unique Mark of Christianity: A Comparative Study of the Early Church and the Modern Church
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53555/ans.v2i1.120Keywords:
Jewish heritage, Pagan Persecution, Official Persecution, Kingdom of God,, Mark of the Church, Early etc.Abstract
The Christians’ persecution is not necessarily just killing. It is a firm attempt of a community or government to rebuke, subdue, or silence Christianity which in most cases results in Christian massacre, burning of churches and other forms of humiliations. It is noted in history that persecution is part of Jewish heritage. If part of Jewish heritage, then it must be part of what Christianity inherited from her Jewish background since Jesus never promised worldly peace for his followers. The understanding of this will be explored in a comparison with the modern church. The implication and application to the Nigerian context is also discussed. The methodology adopted consists of the critical historical analysis as well as exegesis of some biblical passages, using the Reader Response hermeneutical principle to investigate the contextual understanding of how persecution is a unique mark of Christianity from time immemorial and how it has remained the unique mark of Christianity up till now. The result shows that while the modern church prays against persecution; it seems they forget
that it is part of Christian package and nothing can be done to stop persecutions in the real sense.
Downloads
References
J.D. Douglas, et al,The New Bible Dictionary,London: Inter Varsity Fellowship,1962, p,968
H.R. Boer, A Short History of the Early Church, Michigan: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1976, p. 45.
Appealing here should not be misunderstood to mean pleading because Tertullian is considered and an Apologist without apology.
Known as Antiochus IV
Religio Illicitused for describing Unregistered or Unlawful Religion
J. Stevenson, A New Eusebius: Document Illustrating the History of the Church to A.D.337, London: SPCK, 1998, p. 22.
J. Foxe, Rewritten and Updated by H. J. Chadwick,The New Foxes Book of Martyrs2001, Benin City: Bridge-Logos Pub. 2001, p.11.
It should be noted that Tacitus supported the killing of Christians but he affirms that they are not to be blamed for the fire. This is because he referred to them as a class, hated for their abomination. Eusebius p. 2.
J. Foxes, Foxes, The New Foxes Book of Martyrs 2001, p. 12
J. Stevenson, A New Eusebius, p. 2.
J. Stevenson, A New Eusebius,p.66
J. Stevenson, A New Eusebius,p.18
J. Stevenson, A New Eusebius, London, SPCK, 1957, p. 16.
J. Stevenson, A New Eusebius:p.p. 20-21
J. Stevenson, A New Eusebius:p.18
Eustachius was a successful and brave Roman commander, who refused to join in the Emperor worship as a celebration for his noble service to Rome. His wife, children and hewere killed.
E.S. Moyer, Who was Who In the Church History, Chicago, Moody Press, 1962, p.16.
E.S. Moyer, Who was Who In the Church, p.16
Stoicism is a religious philosophy which is expected to be the kindest of all philosophical groups to the Christians. Unfortunately, Marcus Aurelius, who was an adherent, who is expected to lay good example was one of the cruellest persecutor against Christians.
Logos is believed to be the soul of the world and the one governs it.
J. Foxe, Rewritten and Updated by H. J. Chadwick, The New Foxes Book of Martyrs 2001, Benin City: Bridge-Logos Pub. 2001, p.61.
J. Foxe,The New Foxes Book of Martyrs 2001, p.21.
Confessor here does not referred to as the acknowledgement of one’s sin, or how it is used in the sixteenth century to refer to the Lutheran Augsburg Confession (1530), and it is notconfessorthatis used in Christianity for apriest who hears confessions and sometimes acts as a spiritual adviser. During persecution in the Early Church, the word Confessor is used for describing the Christians who possibly must have been tortured for their faith butnot executed. They are so called because they did not recant their faith during such persecutions, e.g. Origen.
Apostate is a term which refers to one who denies, or abandons his or her religious faith. This could be under pressure, or out of personal volition. Many Christians became apostates during the persecutions that occurred in the early Church centuries.
D. D. Adegbite, A Concise Theological & Philosophical Dictionary, Edited by C. O. Oshun, Gbongan: BIP, 2015.
Novatianism is named after Novatian,a presbyter at Rome. During Decian persecution. After the persecution most of the backsliders are willing to be admitted back into the Church, Novatians insisted that they should be permanently rejected no matter how deep their repentancemay be.
Martyr of the Catacombs, Grand RapidsMI: Kregel Publication, n.d. p.9.
N. R. Needhamm, 2000 Years of Christ’s Power: Part One: The Age of the Early Church Father, London: Grace Publication, 2002, p. 150.
J. Stevenson, A New Eusebius, pp. 271-273.
Donatism is a schism that is named after Donatus. It is a movement in Roman North Africa in the fourth and fifth centuries, the movement developed a rigorous view of both the church and her sacraments. The problem of the Donatists somehow came to an end theoretically in the time of Augustine of Hippo.
RSV Bible
NKJV
J. H. Bernard, A Critical And Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel According to St. John, edited by A.H McNeile, Edinburgh, T & T Clark, 1928, p.554.
Torah,http://www.oceansidejc.org/rebmark/TORAH_TABLE_TALK/5769/TTTYitro69.pdf(accessed 27thJune, 2015)
Montanism was named after the Asia Minor teacherknown as Montanus who was condemned by the Church as heretic in the 2ndcentury AD
Clement of Rome wrote 1Clement to the Church of Corinth on behalf of the Church of Rome in c.96.37J. Stevenson, A New Eusebius, pp. 7-9.
J. Stevenson, A New Eusebius, pp. 12-13
J. Stevenson, A New Eusebius, p.13. cf. Rom 8:35
Marcion (c. 100-160), was probably a rich ship merchant and the son of the bishop of the city of Sinope who rejected the O.T. some parts of the N.T., including the accounts of the incarnation and the resurrection.
J. Stevenson, A New Eusebius, p. 116.
J. Stevenson, A New Eusebius, p. 24.
J. Stevenson, A New Eusebius, p. 25.
J. Stevenson, A New Eusebius, p. 26.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2016 gnpublication@
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
In consideration of the journal, Green Publication taking action in reviewing and editing our manuscript, the authors undersigned hereby transfer, assign, or otherwise convey all copyright ownership to the Editorial Office of the Green Publication in the event that such work is published in the journal. Such conveyance covers any product that may derive from the published journal, whether print or electronic. Green Publication shall have the right to register copyright to the Article in its name as claimant, whether separately
or as part of the journal issue or other medium in which the Article is included.
By signing this Agreement, the author(s), and in the case of a Work Made For Hire, the employer, jointly and severally represent and warrant that the Article is original with the author(s) and does not infringe any copyright or violate any other right of any third parties, and that the Article has not been published elsewhere, and is not being considered for publication elsewhere in any form, except as provided herein. Each author’s signature should appear below. The signing author(s) (and, in
