The Persecution Of Christians And Jews - 2123 Words

In order to better understand the persecution of Christians and Jews that occurred during the reign of the emperor Domitian in the year 89 AD, one must first understand the dynastic line he was born into. Domitian was a member of the Flavian family, a family that has origins in the equestrian class, the tier just below the senatorial class in terms of influence and wealth. Domitian’s grandfather, Sabinus, had built up the family’s wealth first as a tax collector, and later as a money-lender. Sabinus’ successes in his career are seen in his ability to pay the required one million sesterces necessary for each of his two sons to enter the senate. At the time of Domitian’s birth in 51 CE, his father, Vespasian, was only a mildly important politician. He had obtained the rank of consul in the same year as Domitian’s birth, when he was forty-two years old. Many ancient historians thread the story of Domitian’s youth as one of poverty. Suetonius tells the rumor that Domitian was so impoverished when he was young, that he was forced to sell himself to older senators in order to survive. Sodomy was a condoned practice in ancient Roman society, but being the passive participant, as Domitian would have been, in a homosexual relationship left one open for criticism. Rumors such as this were a common means to slander emperors and other men of high rank as it was Roman belief that lack of control, especially in one’s sex life, led to the inability to govern others. Suetonius alsoShow MoreRelatedThe Effects Of Religious Persecution On The Middle Eastern Countries1353 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"All religion seem to need to prove that it’s the only truth. And that’s where it turns demonic. Because that’s when you get religious wars and persecution and burning heretics at the stake,† John Shelby Spong, a retired American bishop of the Episcopal Church, stated about religious persecution circumnavigating the globe. In today’s world persecution is a natural reaction to any kind of foreign belief established in a country that is governed by the it’s original religious foundation. An exampleRead MoreChristianity Essay808 Words   |  4 PagesD. they were not welcome. Christians were burned and tortured, and persecuted for just over three hundred years because of their beliefs. Why? We may never fully know, but I believe it was mostly out of fear. Fear of the new, and fear of change. Christianity derived from Judaism. More specifically it derived from Jesus Christ who was Jewish, in the first century A.D. Judaism was a racially exclusive religion whose members did not attempt to make converts among non-Jews. (Shelton) This is one ofRead MoreReligious Persecution of Christian Beliefs875 Words   |  4 PagesReligious Persecution of Christian Beliefs What is religious persecution? At the beginning of this project, I thought religious persecution was a black and white topic with a clear definition. I thought that religious persecution was simply the persecution of a group because of their religious faith. However, I discovered that there are no simple explanations of religious persecution, and it is a much more complex and controversial issue than I had imagined. In fact, some events categorizedRead MoreChristianity And Its Impact On The Development Of Christianity1283 Words   |  6 Pagesfurther influenced and were a major part of the development o f Christianity. The history of the Jews leading up to the time of Jesus had a major impact on the development of Christianity. â€Å"When Christianity was clearly identified as a distant religion, the new religion was considered by its members to be the fulfillment of Judaism rather than a new religion.† â€Å"Since Jesus was a Jew and preached to the Jews, Christianity was closely linked to Judaism.† The development of Christianity was due to severalRead MoreChristian Horbury : Early Christian Persecutions1490 Words   |  6 Pageswhat theologian Horbury surmised about early Christian persecutions, and I largely agree with this view. The Jews sometimes persecuted the early Christians because their beliefs clashed and this caused friction between the two religions. As well as this ‘incompatibility’ between the two faiths, Donatism also developed as a separate sect of Christianity within the orthodox church and a lot of persecution and hate was directed towards the early Christians. However, without this I do not believe thatRead More Jewish Reactions to the Holocaust: A Learned Behavior Essay1667 Words   |  7 Pagesthinking of Jewish persecution, images of Nazi Germany, concentration camps, and the Holocaust are most likely to be conjured. Although these images do represent the attempted destruction of the Jews, persecution actually began thousands of years earlier. The Holocaust, or Final Solution, which was the destruction of European Jews by the Nazis, was the culmination of attempts by other groups to eradicate Jews from their society.1 Reacting in many different ways to persecution, the Jewish sect hasRead MoreAnti Semitism Vs. Europe1707 Words   |  7 Pagesfor the Jewish People was in Lithuania( ). The Jews were expelled from all the major European countries like France, Spain, Germany, and Italy. This hatred is formally known as Anti-Semitism and has been primarily seen in Europe in the course of history. It is a cert ain hostility that can be portrayed in violence towards the Jewish people, that is, because they are simply Jewish. However, this hatred originated as part of an accusation that the Jews led and commended Jesus to His death with theirRead MoreReligion And Its Impact On Society1310 Words   |  6 Pagesconquered Jerusalem. Once in control, they slaughtered 3,000 Christians visiting the Jerusalem. It was common then for devoted Christians to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and its significant holy areas and it was not until the Turks took control of the holy land that they were no longer allowed to do so. The Greek Emperor, Alexius Comnenus, sent urgent letters to Pope Urban II asking for help to halt the Turks who were killing Christians and burning down all non-Islam churches. Pope Urban II thenRead MoreThe Canonical Structure Of The New Testament1679 Words   |  7 PagesActs 1:8 says that the Apostles will be Jesus’ witnesses to the Jews first and then to the Gentiles. Ef fectively, as the Gospel spread, the early church was formed with Christians Jew and Christians Gentiles. The relations and visions of the Christians Jew and Christians Gentiles were really opposed so it was one of the theological trials of Luke. Luke’s goal is to conciliate the Christians Jew with Christians Gentiles since the Jews believed that the covenant was for them only. So, all the way throughRead MoreThe Burden Of St. Paul Essay947 Words   |  4 Pagesspread Christianity. He was raised as a jew, and ironically, during his youth he was persecuted by Christians. Paul, known as Saul during this time, was born in Tarsus. Saul, during his years as a Jewish Pharisee in Tarsus, would militantly persecute anything that involved Christianity. He was so much opposed to Christianity that he was given authority by the chief priest to destroy these followers of Christianity. Saul decided that he would extend his persecution to other cities such as Damascus. It