Religion

Despite there being numerous records of the life of Constantine and his conversion to Christianity, none of them are problem-free. […]

Maxentius felt a sense of injustice when he wasn’t appointed by his father like Constantine was. It incited him to rebel, usurping Rome. He was successful in this endeavor, ye fate had different plans for him. […]

Although Diocletian issued the decrees that led to the massive persecution of Christians which lasted for 10 long years, it was his successor, Galerius, who made every effort to wipe out the church. […]

Decius wanted to unite Rome and saw his legislation as a way to do so. He wanted everyone, including Christians to offer sacrifices to the gods in order to appease them. […]

The Christians were perceived by the Romans, including the officials, as the reason behind all the calamities in the empire. They thought that the growing Christian movement was what was making their pagan gods angry. […]

Christians were increasingly and infuriatingly blamed for being atheists by the pagans. The apologists defended themselves by reminding the pagans of their belief in one true God. […]

Through the apologies, the Christians tried to defend themselves as well as their faith. And yet, they were hardly read by the pagans, kings or officials. They ended up becoming more as arguments that could be used and put forth by other fellow Christians when they, too, felt under attack. […]

Christians were rumoured to practice secret worship, performing grotesque rituals. Though there wasn’t any truth to these charges, it was common for one community to level them against another in a bid to disrepute them. […]

The first recorded persecution against Christians for being Christian occurred in 112 CE, under Pliny the Younger’s rule. Pliny’s actions showed that having been a Christian was not a crime; being one was. […]