It was the year 284 AD when Emporer Diocletian came to power. He is considered to be one of the worst persecutors of the Christian faith. Diocletian mutilated Christians, leveled sacred buildings, and destroyed entire families. His rise to power began at an early age and his reasoning for his actions were all political. In order to understand what life was like for a Christian during these time periods it is essential to be informed about the person in charge of commiting these outrageous crimes, list of different scenarios and outcomes that took place, and take a look at notable people who stood up to the Emporer in an attempt to save the Christian faith. Diocletian started out as a general in the Roman army. When he came to power in 284
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It was on this day that pagans hoped to terminate Christianity. These pagans were under direct orders of Emporer Diocletian, who stated that they were to go to the town of Nicomedia and light all of the sacred Christian texts on fire and burn down the entire building. Then he perceeded to have the Pagans destroy all other Christian sacred buildings in the area and persecute any Christian who tried to stop them ("The Tenth Persecution, Under Diocletian, A.D. 303 - Bible Study Tools"). Christians who were captured by the Pagans were ¨...arrested, tortured, and burned alive¨ ("The Tenth Persecution, Under Diocletian, A.D. 303 - Bible Study Tools"). One of the most horrific punishments enflicted on them was death by drowning. The Pagans would tie stones around their necks and bind their hands and proceed to push them off of a boat and into the ocean. Any Christians who successfully fled these horrific attacks were labeled as outlaws by the Roman Empire. However, in other towns Dioletian ordered the Christians not to be killed but instead have parts of their body mutilated so everyone knew they were a Christian and could treat them as poorly as they deemed fit. Even though thousands of people perished during Diocletian´s rule there were a select few who stood up to him and impacted …show more content…
Sebastian joined the Roman Imperial army in order to keep his cover as noble pagan even though he was a believer of the Christian faith. Working his way through the ranks Sebastian eventually became an imperial officer. Away from the eyes of the King and his noble warriors, Sebastian spent much of his time preaching and converting many of the prisoners that the Roman army kept locked away. Those who knew of him considered him to be a healer and he was even sucessful in converting some of his fellow soldiers. However, Diocletian soon found out he was in fact a Christian and ordered Sebastian to be tied to a stake and put to death by the shooting of arrows. A widow by the name Saint Irene found him and nursed his fragile body back to health. Once recovered Sebastian arrived back at the doorstep of Diolcetian and preached to him about God. Diocletian wanted to hear nothing of the sort and sentenced Sebastian to death again and had him beaten until there was no life inside of him remaining ("Saint Sebastian One of the Most Daring
It was on this day that pagans hoped to terminate Christianity. These pagans were under direct orders of Emporer Diocletian, who stated that they were to go to the town of Nicomedia and light all of the sacred Christian texts on fire and burn down the entire building. Then he perceeded to have the Pagans destroy all other Christian sacred buildings in the area and persecute any Christian who tried to stop them ("The Tenth Persecution, Under Diocletian, A.D. 303 - Bible Study Tools"). Christians who were captured by the Pagans were ¨...arrested, tortured, and burned alive¨ ("The Tenth Persecution, Under Diocletian, A.D. 303 - Bible Study Tools"). One of the most horrific punishments enflicted on them was death by drowning. The Pagans would tie stones around their necks and bind their hands and proceed to push them off of a boat and into the ocean. Any Christians who successfully fled these horrific attacks were labeled as outlaws by the Roman Empire. However, in other towns Dioletian ordered the Christians not to be killed but instead have parts of their body mutilated so everyone knew they were a Christian and could treat them as poorly as they deemed fit. Even though thousands of people perished during Diocletian´s rule there were a select few who stood up to him and impacted …show more content…
Sebastian joined the Roman Imperial army in order to keep his cover as noble pagan even though he was a believer of the Christian faith. Working his way through the ranks Sebastian eventually became an imperial officer. Away from the eyes of the King and his noble warriors, Sebastian spent much of his time preaching and converting many of the prisoners that the Roman army kept locked away. Those who knew of him considered him to be a healer and he was even sucessful in converting some of his fellow soldiers. However, Diocletian soon found out he was in fact a Christian and ordered Sebastian to be tied to a stake and put to death by the shooting of arrows. A widow by the name Saint Irene found him and nursed his fragile body back to health. Once recovered Sebastian arrived back at the doorstep of Diolcetian and preached to him about God. Diocletian wanted to hear nothing of the sort and sentenced Sebastian to death again and had him beaten until there was no life inside of him remaining ("Saint Sebastian One of the Most Daring