3.2 - From Nero to Diocletian

A 20th-century imaginative rendering of Perpetua and Felicity

Synopsis

The history of persecution is surveyed from Nero in the mid-1st century to Diocletian's "Great Persecution" in the early 4th century. The martyrdoms of Ignatius and Perpetua and Felicity are recounted in detail. Emperor Constantine finally puts an end to persecution in 313 by granting Christians complete freedom of worship. 

Key Quotes

• “Wherever the bishop appears, there let the people be; as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic (universal) Church.” (Ignatius)

• "In a detail that rings true, Felicity helped Perpetua tie her hair back so she wouldn’t look like a woman in mourning when she died."

• "Christians were rarely executed merely for being Christian, but rather for converting or being Christian leaders. The first empire-wide persecution did not occur until 250 under Emperor Decius."

• "During the Great Persecution, Roman prisons were so overcrowded with Christians, there was nowhere to put regular criminals."

Reflection Questions 

• What does Ignatius' emphasis upon loyalty to the bishops tell us about the attitude of the early church toward the importance of doctrine?
• How do you think the martyrdom story of Perpetua and Felicity was intended to influence Christian believers at the time it began to circulate? 
• What was the heart of the controversy between Cyprian and Novatian? What side would you have been on?

Further Reading

• "The Seven Letters of Ignatius of Antioch"
  https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=3836

• "The Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicity"
  https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/maps/primary/perpetua.html