Christianity II

I) Weakness of Pagan Society
  A) Political System
    1) Political system changes from the Republic to an Emperor
    2) many evil rulers cane about
      i) people start to doubt they are living in an evil society
    3) System dissolves into Chaos too often
      i) 235-285 26 emperors - only two die of natural causes
  B) Ethical Problems
    1) Rome had at 1st succeeded due to high standards
      i) standards had dropped severely since then
      ii) divorce rate is up
    2) Wealth distributed towards top of society
      i) wealth built through suffering of slaves etc.
      ii) Slavery had increased in numbers and cruelty
  C) Religious problems
    1) Begin to associate Zeus with Jupiter and adopt the ideas of Zeus
      i) Zeus was a very sexually active god, used his powers to cheat on his wife
    2) Gods become unworthy of worship
    3) Romans absorb Greek attitudes
      i) skepticism (Homer / Euripides / Menander / Plutarch)
        a) Homer describes Hector's son and his brutal death
        b) Menander - gods hate and persecute - and the also do not exist
    4) Fear of spiritual forces
      i) belief that nothing they did could stop the wrath of the demons
  D) People were unhappy
    1) High rate of suicide
    2) Growing rate of infanticide of healthy normal babies
    3) People often picked up these abandoned babies and pimped them out at an early age 5-6yrs
* This shows all hope for society is lost
 - Society has given up on trying to be moral
    4) 1/3 Romans were on welfare
      i) bread and circuses -  attempt of Rome to provide food and Events to make the welfare people happy
        a) soon the events turn into death matches
        b) Gladiatorial games
II) Persecution of the Christians
* Romans thought the Christians were un ethical
 - thought the Christians practiced incest
    * mell called each other brothers
    * men called women their sisters
 - Believed that Christians were cannibals
    * they ate the flesh and drank the blood ....of Christ
 - Atheists
    * They denied the Gods of Rome
 - Christians hate mankind
    * Teach that people will be judged for their sins
    * and they wont mix with the Romans at Roman religious celebrations
IV) Persecution of Christians
  A) Nero 65-68
    1) Blames Christians for starting a fire
      i) tortures them in many ways - used them as human torches
    2) Nero was able to get many leaders, 11 of 12, were killed
      i) surprising the church was able to survive
  B) Domitian ca. 90 ad
    1) Christians refused to call him a God
      i) he killed them
  C) Trajan - good emperors 98-180
    1) were interested in doing good for Rome
    2) still persecuted Christians
    3) Pliny letter