Today, many Christians reject the idea of separation of church and state, thereby expressing their belief that their religion should guide government policies.  Those who have been influenced by Calvinism even believe in a marriage between church and state in order to advance Christian goals.  However, both the Bible and history indicate that church and state were initially expected to be separate and incompatible.  The early Christians saw themselves as citizens of heaven living in the world, and they did not hold the world and its rules in high regard.

Before Christianity made its appearance in the Roman Empire, the Romans had their own official and imperial cults which represented Roman religious orthodoxy.  They tolerated other religions within the empire as long as adherents to those religions were willing to occasionally show adoration to the gods and the emperor.  For example, loyalty to the emperor could be shown by burning incense before his statue.  Unfortunately, Christians could not accept emperor worship, which they viewed as idolatry.  Therefore, the Romans saw them as a radical movement opposed to imperial rule.

Rome had exempted the Jews from emperor worship.  Initially, that exemption was extended to the early Christians.  Emperor Nero is credited for the start, around AD 64, of the first major persecution of Christians whom he blamed for the great fire of Rome to counter the rumor that he had started it.  It is said that some Christians were wrapped in the hides of wild beasts and torn to pieces by wild animals.  Others were set on fire to light up games taking place in Nero’s gardens.  The apostles Peter and Paul were put to death under Nero.

The persecuted Christians reacted by denouncing Roman immorality and idolatry, and ridiculing Roman gods.  The Romans called Christians “insolent barbarians” and accused them of hating the human race and endangering the empire by rejecting the gods who protected it.  They also accused Christians of immorality in secret rites, of drinking blood and of worshiping an ass.

Christians and Romans differed fundamentally in another respect: Roman allegiance was to the state, and patriotism was the ultimate expression of morality and virtue.  Christian allegiance, on the other hand, was to Christ rather than Caesar.  Leaders such as Tertullian told Christians that no man should obey a law he deems unjust, and they were mindful of Paul’s instructions in 1 Corinthians 6:1-6 which advised against making use of the judicial systems of the world:

“If any of you has a dispute with another, do you dare to take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the Lord’s people? Or do you not know that the Lord’s people will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life! Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, do you ask for a ruling from those whose way of life is scorned in the church? I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers? But instead, one brother takes another to court—and this in front of unbelievers!”

For that reason, even though they were expected to submit to secular authorities, they respected their bishops and priests more than Roman magistrates, and sought resolution of their internal conflicts within the church.

Jesus had told his disciples: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9).  Accordingly, Tertullian (and also Origen) advised Christians against military service.  Their refusal to fight for Rome was interpreted as lack of patriotism.  They also refused to participate in community events such as festival games and gladiator fights.  There was a groundswell of hatred against them from the Roman populace because they were different and constantly endeavored to convert Romans to their faith.

Under Nero, being a Christian was punishable by death.  Later emperors did not strictly enforce this penalty, and some Christians were able to save themselves by pretending to offer incense to a statue of the emperor while continuing to pursue their normal worship activities.  Some emperors, such as Hadrian, encouraged their magistrates to give Christians the benefit of the doubt.  Others were more inclined to favor persecution.  In AD 155, eleven Christians were executed in an amphitheater in Smyrna.  The crowd, in addition, demanded the execution of 86 year-old Bishop Polycarp, a saintly man who was believed to have known the apostle John, and who refused to recant his faith.

Under Emperor Marcus Aurelius, Christian neglect of the Roman gods was blamed for the occurrence of famine, pestilence, flooding and wars.  In AD 177, the emperor ordered the punishment of sects that caused disturbances.  This led to the stoning of Christians by pagans in Vienne and Lyons.  In Lyons, 90 year-old Bishop Pothinus died in jail after being severely tortured.  The emperor also ordered the execution of prisoners who did not deny their Christian faith.

In AD 203, under Emperor Septimius Severus, many Christians were martyred in Carthage, including a young mother named Perpetua who fearlessly faced death as she was going to be gored by a bull.   After a period of respite, persecution reappeared during the short reign of Emperor Decius at a time Rome was threatened by invasions.  Roman patriotism led to a renewal of fervor for the gods.  Christians, on the other hand, continued to reject military service and despise the gods.  Some of them even thought the threats against Rome announced the end of the empire and the Second Coming of Christ.  Decius issued an edict requiring an act of propitiation within the empire, and Christians were asked to join in prayer to the gods.  While most of them complied, the bishops of Jerusalem and Antioch did not and died in jail  Also, the bishops of Rome and Toulouse were executed.  Hundreds of Roman Christians were thrown into dungeons.  Some were beheaded, others were burned to the stake, and some were thrown to the beasts.

There was more persecution under Valerian, but in 261, Gallienus issued an edict of toleration that made Christianity an accepted religion and Christians were given back properties that had been taken from them.  The period of relative calm that followed led to significant growth as many Romans found in Christianity hope and comfort they could not find in competing religions.  Cathedrals were built, and Christians could freely mingle with pagans.

Galerius and Diocletian reignited resentment against Christians who were seen as an obstacle to the restoration of Rome under their leadership.  It was believed that Christian prayers kept the Roman gods at a distance.  Therefore, in AD  303, a new decree ordered the destruction of churches and the dissolution of congregations, the burning of Christian books, and the confiscation of properties belonging to Christians.  They were excluded from holding public office and their religious gatherings were declared punishable by death.  The cathedral of Nicomedia was burned to the ground by soldiers.

During the Diocletian persecution, which lasted about eight years, Christians were treated with extreme brutality.  Witnessing the greatly disturbing atrocities committed by the Roman government, Roman citizens began to show sympathy to the Christians.  Eventually, the faith was strengthened rather than destroyed.  Diocletian resigned his position during that time.  Galerius became mortally ill and, in an attempt to make peace with the Christian God, he issued an edict that recognized Christianity as lawful.  He even asked for Christian prayers.  The brutality of the persecution initially led to many defections.  However, those who had faltered returned, confessing their weakness and doing penance.  Martyrs were revered for their courage and loyalty.  Their blood was, as Tertullian put it, “seed” for renewal and growth.  Christianity triumphed over the empire.

In the book Caesar and Christ, which is the third volume of The Story of Civilization by Will Durant, this story of early Christianity is concluded with the following statement:

“There is no greater drama in human record than the sight of a few Christians, scorned or oppressed by a succession of emperors, bearing all trials with a fierce tenacity, multiplying quietly, building order while their enemies generated chaos, fighting the sword with the word, brutality with hope, and at last defeating the strongest state that history has known.  Caesar and Christ had met in the arena, and Christ had won.”

An important consideration here is the historical fact that Christians fought the “sword with the word.”  But they happened to be the ones “building order” while the presumed enforcers of law and order “generated chaos.”  This is important because the early church was much more faithful to the message of Christ than the institution that replaced it in later centuries.  Jesus’ message was about building the kingdom of God through non-violent means.  The idea that God’s Messiah fights with his mouth goes back to the Old Testament (Isaiah 11:4), and is turned into reality through the life and teaching of Jesus and the lives of the apostles.  Even in the book of Revelation, the returning Christ is symbolically represented with a sword in his mouth to show that his message is his weapon (Revelation 1:16, 19:15).

Jesus told his disciples not to repay evil with evil, love their enemies and pray for their persecutors.  He also told them to expect persecution from the world:

“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.”

The early Christians understood the teaching and mostly lived by it.  And since the New Testament was already available in the second century, there is simply no authoritative teaching that would have modified the original one.  It is therefore disturbing that the church, later, introduced violence as a legitimate Christian tool.  Today, both Christians and non-Christians are honestly surprised by the notion that true Christianity is non-violent. In my previous post, I discussed the results of a survey on attitudes about the QAnon conspiracy theory movement, which indicate that many Christians think violence will be necessary to save the country.  This attitude goes back to the unholy marriage between church and state that happened after Emperor Constantine became a Christian.  In the next post, I will discuss that topic.