Post by account_disabled on Mar 11, 2024 2:44:17 GMT -6
within the empire. With this phrase, the evangelist Matthew illustrates the rejection that a follower of Christ must show towards the use of weapons, even if it is a defensive attitude. This position, which in contemporary language could be classified as “pacifist”, is the one adopted by the first Judeo-Christians in their communities. This position of non-acceptance of the service of arms represented, for incipient Christianity, a problem of understanding both on the part of the Jewish elites and Rome. Not only did the Jews admit the use of force, but the Temple of Jerusalem had its own guard as sources demonstrate [] . With the outbreak of the Jewish-Roman War in the year , this scenario changed for the members of these communities. At this time, there was still no clear separation between Judaism and Judeo-Christianity. The members of the Judeo-Christian community of Jerusalem, despite confessing Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah, continued to participate in Jewish religious life and customs.
When they were asked to defend Israel with arms , they refused. We cannot know if this denial was given solely by fidelity to the “pacifist” message of Jesus of Nazareth or if we must also add a hypothetical animosity towards the social and religious groups that led the Jewish revolt. For this reason, it is possible that the subsequent accusations that B2B Email List udaism leveled against Judeo-Christian communities were not only of heresy, but also of treason. In this episode, the difficulty of professing a message contrary to the use of weapons in a war-mongering world was manifested for the first time. Between the end of the st century and the end of the nd century, Christianity expanded throughout the Mediterranean and split from Judaism in a progressive and rapid manner. It was no longer a phenomenon limited to groups with Jewish roots in the Near East, it had now spread to all groups in the Empire and the military caste was no exception. The Christians of the time refused to erect temples, venerate images and participate in State cults.
Christianity and the Roman Army in the rd century Until the middle of the rd century, Christianity enjoyed a certain stability within the Empire. From this moment on, the persecutions began to be based on a defined legal basis that did not exist in previous times. Emperor Decius (-) in the year decreed that all inhabitants of the empire had to make a public sacrifice to the gods and the emperor. Christian monotheism implied the denial of worshiping pagan idols and with them, the images of emperors. This refusal incurred a crime of lèse majesté that carried the death penalty. In the year , Emperor Valerian (-) issued his first edict decreeing the execution of Christian clerics who refused to publicly sacrifice an offering before idols and the emperor. A second edict in the following year extended the same demands to members of the equestrian and senatorial orders.
When they were asked to defend Israel with arms , they refused. We cannot know if this denial was given solely by fidelity to the “pacifist” message of Jesus of Nazareth or if we must also add a hypothetical animosity towards the social and religious groups that led the Jewish revolt. For this reason, it is possible that the subsequent accusations that B2B Email List udaism leveled against Judeo-Christian communities were not only of heresy, but also of treason. In this episode, the difficulty of professing a message contrary to the use of weapons in a war-mongering world was manifested for the first time. Between the end of the st century and the end of the nd century, Christianity expanded throughout the Mediterranean and split from Judaism in a progressive and rapid manner. It was no longer a phenomenon limited to groups with Jewish roots in the Near East, it had now spread to all groups in the Empire and the military caste was no exception. The Christians of the time refused to erect temples, venerate images and participate in State cults.
Christianity and the Roman Army in the rd century Until the middle of the rd century, Christianity enjoyed a certain stability within the Empire. From this moment on, the persecutions began to be based on a defined legal basis that did not exist in previous times. Emperor Decius (-) in the year decreed that all inhabitants of the empire had to make a public sacrifice to the gods and the emperor. Christian monotheism implied the denial of worshiping pagan idols and with them, the images of emperors. This refusal incurred a crime of lèse majesté that carried the death penalty. In the year , Emperor Valerian (-) issued his first edict decreeing the execution of Christian clerics who refused to publicly sacrifice an offering before idols and the emperor. A second edict in the following year extended the same demands to members of the equestrian and senatorial orders.