PILED UP TO HEAVEN

A Comprehensive List of Anti-Christian Atrocities

"In her was found the blood of prophets and of God's holy people, of all who have been slaughtered on the earth." -Revelation 18:24

As the title says, this is simply a list of the persecution enacted toward Christians at the hands of the Roman Empire. A quick personal opinion: many of these atrocities bear a striking resemblance to the gruesome mechanizations of Nazi Germany (read more coming soon!). One has to wonder if the same principality oversaw both.

One additional observation about the scholarly treatment of these persecutions: There's often an almost clinical detachment in discussing what was fundamentally state-sanctioned bloodlust. The focus on legal frameworks and diplomatic aspects can obscure the human horror of people being torn apart by animals or burned alive simply for their beliefs. It's similar to how discussing the "legal framework" of Jim Crow or apartheid without acknowledging the profound human suffering would be deeply problematic. Anyway, for the sake of truth and thoroughness, here it is.

WARNING: CONTAINS DISTURBING DEPICTIONS OF CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION

1. NERONIAN PERSECUTION (64-68 AD)

GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE:

• Focused specifically in Rome

TARGET GROUPS:

• Christian population in Rome

CHARACTERISTICS:

• First documented state persecution

• Used Christians as scapegoats for Great Fire

METHODS/PUNISHMENTS:

• Crucifixion

• Dipped in hot tar or wax and burned as human torches

• Fed to wild animals/dogs

• Public spectacles of torture

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE:

• Set precedent for scapegoating Christians

NOTABLE MARTYRS:

• Peter was crucified upside down upon his own request

• Paul was beheaded

The Apostle Paul bravely kneels in solemn prayer for his murderers as he is about to finally be beheaded.

2. DOMITIAN'S PERSECUTION (81-96 AD)

GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE:

• Empire-wide but sporadic

TARGET GROUPS:

• Christians refusing imperial cult

• Jewish communities

CHARACTERISTICS:

• Mixed religious and political motivations

• Emphasis on emperor worship

METHODS/PUNISHMENTS:

• Exile to remote islands

• Property confiscation

• Forced participation in sacrifices as a loyalty test

• Executions

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE:

• Strengthened link between imperial cult and persecution

• Established religious conformity precedent

NOTABLE MARTYRS:

• Flavius Clemens - Executed (method uncertain)

• Antipas of Pergamum - According to tradition, roasted alive inside a bronze bull

• John (survived) - Reportedly plunged into boiling oil before exile

• Domitilla - Exiled rather than executed due to noble status

Their property confiscated and their writings destroyed, Christians are led into exile for refusing to curse Christ and make an offering to the emperor’s image.

3. TRAJANIC PERSECUTION (98-117 AD)

GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE:

• Empire-wide but reactive

TARGET GROUPS:

• Publicly accused Christians

CHARACTERISTICS:

• Christians not to be sought out

• Anonymous accusations rejected

METHODS/PUNISHMENTS:

• Opportunity to recant by sacrificing to emperor’s image and cursing Christ

• Death for those refusing to recant

• Beheading (for Roman citizens, considered more honorable)

• Being thrown to wild beasts (damnatio ad bestias) in the arena

• Public execution in the amphitheater

• Burning at the stake

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE:

• Established legal framework

• Created "don't ask, don't tell" approach

NOTABLE MARTYRS

• Ignatius of Antioch - Thrown to lions in the Colosseum

• Simeon of Jerusalem - Tortured and then crucified at age 120

• Clement of Rome - Thrown into the sea with an anchor around his neck

• Phocas - Thrown into a lime kiln, then boiling water

Christians wait on a platform to be boiled alive for refusing to sacrifice to Roman gods.

4. HADRIANIC PERIOD (117-138 AD)

GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE:

• Empire-wide but locally initiated

TARGET GROUPS:

• Specifically accused Christians

CHARACTERISTICS:

• Required specific accusations

• Prohibited anonymous denunciations

METHODS/PUNISHMENTS:

• Burning alive

• Being thrown to wild beasts

• Beheading (for citizens)

• Crucifixion

• Punishment for false accusers

• Torture before execution: Scourging/flagellation with metal-tipped whips, the rack for stretching limbs, red-hot metals/branding, iron claws/hooks (ungulae) to tear flesh, breaking/crushing limbs, hot oil/pitch/wax, suspension by various body parts, burning with torches before execution, the wheel (breaking bones systematically), starvation/exposure in prison, use of weights/stones to increase pain during suspension

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE:

• Established more regulated legal process

• Protected against frivolous accusations

NOTABLE MARTYRS:

• The case of Eustachius and his family is particularly horrific - they were reportedly roasted to death inside a bronze bull statue.

• The deaths of Sophia's daughters were also brutal - they were tortured and killed one by one while their mother was forced to watch.

Eustachius mourns as his sons, 8 and 12, lay dying. His wife is being roasted alive inside the ‘brazen bull.’ An internal system of pipes transformed the sound of the victim’s screams into that of a bull’s bellow.

5. MARCUS AURELIUS PERIOD (161-180 AD)

GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE:

• Focused in Gaul and Asia Minor

• Particularly severe in Lyon and Vienne

TARGET GROUPS:

• Urban Christian communities

• Particularly targeted church leaders

• Both wealthy and poor Christians affected

CHARACTERISTICS:

• Permitted and even encouraged mob violence

• Local authorities given broad discretion

• Used torture to force recanting

• Public spectacles of execution

• Property confiscation common

METHODS/PUNISHMENTS:

• Wild beasts in amphitheater

• Burning at the stake

• Scourging/flagellation

• Imprisonment under harsh conditions

• Red-hot iron chair

• Systematic torture before execution

• Bodies desecrated after death and thrown in rivers

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE:

• Demonstrated shift to local control over persecution

• Led to increased Christian apologetic writing

• Showed growing tension between imperial policy and local attitudes

• First detailed accounts of systematic torture methods

• Established precedent for using persecution to intimidate Christian communities

NOTABLE MARTYRS:

• Polycarp of Smyrna: Burned alive when flames wouldn't touch him, then stabbed

• Justin Martyr and companions: Scourged and beheaded

• Martyrs of Lyon including:

  • Blandina: Tortured for days, suspended on a post for wild beasts, enclosed in a net and gored by a bull, finally killed

  • Pothinus (90-year-old bishop): Beaten, abused by mob, died in prison

  • Sanctus: Tortured with red-hot metal plates, survived initial torture, then killed

  • Maturus and Sanctus: Endured torture chair, wild beasts, more torture before death

  • Several others died in prison from conditions/torture

Christians who refused to worship the Roman emperor await their gruesome fate.

6. SEVERAN PERSECUTION (202-210 AD)

GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE:

• Centered in Egypt, particularly Alexandria

• North Africa, especially Carthage

• Rome, though less frequent, more targeted

TARGET GROUPS:

• New converts to Christianity

• Teachers and evangelists

• Christian educators/intellectuals

• Catechumens (those preparing for baptism)

• Parents who had their children baptized

CHARACTERISTICS:

• Systematic effort to stop Christian growth

• Specifically targeted conversion and education

• Focus on intellectual/teaching centers

• More organized than previous local persecutions

• Used existing legal framework strategically

• Enforced sacrificing to emperor/state gods

METHODS/PUNISHMENTS:

• Beheading

• Burning alive

• Torture before execution including:

  • Scourging

  • The rack

  • Hot irons

• Wild beasts in amphitheater

• Prison conditions often fatal

• Property confiscation

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE:

• First systematic attempt to stop Christianity's spread

• Led to development of underground teaching networks

• Influenced Christian education methods

• Created precedent for targeting intellectual leaders

• Demonstrated shift from reactive to preventive persecution

NOTABLE MARTYRS:

• Perpetua and Felicitas (Carthage):

  • Perpetua: Young noble mother, tortured, gored by a heifer, finally killed by sword

  • Felicitas: Gave birth in prison, thrown to beasts with Perpetua

• Leonidas (Origen's father): Beheaded

• Potamiaena: Slowly lowered into boiling pitch

• Basilides: Beheaded after converting during Potamiaena's execution

• Several of Origen's students in Alexandria: Various execution methods

Weak and starving, a Christian man screams in terror as he is forced into a pit of lions for refusing to acknowledge the Roman emperor as divine.

7. MAXIMINUS THRAX'S CAMPAIGN (235-238 AD)

GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE:

• Major urban centers throughout empire

• Particularly Cappadocia and Pontus

• Significant activity in Rome

• Notable persecution in Palestine

TARGET GROUPS:

• Bishops and priests specifically targeted

• Church leaders and teachers

• Wealthy Christian patrons

• Those harboring clergy

CHARACTERISTICS:

• Strategic targeting of church hierarchy

• Attempted to disrupt church organization

• Combined political and religious motivation

• Systematic identification of leaders

• Used informant networks

METHODS/PUNISHMENTS:

• Imprisonment under harsh conditions

• Torture to extract information about other leaders

• Execution methods included:

  • Burning alive

  • Beheading

  • Death by torture

  • Thrown to beasts

• Property confiscation

• Forced labor in mines

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE:

• Established precedent for targeting church leadership

• Led to development of church contingency plans

• Influenced hiding/protection networks for clergy

• Showed shift to structural attack on church

• Demonstrated vulnerability of visible church leaders

• Led to more secretive church organization methods

NOTABLE MARTYRS:

• Pope Pontian: Arrested, exiled to Sardinian mines, died from conditions/abuse

• Hippolytus of Rome: Also died in Sardinian mines after torture

• Bishop Anterus: Martyred after very brief papacy

• Ambrose of Alexandria: Burned alive

• Many unnamed clergy died in prisons or mines

A young Christian man screams for his slain brothers as he is taken away to be worked to death in a mine.

8. DECIAN PERSECUTION (250-251 AD)

GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE:

• Empire-wide, systematically implemented

• Coordinated across all provinces

• Urban and rural areas affected

• Particularly severe in Rome, Egypt, Carthage, and Asia Minor

TARGET GROUPS:

• All citizens required to participate

• Special focus on Christian leaders

• Wealthy Christians targeted first

• Those refusing to sacrifice

• Those caught with false certificates

• Those helping others avoid sacrifice

CHARACTERISTICS:

• Required universal sacrifice to gods/emperor

• Certificate (libelli) system to prove compliance - pour libations, taste sacrificial meat, and acknowledge emperor's divinity

• Set deadlines for compliance

• Official commissions to oversee sacrifices

• Public ceremonies required

• Detailed records kept

• Systematic house-to-house searches

METHODS/PUNISHMENTS:

• Extensive torture methods:

  • Rack/stretching

  • Iron claws

  • Scourging

  • Burning with torches

  • Progressive amputation

• Prolonged imprisonment under harsh conditions

• Starvation in prison

• Execution methods included:

  • Burning alive

  • Wild beasts

  • Beheading

  • Crucifixion

• Confiscation of property

• Exile to mines

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE:

• First empire-wide systematic persecution

• Created precedent for bureaucratic persecution

• Led to major church splits over treatment of lapsed Christians

• Established methods for identifying Christians

• Created lasting questions about faith under pressure

• Influenced future systematic persecutions

• Led to development of underground church networks

• Changed Christian attitudes toward martyrdom

• Created theological crises about forgiveness/readmission

NOTABLE MARTYRS:

• Pope Fabian: Tortured and beheaded

• Pionius of Smyrna: Nailed to stake and burned alive

• Alexander of Jerusalem: Died under torture in prison

• Babylas of Antioch: Died in chains

• Carpus and Papylus: Burned alive

• Agatha of Sicily: Tortured with red-hot irons, breast amputation, rolled on shards

• Many unnamed Christians died from prison conditions

A Christian family has been captured while traveling. They will be separated and tortured to death in prison.

9. VALERIANIC PERSECUTION (257-259 AD)

GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE:

• Systematic empire-wide enforcement

• Particularly severe in Rome, North Africa, Spain

• Heavy persecution in Egypt and Asia Minor

• Urban and rural areas affected

TARGET GROUPS:

• Christian clergy at all levels

• Wealthy Christian families

• Christian civil servants

• Christian aristocrats

• Those attending Christian assemblies

• Those harboring Christian leaders

CHARACTERISTICS:

• Two-phase approach:

  • First edict targeted clergy and assemblies

  • Second edict targeted wealthy Christians and nobles

• Economic warfare through confiscation

• Required clergy registration with authorities

• Banned Christian gatherings

• Combined financial and physical persecution

METHODS/PUNISHMENTS:

• Torture methods included:

  • Scourging/flagellation

  • The rack

  • Iron hooks

  • Burning with torches

  • Progressive torture to force compliance

• Executions by:

  • Beheading

  • Burning alive

  • Wild beasts

  • Crucifixion

• Forced labor in mines

• Harsh imprisonment

• Total property confiscation

• Exile

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE:

• Created model for economic persecution

• Demonstrated effectiveness of targeting church wealth

• Led to development of hidden property networks

• Changed church attitudes toward wealth

• Influenced church-state relations

• Showed vulnerability of visible church property

• Led to more secretive financial practices

• Established pattern of targeting both leaders and resources

NOTABLE MARTYRS:

• Pope Sixtus II: Caught in catacombs, beheaded with four deacons

• Lawrence of Rome: Grilled alive on iron grate

• Cyprian of Carthage: Beheaded after refusing to sacrifice

• Fructuosus: Burned alive with his deacons

• Numerous unnamed wealthy Christians and clergy who died in mines or prison

Christian men wait to be executed for entertainment. As Roman citizens they are lucky to be beheaded and not tortured first.

10. GREAT PERSECUTION (303-311 AD)

GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE:

• Comprehensive empire-wide campaign

• Particularly severe in Eastern Empire

• Varied enforcement in Western Empire

• Urban and rural areas systematically targeted

TARGET GROUPS:

• All Christians regardless of status

• Clergy especially targeted

• Christian soldiers and officials

• Christian households

• Those possessing scriptures

• Those attending services

• Those harboring Christians

CHARACTERISTICS:

• Four Edicts with escalating severity:

  1. Church/scripture destruction, civil rights removed

  2. Clergy arrest and forced sacrifice

  3. Clergy torture/execution if refusing sacrifice

  4. Universal sacrifice requirement or death

METHODS/PUNISHMENTS:

• Mass executions including:

  • Burning alive in groups

  • Mass drownings

  • Beheading

  • Wild beasts

  • Crucifixion

• Systematic torture methods:

  • Rack/stretching

  • Iron claws

  • Scourging to bone

  • Vinegar/salt in wounds

  • Slow burning

  • Progressive mutilation

• Church destruction

• Scripture burning

• Property confiscation

• Forced labor in mines

• Imprisonment under harsh conditions

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE:

• Most severe and comprehensive persecution

• Led to widespread trauma in Christian communities

• Created major divisions over how to handle those who lapsed

• Demonstrated the resilience of Christian faith under extreme pressure

• Created a foundation for later "orthodox" persecution of other Christians

• Set precedent for systematic persecution methods that would be used against "heretical" Christians after Nicaea

• Led to massive loss of early Christian texts and practices

• Created conditions that Constantine later exploited for political power

NOTABLE MARTYRS:

• Peter of Alexandria: Beheaded

• Phileas: Beheaded after torture

• Lucy of Syracuse: Multiple tortures, finally killed by sword

• Agnes of Rome: Young girl, tortured and killed

• Eulalia of Mérida: 12 years old, multiple tortures including:

  • Flesh torn with hooks

  • Burning with torches

  • Finally burned alive

• Thousands of unnamed Christians killed in groups

Christian men are forced to drown themselves in a futile effort to protect their loved ones from persecution.

11. ANTI-ARIAN PERSECUTION (325-381 AD)

GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE:

• Empire-wide systematic persecution

• Most intense in Eastern Empire

• Particularly severe in Alexandria and other major cities

• Special focus on areas with high Arian populations

• Strategic targeting through episcopal sees

TARGET GROUPS/"HERETICAL" BELIEFS:

• Groups:

  • Arian clergy and bishops

  • Congregations refusing Nicene Creed

  • Anyone questioning Jesus' full divinity

  • Those possessing Arian texts

  • Those harboring Arian teachers

  • Anyone suspected of Arian sympathies

  • Communities refusing to recant

• Beliefs:

  • Rejected that Jesus was God Himself

  • Taught that Jesus was divine but created by God

  • Maintained that Jesus was the highest of all divine beings but subordinate to God

  • Emphasized "there was a time when the Son was not"

  • Rejected that Jesus was co-eternal or "of the same substance" (homoousios) with God

  • Viewed Christ as uniquely divine but fundamentally distinct from and lesser than God the Father

  • Interpreted biblical passages about Jesus' submission to the Father as evidence of his subordinate divine status

CHARACTERISTICS:

• State-church coordinated persecution

• Use of "reconciliation" process as coercion

• Systematic destruction of texts/teachings

• Legalized/incentivized mob violence

• Episcopal sees used to control territory

• Combined religious and political oppression

• Used memory of previous persecutions as leverage

METHODS/PUNISHMENTS:

• Physical Violence:

  • Torture

  • Public beatings

  • Mob attacks with impunity

  • Execution of those refusing to recant

  • Breaking of limbs

  • Burning

• Institutional Persecution:

  • Property confiscation

  • Church seizures

  • Book burning

  • Exile of leaders

  • Economic exclusion

  • Social ostracism

  • Loss of civil rights

  • Forced "reconciliation"

  • Banned assemblies

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE:

• Established violent orthodoxy enforcement

• Created precedent for "legitimate" persecution of other Christians

• Showed how quickly persecuted could become persecutors

• Demonstrated merger of church and state power

• Set pattern for future anti-heretical campaigns

• Led to loss of early Christian diversity

• Cemented institutional control over doctrine

• Created lasting trauma within Christian communities

• Established use of creeds as control mechanisms

NOTABLE MARTYRS/VICTIMS:

• Arius himself (suspicious death before reinstatement)

• Eusebius of Nicomedia (initially exiled)

• Theognis of Nicaea (exiled)

• Countless unnamed Arians killed by mobs

• Families torn apart

• Communities scattered

Branded as heretics, Arians were brutalized by mobs. There were only two choices: Nicene orthodoxy or death. With The Great Persecution still fresh in mind, most chose the former.

12. ANTI-DONATIST PERSECUTION (347-411 AD)

GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE:

• Centered in North Africa, especially Numidia

• Most intense in Carthage

• Spread across North African provinces

• Particularly affected rural areas and small towns

TARGET GROUPS/”HERETICAL” BELIEFS:

• Donatists who believed:

  • Church must remain pure

  • Sacraments invalid if performed by traditores (those who surrendered scriptures during persecution)

  • Church should be separate from state

  • Rebaptism necessary for those baptized by traditores

• Anyone who supported their stance

• Communities harboring Donatist clergy

• Those refusing to accept Catholic bishops

• Opposing church-state merger under Constantine

CHARACTERISTICS:

• State-backed military campaigns

• Systematic church seizures

• Economic warfare against communities

• Use of "unity by force" doctrine

• Collaboration between state and Catholic Church

• Imperial edicts enforcing compliance

• Mob violence encouraged

METHODS/PUNISHMENTS:

• Physical Violence:

  • Torture to force submission

  • Beatings by soldiers

  • Execution of resistant leaders

  • Military attacks on communities

  • Mob violence against congregations

• Institutional Persecution:

  • Church building confiscation

  • Property seizure

  • Forced "reconciliation"

  • Loss of inheritance rights

  • Bans on assemblies

  • Economic restrictions

  • Exile of clergy

  • Destruction of texts

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE:

• First use of military forces against Christian "heretics"

• Augustine's development of "just persecution" theology

• Established precedent for violent suppression of dissent

• Created template for church-state persecution

• Showed how institutional violence could be theologized

• Set pattern for future "corrections" of "heresy"

• Demonstrated shift from martyrdom to persecution

NOTABLE MARTYRS:

• Marculus: Thrown from a cliff by Catholic forces

• Isaac and Maximian: Killed during forced "unity" campaign

• Many unnamed Donatists killed in:

  • Church seizures

  • Military raids

  • Mob attacks

  • Prison conditions

• Entire communities scattered or destroyed

Bishop Marculus looks up to the heavens and prays before Roman forces throw him off a cliff to his death for disagreeing with the Catholic Church in regards to the readmission of Christians who had denounced their faith under persecution.

13. ANTI-PRISCILLIAN PERSECUTION (380-385 AD)

GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE:

• Centered in Hispania (modern Spain)

• Extended into Southern Gaul

• Particularly severe in Avila and Trier

• Affected rural ascetic communities

TARGET GROUPS/”HERETICAL” BELIEFS:

• Groups:

  • Priscillianist clergy and followers

  • Ascetic communities - strict self-denial and abstaining from worldly pleasures/luxuries

  • Women in teaching/leadership roles

  • Independent Bible study groups

  • Supporters of church poverty

  • Those accused of Manichean practices

  • Anyone harboring targeted groups

• Beliefs:

  • Rejected that Jesus was God Himself

  • Taught Jesus was divine but subordinate to God

• Church Structure/Authority:

  • Promoted individual scripture study/interpretation

  • Opposed church hierarchy and wealth

  • Allowed women to teach scripture

  • Required strict ascetic practices

  False Accusations:

  • Manichean dualism

  • Sorcery/magic

  • Secret immoral practices

CHARACTERISTICS:

• First execution of heretics by state

• Use of civil courts rather than church courts

• Use of torture to extract confessions

• Collaboration between hostile bishops and state

• Property seizure as motivation

• False accusations of magic/Manichaeism

• Political manipulation of religious charges

METHODS/PUNISHMENTS:

• Physical Violence:

  • Torture for confessions

  • Beheading of leaders

  • Prison conditions

  • Public humiliation

• Institutional Persecution:

  • Property confiscation

  • Exile

  • Loss of civil rights

  • Church property seizure

  • Book burning

  • Banned assemblies

  • Forced recantations

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE:

• First execution of "heretics" by Christian state

• Established use of civil courts for religious trials

• Created precedent for death penalty in heresy cases

• Showed how religious charges could mask political motives

• Demonstrated dangerous merger of church and state power

• Led to debates about proper handling of "heretics"

NOTABLE MARTYRS:

• Priscillian of Avila: Tortured and beheaded

• Six of his followers executed with him:

  • Two priests

  • Two deacons

  • Latronianus (poet)

  • Euchrotia (noblewoman)

• Many unnamed followers:

  • Exiled

  • Died from torture

  • Imprisoned

  • Lost property/status

After Priscillian and his closest followers are executed, many of the rest are captured and left to die in prison.

14. ANTI-NOVATIAN PERSECUTION (380-439 AD)

GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE:

• Empire-wide suppression

• Focused in major urban centers

• Particularly active in Rome and Constantinople

• Present in Asia Minor

TARGET GROUPS/”HERETICAL” BELIEFS:

• Groups:

  • Novatian clergy and bishops

  • Novatian congregations

  • Those harboring Novatianists

  • Communities refusing to integrate

  • Supporters of Novatian practices

• Beliefs:

  • Rejected Jesus as God Himself

  • Viewed Jesus as divine but subordinate

  • Opposed readmission of lapsed Christians

  • Required rebaptism for the lapsed

  • Demanded strict moral purity

  • Rejected marriage after baptism

  • Required stricter penance

CHARACTERISTICS:

• Systematic absorption strategy

• Gradual property confiscation

• Church building seizures

• Forced congregational mergers

• Economic pressure tactics

• Administrative suppression

METHODS/PUNISHMENTS:

• Church building confiscation

• Property seizure

• Forced church closures

• Mandatory integration with orthodox churches

• Economic restrictions

• Loss of assembly rights

• Exile of resistant clergy

• Destruction of texts/records

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE:

• Established model for absorbing dissenting groups

• Demonstrated "soft" persecution tactics

• Showed effectiveness of economic pressure

• Created pattern for forced church mergers

• Influenced later suppression methods

• Proved effectiveness of gradual approach

NOTABLE MARTYRS:

• Fewer dramatic martyrdoms due to "soft" tactics

• Many clergy forced into exile

• Communities scattered through forced integration

• Leaders who resisted absorption lost positions/property

• Congregations dissolved through economic pressure

A group of Novation followers listens as they are told their churches will be closed and seized by the state. They are warned that if they are caught assembling again they will be exiled.

15. ANTI-PELAGIAN PERSECUTION (418-431 AD)

GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE:

• Originated in North Africa

• Spread across Western Empire

• Reached Constantinople

• Particularly active in Rome and Carthage

TARGET GROUPS/”HERETICAL” BELIEFS:

• Groups:

  • Pelagian teachers and writers

  • Supportive bishops and clergy

  • Monastic communities

  • Intellectual followers

  • Sympathetic church leaders

  • Anyone promoting Pelagian ideas

• Beliefs:

  • Rejected Jesus as God Himself

  • Taught humans could achieve righteousness through free will

  • Denied inherited original sin

  • Believed divine grace wasn't necessary for salvation

  • Taught people could live sinlessly through effort

  • Emphasized human moral responsibility

  • Rejected predestination

  • Supported ascetic discipline

CHARACTERISTICS:

• Systematic theological suppression

• Imperial edicts enforcing orthodoxy

• Church-state cooperation

• Academic/intellectual persecution

• Destruction of writings

• Ecclesiastical trials

METHODS/PUNISHMENTS:

• Exile of teachers and leaders

• Property confiscation

• Removal from church offices

• Book burning

• Loss of teaching positions

• Economic restrictions

• Social ostracism

• Banned from teaching

• Forced recantations

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE:

• Strengthened papal doctrinal authority

• Established orthodox position on grace

• Created precedent for suppressing theological ideas

• Enhanced church control over teaching

• Demonstrated church-state persecution cooperation

• Influenced Western theology on salvation

NOTABLE MARTYRS:

• Pelagius (exiled to Palestine)

• Celestius (banished from Rome)

• Julian of Eclanum (stripped of position, exiled)

• Many unnamed monks and teachers:

  • Lost positions

  • Forced into exile

  • Reduced to poverty

  • Silenced through threats

Pelagius’ followers and their neighbors look on as soldiers burn their texts.

16. ANTI-NESTORIAN PERSECUTION (431-489 AD)

GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE:

• Centered in Eastern Empire

• Most intense in Constantinople

• Spread through Asia Minor

• Affected School of Edessa

TARGET GROUPS/”HERETICAL” BELIEFS:

• Groups:

  • Nestorian clergy and bishops

  • Theological school teachers/students

  • Eastern Christian communities

  • Scholars and intellectuals

  • Monasteries following Nestorian teaching

  • Syrian Christian communities

• Beliefs:

  • Rejected Jesus as God Himself

  • Taught Mary was mother of Christ but not "Mother of God"

  • Emphasized distinction between Christ's human/divine natures

  • Opposed calling Mary "Theotokos" (God-bearer)

  • Maintained Christ's natures were separate

  • Rejected complete divine-human union in Christ

CHARACTERISTICS:

• Coordinated church-state persecution

• Systematic theological suppression

• Closure of educational institutions

• Destruction of theological texts

• Exile of entire communities

• Cultural/linguistic suppression

METHODS/PUNISHMENTS:

• Mass book burning

• Monastery closures

• Forced exile

• Property confiscation

• School closures

• Teaching bans

• Loss of positions

• Economic restrictions

• Destruction of writings

• Forced recantations

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE:

• Pushed Christianity eastward into Persia

• Created permanent East-West church divide

• Led to development of separate Eastern traditions

• Destroyed important theological texts

• Influenced development of Eastern Christianity

• Demonstrated power of theological persecution

NOTABLE MARTYRS:

• Nestorius himself (died in exile in Egypt)

• Teachers from School of Edessa

• Scholars forced to flee east

• Entire communities displaced

• Many clergy exiled to desert regions

• Countless unnamed followers who lost homes/livelihoods

A Nestorian school is closed. As a boy is escorted out he casts a sorrowful gaze at a beloved book for the last time.

17. ANTI-MONOPHYSITE PERSECUTION (451-519 AD)

GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE:

• Eastern Empire dominantly

• Severe in Egypt (Alexandria)

• Intense in Syria

• Spread through Palestine

• Affected parts of Armenia

TARGET GROUPS/”HERETICAL” BELIEFS:

• Groups:

  • Monophysite clergy and bishops

  • Egyptian monks and monasteries

  • Syrian Christian communities

  • Coptic Christians

  • Armenian Christians

  • Desert monastic communities

  • Anyone rejecting Chalcedon Council

• Beliefs:

  • Rejected Jesus as human, viewed him as completely divine

  • Taught Christ had one nature (divine), not two

  • Opposed Chalcedonian "two natures" doctrine

  • Emphasized Christ's divinity over humanity

  • Rejected imperial control of doctrine

  • Maintained local Christian traditions

CHARACTERISTICS:

• Extreme military violence

• Systematic suppression

• State-backed persecution

• Cultural/ethnic targeting

• Mass resistance to enforcement

• Regional uprisings

• Violent church takeovers

METHODS/PUNISHMENTS:

• Military attacks on communities

• Torture of resisters

• Mass killings

• Church confiscation

• Forced exile

• Monastery raids

• Property seizure

• Public beatings

• Imprisonment

• Economic sanctions

• Destruction of texts

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE:

• Split Eastern Christianity permanently

• Weakened Byzantine control in Egypt/Syria

• Created independent Oriental churches

• Led to development of Coptic Church

• Fueled anti-imperial sentiment

• Contributed to later Islamic conquests

• Destroyed regional Christian unity

NOTABLE MARTYRS:

• Thousands killed in Alexandria riots

• Egyptian monks slaughtered in monasteries

• Syrian clergy tortured and executed

• Desert fathers driven from communities

• Entire villages displaced

• Many died resisting church seizures

• Countless unnamed victims of military violence

Monophysite monks pray in peaceful opposition as they await slaughter at the hands of Byzantine soldiers.

18. ANTI-MANICHAEAN PERSECUTION (527-565 AD under Justinian)

GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE:

• Empire-wide systematic persecution

• Most severe in Constantinople

• Active in Asia Minor

• Present in major urban centers

• Extended into Persian territories

TARGET GROUPS/”HERETICAL” BELIEFS:

• Groups:

  • Manichaean believers and teachers

  • Suspected dualist sympathizers

  • Related gnostic sects

  • Anyone accused of Manichaeism

  • Traders from Persian regions

  • Intellectual communities

  • Those possessing Manichaean texts

• Beliefs:

  • Rejected Jesus as God Himself

  • Taught Jesus was purely spirit/divine

  • Believed in two opposing forces (light/darkness)

  • Denied Christ's physical incarnation

  • Rejected physical resurrection

  • Taught material world was evil

  • Followed dualistic cosmology

  • Required strict ascetic practices

CHARACTERISTICS:

• First systematic execution program

• Death penalty implementation

• Total elimination attempt

• Use of informant networks

• Public executions

• Comprehensive legal framework

• Incentivized accusations

METHODS/PUNISHMENTS:

• Burning alive

• Property confiscation

• Forced exile

• Civil rights revocation

• Citizenship loss

• Book burning

• Trade restrictions

• Social ostracism

• Torture for information

• Imprisonment

• Asset seizure

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE:

• Established burning as heretic punishment

• Created template for medieval heresy laws

• Introduced death penalty for beliefs alone

• Set precedent for systematic elimination

• Influenced later inquisition methods

• Established informant systems

• Created legal framework for executions

NOTABLE MARTYRS:

• Many burned alive in Constantinople

• Entire communities forced underground

• Teachers and leaders executed publicly

• Merchants executed on suspicion

• Families destroyed through accusations

• Unknown numbers killed through informants

• Many died in prison or exile

With bound legs, a Manichaean man says his final prayer, soon to be the last of his congregation to be burned alive.

19. ANTI-COPTIC PERSECUTION (590-640 AD)

GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE:

• Centered in Egypt

• Particularly severe in Alexandria

• Extended through Nile Valley

• Affected Delta region

• Reached into Nubia

TARGET GROUPS/”HERETICAL” BELIEFS:

• Groups:

  • Coptic clergy and bishops

  • Egyptian monasteries

  • Native Egyptian Christians

  • Coptic monks and nuns

  • Egyptian church leaders

  • Rural Christian communities

  • Anyone rejecting Chalcedon

• Beliefs:

  • Rejected Jesus’ continuing human nature

  • Maintained Monophysite doctrine (Christ's single nature)

  • Opposed Chalcedonian "two natures" teaching

  • Preserved ancient Egyptian Christian traditions

  • Rejected Byzantine religious authority

  • Maintained independent church hierarchy

  • Used Coptic language in worship

CHARACTERISTICS:

• Byzantine military enforcement

• Systematic cultural suppression

• Violent church takeovers

• Economic warfare

• Language suppression

• Administrative control attempts

• Institutional displacement

METHODS/PUNISHMENTS:

• Church building confiscation

• Monastery seizures

• Torture of resisters

• Property theft

• Forced Greek language use

• Economic restrictions

• Physical beatings

• Leadership replacement

• Resource deprivation

• Text destruction

• Travel restrictions

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE:

• Severely weakened Byzantine control

• Led to Egyptian support of Arab invasion

• Deepened Egyptian-Byzantine divide

• Contributed to Islamic conquest success

• Strengthened Coptic identity

• Created lasting religious divisions

• Damaged Byzantine legitimacy

NOTABLE MARTYRS:

• Numerous Coptic monks tortured

• Egyptian priests killed defending churches

• Monastery leaders died resisting seizures

• Communities scattered by violence

• Many died from torture/imprisonment

• Unknown numbers killed in church raids

• Families destroyed through persecution

A Coptic Congregation is massacred in their church, their bodies left to intimidate other worshippers and supporters.

20. ANTI-CELTIC CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION (604-640 AD)

GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE:

• British Isles broadly

• Northern Britain especially

• Irish monasteries

• Welsh Christian centers

• Scottish communities

TARGET GROUPS/”HERETICAL” BELIEFS:

• Groups:

  • Celtic Christian clergy

  • Irish monastic communities

  • Native British church leaders

  • Celtic monks and scholars

  • Indigenous Christian teachers

  • Local Christian communities

  • Anyone maintaining Celtic practices

• Beliefs:

  • Rejected Roman ecclesiastical authority

  • Maintained older Christian traditions

  • Used different dating for Easter

  • Followed Celtic tonsure practices

  • Preserved apostolic simplicity

  • Emphasized monastic spiritual authority

  • Maintained independent church governance

CHARACTERISTICS:

• Systematic cultural suppression

• Roman ritual enforcement

• Gradual institutional takeover

• Replacement of leadership

• Erasure of Celtic traditions

• Administrative absorption

• Cultural colonization

METHODS/PUNISHMENTS:

• Monastery takeovers

• Clergy replacement

• Property confiscation

• Forced conformity to Roman practices

• Economic pressure

• Leadership removal

• Resource control

• Teaching restrictions

• Text suppression

• Ritual bans

• Travel limitations

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE:

• Romanized British Christianity

• Suppressed native Christian traditions

• Destroyed unique Celtic practices

• Centralized church control

• Eliminated independent traditions

• Standardized worship practices

• Created lasting cultural loss

NOTABLE MARTYRS:

• While fewer violent deaths than other persecutions, many suffered through:

  • Forced exile from monasteries

  • Loss of positions and authority

  • Community displacement

  • Cultural destruction

  • Poverty after property seizure

  • Death from exposure/deprivation

  • Loss of ancient traditions

Devastated monks pray and mourn as they watch their monastery go up in flames.

21. ANTI-MONOTHELITE PERSECUTION (680-711 AD)

GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE:

• Eastern Empire dominantly

• Centered in Constantinople

• Heavy in Syria

• Present in Palestine

• Extended through Asia Minor

TARGET GROUPS/”HERETICAL” BELIEFS:

• Groups:

  • Monothelite clergy and bishops

  • Syrian Christian communities

  • Supporters of Sergius's compromise

  • Theological moderates

  • Eastern monasteries

  • Anyone rejecting Sixth Council (declared that Jesus had two wills— divine and human)

  • Compromise-seeking Christians

• Beliefs:

  • Rejected Jesus as having human will

  • Taught Christ had two natures but one will

  • Sought compromise between Chalcedon/Monophysites

  • Maintained Christ's human nature was passive

  • Emphasized unity of Christ's person

  • Supported peaceful theological resolution

  • Rejected extreme Chalcedonian position

CHARACTERISTICS:

• Combined political/theological purge

• Imperial enforcement

• Church-sanctioned persecution

• Systematic elimination of compromise

• Hardline orthodox enforcement

• Destruction of reconciliation attempts

METHODS/PUNISHMENTS:

• Formal anathematization

• Clergy exile

• Church property seizure

• Text destruction

• Position removal

• Economic sanctions

• Teaching bans

• Ritual exclusion

• Community isolation

• Theological censorship

• Travel restrictions

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE:

• Weakened Byzantine Syrian control

• Deepened East-West church divide

• Destroyed possibility of compromise

• Alienated Syrian Christians

• Contributed to Islamic expansion

• Hardened theological positions

• Eliminated moderate voices

NOTABLE MARTYRS:

• Patriarch Sergius (condemned posthumously)

• Pope Honorius (condemned posthumously)

• Exiled clergy who died in banishment

• Syrian bishops removed from office

• Teachers forced into silence

• Communities scattered

• Many died in exile/poverty

A Monothelite bishop submits to soldiers as they confiscate his religious texts and mock his beliefs.

22. ANTI-PAULICIAN PERSECUTION (begins ~650 AD)

GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE:

• Started in Armenia

• Spread through Eastern Empire

• Throughout Asia Minor

• Reached Constantinople

• Extended into Balkans

TARGET GROUPS/”HERETICAL” BELIEFS:

• Groups:

  • Paulician communities

  • Associated merchants/traders

  • Suspected dualist sympathizers

  • Armenian Christians

  • Paulician teachers

  • Anyone possessing their texts

  • Those offering shelter/support

• Beliefs:

  • Rejected Jesus as God Himself

  • Taught Christ brought soul from heaven

  • Denied physical incarnation

  • Rejected church hierarchy

  • Opposed use of images/icons

  • Emphasized direct spiritual knowledge

  • Rejected sacraments and rituals

  • Taught salvation through knowledge

CHARACTERISTICS:

• Military elimination campaigns

• Systematic extermination attempts

• Mass violence approach

• State-sponsored killing

• Cultural destruction efforts

• Complete suppression goal

• Forced population transfers

METHODS/PUNISHMENTS:

• Mass executions

• Burning at stake

• Property confiscation

• Forced resettlement

• Military attacks

• Book burning

• Torture

• Community destruction

• Trade restrictions

• Asset seizure

• Public executions

• Family separation

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE:

• Established medieval dualist persecution patterns

• Led to Paulician military resistance

• Created refugee movements

• Influenced later Bogomil/Cathar persecutions

• Demonstrated shift to mass violence

• Set precedent for total elimination campaigns

• Led to armed religious resistance

NOTABLE MARTYRS:

• Constantine-Silvanus (founder, stoned to death)

• Simeon-Titus (burned at stake)

• Sergius-Tychicus (killed by sword)

• Thousands killed in mass executions

• Entire communities burned alive

• Many died in forced marches

• Unknown numbers killed in military campaigns

The Anti-Paulician persecution lasted from around 650 AD until the 9th century, with several intense waves:

• 650s - Initial persecutions begin

• 690s - Intensification under Justinian II

• 813-820 - Major persecution under Leo V

• 843-867 - Most violent period under Theodora and Michael III (including mass executions)

The Byzantine Empress Theodora allegedly had:

• 100,000 Paulicians killed

• Methods included beheading, drowning, crucifixion

• Property seized

• Children taken

• Communities destroyed

But the Paulicians:

• Established their own state

• Fought back militarily

• Some fled to Armenia

• Some survived in remote areas

• Some went underground

Armenian Paulician men wait to be hanged for heresy.

Renowned Paulician chief leader Sergius-Tychicus waits to be beheaded.

Children of all ages were forcibly removed from their homes to be raised by Orthodox families or given to Orthodox monasteries.

If you managed to get to the end of this thank you for not looking away.

Looking at it honestly:

Jesus taught:

• Love your enemies

• Turn the other cheek

• Care for the poor and oppressed

• Don't seek earthly power

• Don't store up earthly treasures

• True worship is in spirit and truth

• His kingdom is not of this world

What Rome created was:

• A powerful state religion

• Systematic persecution of dissenters

• Accumulation of vast wealth

• Elaborate temples and rituals

• Physical representations of divine beings

• A hierarchical priesthood

• Empire building through force

• Murder of those with different beliefs about Jesus

The contrast is stark. A Jewish teacher who rejected earthly power and taught love of enemies was transformed into a Roman-style god, and his message of peace was used to justify torture and killing. Those who maintained beliefs closer to early Jewish-Christian understanding were branded heretics and eliminated.

This concludes the persecutory phase, stay tuned for the conquest phase….

Thanks again for reading. May God bless and protect you.

Revelation 18:5-6:
"For her sins have piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes. Give back to her as she has given; pay her back double for what she has done. Pour her a double portion from her own cup."