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The Decian persecution of Christians occurred in 250 AD under the Roman Emperor Decius. He had issued an edict ordering everyone in the Empire to perform a sacrifice to the Roman gods and the well-being of the emperor.
Jan 14, 2021 · 14 January 2021. Golden cross on the mosaic. The persecution of Christians in ancient Rome – contrary to what is commonly believed – was not of a mass nature. In the 2nd and early 3rd century CE, no document was issued explicitly pointing to the deliberate persecution of Christ’s followers.
Decius was a Roman emperor (249–251) who fought the Gothic invasion of Moesia and instituted the first organized persecution of Christians throughout the empire. Although Decius’s origins are not known, it is certain that he was a senator and a consul before acceding to the throne.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
In A.D. 249 the emperor Trajan Decius issued an edict requiring the inhabitants of the Roman Empire to sacrifice to the gods. With this decree, he also inaugurated the first empire-wide persecution of Christians.
- J. B. Rives
- 1999
Among the many executions of Christians to have taken place under Decius, Pope Fabianus was no doubt the most famous. In AD 250 news reached the capital of a large-scale crossing of the Danube by the Goths under the leadership of their able king Kniva. At the same time, the Carpi were once again attacking Dacia. The Goths divided their forces.
THE DECREE OF DECIUS AND THE RELIGION OF EMPIRE*. By J. B. RIVES. In A.D. 249 the emperor Trajan Decius issued an edict requiring the inhabitants of the Roman Empire to sacrifice to the gods. With this decree, he also inaugurated the. first empire-wide persecution of Christians.
In AD 250, the emperor Decius issued a decree requiring public sacrifice, a formality equivalent to a testimonial of allegiance to the emperor and the established order. There is no evidence that the decree was intended to target Christians but was intended as a form of loyalty oath.
