Finished Reading: Chapters 15-16, “Progress of the Christian Religion” of Gibbon’s History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Edward Gibbon published his multi volume work, “The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire” in 1776. This particular reading focused on Volume 1, Chapters 15-16, “Progress of the Christian Religion”, From 258-313 AD.

While Gibbon cannot argue with the Divine source of the Christian faith in the context of historical Judaism, he is more interested in exploring “the secondary causes of the rapid growth of the Christian church” that impacted Rome and the world at large. The secondary causes are divided into five: 1) inherited zeal; 2) the future life; 3) miracles; 4) morals; 5) unity that gradually formed into an independent state in the heart of the Roman Empire. 

Gibbon reports on the miraculous powers of the early church, but concludes by virtue of his status as historian that he has no opinion on the subject opinion. This non-opinion is underscored by his curious claim that miracles ceased when man embraced reason, that it “is not sufficiently prepared to sustain the visible action of the Deity.”

Gibbon provides insight as to why Christians and their message was ill-received by what seemed to be a tolerant and permissive pagan culture. Religions like Judaism were part of national identity and Christianity was a sect, radicals who separated themselves from society. The pagans “were astonished that the Christians should abandon the temples of those ancient heroes . . . in order to choose for the exclusive object of their religious worship and obscure teacher who . . . had fallen a sacrifice either to the malice of his own countrymen, or to the jealousy of the Roman government.” Anyone with questionable, even criminal backgrounds, were accepted and this made no sense to the pagans who viewed their amassing as threatening, sinister. Gossip concerning bloody human sacrifice did not make them any more endearing. 

Some notable actions regarding Roman persecution of Christians. Emperor Trajan invoked two rules: while magistrates were directed to punish the legally convicted, they were prohibited from asking if they were Christians; and, magistrates were forbidden to take action based on anonymous information and gossip. Anyone imputed to be Christian must be accompanied by evidence. False accusers received capital punishment. 

One could escape persecution by voluntarily moving to another district; give a public defense denying accusations of being a Christian; purchase a certificate of good standing issued by provincial governors; renounce the faith. The range of persecution included involuntary relocation or loss of property by fire, to extreme punishment and execution.