Christianity derived from Judaism. More specifically it derived from Jesus Christ who was Jewish, in the first century A.D. Judaism was a racially exclusive religion whose members did not attempt to make converts among non-Jews. (Shelton) This is one of the reasons that Jews went so long without being persecuted. Even Augustus was considerate toward there religious beliefs, and did not deny any Jew of Roman citizenship. He also would move the monthly grain doles to another day if they happened to fall on a Jewish Sabbath, but this peace did not last for long. The Jews blatant refusal to worship any God but there own began to anger the emperor Tiberius, so he therefore sent out a decree of persecution. (She

lton) Many Jews were forced to burn their religious vestments, and were sent to provinces with harsh climates. Others were forced into life-long slavery. During this time the Christians began to break away from the Jews. The Christians believed in spreading their "sacred mission" to the entire world, and believed in accepting any person who wanted to convert to Christianity. This went directly against Judaic belief therefore they split into two religions. (Starr)

Distrust of Christians was increased by their detachment and reluctance to serve in the imperial service and in the army. During the 2nd or 3rd centuries, Christians found themselves the object of unpleasant attention. In 248 A.D., when Germanic tribes threatened the empire, popular hostility culminated in the persecution under the emperor Decius. (Starr)(Shelton) He declared by edict all citizens were required to offer sacrifice and to obtain from commissioners a certificate witnessing to the act. Many of these certificates have survived. The requirement created an issue of conscience, especially because certificates could be bought by bribes. However even this did not help many Christians escape savage slaughter. Under renewed attack in 257 A.D., the great bishop-theologian Cyprian of Carthage was martyred by Valerian. (Shelton) Valerian, however, became a Persian prisoner of war, and his son Gallienus issued an edict of toleration restoring confiscated churches and cemeteries. The Christians prospered from 261 to 303. (Starr) In February of 303 A.D. the worst of all persecutions erupted under the co

Some common words found in the essay are:
Jews Christians, AD Theodosius, Decius StarrShelton, Lord's Supper, Christianity Nero's, Rome Shelton, Ancient Rome, AD Constantine, Bithynia AD, Distrust Christians, christians accused, century ad, oxford press york, ad shelton, press york, oxford press, york ny, fear fear, christianity defined, edict toleration, press york ny,
Approximate Word count = 1065
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)