Greek and Roman authors about the Christians (2nd Century)

Jakob Engberg, Robert B. Hansen, John Mller Larsen

Pliny, ep. X.96 to the Emperor

ra!an."

It is my custom to bring everything about which I am uncertain to your attention Lor . ! "or who is better to gui e my hesitation or instruct my ignorance# I have never taken $art in interrogating %hristians, there&ore I o not know what or to which e'tent one usually $unishes or interrogates. I have also been in not a little oubt as to whether one shoul istinguish between i&&erent ages( age categories or whether the very young shoul be treate )ust like those who have $rogresse &urther in age, whether those who re$ent shoul be &orgiven or whether it is o& no use &or someone, who has ever been a %hristian, that he has cease to be one, whether the name itsel&, i& it is &ree &rom &oul ee s, shoul be $unishe , or whether the crimes connecte to the name shoul be $unishe . *o &ar I have one thus in regar to those who were brought be&ore me accuse o& being %hristians. I have $ersonally aske them whether they were %hristians. +hose who con&esse I aske a secon an thir time while threatening them with $unishment. +hose who $ersevere I ha taken away to be $unishe ., "or I i not oubt that whatever they con&esse , their stubbornness an in&le'ible obstinacy eserve $unishment. +here were others e-ually out o& their min , who because they were roman citi.ens, I note own in or er to sen them to Rome. / *oon, because o& the $rocee ings themselves, accusations s$rea , as is usually the case, an i&&erent inci ents occurre . 0n anonymous booklet o& accusation was $lace be&ore me containing many names. +hose who enie being %hristians or ever having been %hristians, an while I sai the wor s &or them, calle u$on the go s an sacri&ice incense an wine to your image, which I ha let bring &or this very $ur$ose, while also cursing %hrist 1 it is sai that true %hristians cannot be &orce to o any o& this 1 I thought it right to ac-uit. 2thers, who were name in the in ictment, con&esse to being %hristians, shortly therea&ter they enie it. +hey ha been %hristians, but ha sto$$e 3being %hristians4, some three years ago, some several years ago, some even twenty years ago. 0ll these too venerate your image an those o& the 5o s an curse %hrist. +hey a&&irme that the sum o& their guilt, or error, ha been to meet be&ore awn on a certain ay an sing a hymn to %hrist as to a go an to swear an oath, not to commit a crime, but to abstain &rom stealing, robbery, a ultery, not to break a given wor , not to re&use giving back goo s, which one has been entruste . 0&terwar s it ha been custom to se$arate an meet again later in or er to eat a meal, though a normal an innocent one, but even this they ha given u$ accor ing to
6

Latin te't &rom Ru ol& "reu enberger7 8as 9erhalten er r:mischen Beh:r en gegen ie %hristen im !. Jahrhun ert, argestellt am Brie& es ;linius an +ra)an un en Reskri$ten +ra)ans un Ha rians ! ;liny is a ressing the em$eror, +ra)an, an calls him lor . , +echnical language meaning that they have been e'ecute . / Roman citi.ens in the 6st o& early secon century en)oye the $rivilege to have their cases <i& these involve cor$oral or ca$ital $unishment= trie by the em$erors court, a right o& a$$eal to the em$eror.

my e ict, whereby I, &ollowing your or er, ha &orbi en the e'istence o& associations. +here&ore I &oun it even more necessary to interrogate two &emale slaves, who were calle servants, un er torture to &in out what was true, but I i not &in anything other than an evil an boun less su$erstition. +here&ore I have $ost$one the case an hastene to seek your council. +he case seeme &or me to be worth a consultation, es$ecially because o& the number o& $eo$le im$licate > many $eo$le o& every age an every class, even o& both gen ers are accuse , an will be accuse . "or this contagious su$erstition has not only s$rea in the cities but also in the villages an in rural areas, but it seems $ossible to contain an heal it. It is certain that tem$les, which were almost aban one , are once again being visite an sacri&icial acts, which have long been &orsaken, are once again being taken u$, an the &lesh o& sacri&ices, which it was rare to &in a buyer &or until now, is once again being sol . "rom this it is easy to see, what great numbers o& $eo$le it is $ossible to im$rove i& there is room &or re$entance.

ra!an#s ans$er X.9%.&

8ear *ecun us,? you have acte as you shoul in regar to the $rosecution o& the cases against those, who were brought to you accuse o& being %hristians. It is not $ossible to establish a common rule, which has a &irm &orm. +hey shoul not be sought out, but i& they are le &orwar an accuse , they must be $unishe , but only so that one, who enies being a %hristian an makes this mani&est through action, that is by worshi$$ing our go s, shoul be &orgiven by his re$entance, even though i& he is sus$icious in regar to his $ast. @ritten accusations which are han e in anonymously, shoul not be regar e in any case, &or it is a ba e'am$le to set, an it oes not corres$on with our time.

he Emperor 'adrian to (inu)ius *undanus (Pro+in)ial ,o+ernor in -sia).%

+o Minucius "un anus. I receive a letter written to me by your $re ecessor *erennius 5ranianus, a man o& senatorial rank. I &in it right not to leave the matter without in-uiry, in or er that $eo$le shoul not be con&use an the in&ormers shoul not be encourage to mis ee s. I& the $rovincials can su$$ort their case against the %hristians with goo reasons, so that they will a$$ear be&ore court, let them o this, an let not o$inions an mere screaming be enough. "or it is much more a$$ro$riate, i& someone wants to bring a charge to bear, that you e'amine the case. I& someone brings a charge to bear an shows that they are acting against the law, you shoul )u ge accor ing to the law, but i&, by Hercules, someone brings an accusation &orwar )ust to be an in&ormer, hol him res$onsible an make sure to $unish him.

A ?

"ollowing "reu enbergerBs Latin te't. 2ne o& ;linyBs names C "rom Loeb e ition o& Historia Ecclesiastica.

a)itus, Annales X.,//,20& (historian $ritin, about e+ents in 6/ -1, $hen the )ity o2 Rome $as sub!e)ted to a ma!or disaster in the 2orm o2 a 2ire)
But neither the work o& humans, nor the generosity o& the regents, nor the $lacating o& the go s coul make the evil rumor that the &ire ha been or ere go away. +here&ore to issi$ate the rumor, Dero substitute as cul$rits an $enali.ing them with the most e'ce$tional $unishments, those $eo$le whom the crow call %hristians, who are hate because o& their wicke ness <shame&ulness=. +he name can be trace back to %hrist, who, uring the reign o& +iberius, su&&ere the eath $enalty at the han s o& the $rocurator ;ontius ;ilate. +hereby this estructive su$erstition was su$$resse &or a moment <short while= only to eru$t, not only in Ju ea, the birth$lace o& this evil, but in the ca$ital itsel&, where all es$icable an shame&ul things &rom every $lace gather together an are celebrate . "irst, those who con&esse 3to being %hristians4, were sei.e , then &ollowing their in ications a vast number o& $eo$le, they were not so much &oun guilty o& arson, as o& a hatre &or the human race. Mockery was a e to con emnation, they were covere with animal skins an ri$$e a$art by ogs, or naile to crosses, in or er to serve as lights in the night, when ay was gone. Dero ha o&&ere <o$ene = u$ his gar ens &or this s$ectacle an celebrate games in the circus, where he mi'e with the common $eo$le resse as a charioteer or stan ing on a wagon. "or that reason $ity arose with these $eo$le, who, while guilty an eserving the harshest $unishments, since it was thought that they i not ie &or the $ublic goo but on account o& the cruelty o& a single $erson,

3uetonius, Nero
+he %hristians, a kin o& $eo$le in&ecte with a new an mischievous su$erstition, were severely $unishe .

Cornelius *ronto (roman ma,istrate and tutor 2or the later emperor (ar)us -urelius, $hen he $as a )hild), Speech against the Christians (4uoted in (ini)ius *eli5, Octavius 6X,6).7
2n a s$ecial ay they 3the %hristians4 gather &or a ban-uet together with all their chil ren, sisters, $eo$le o& all se'es an ages. +here, &lushe a&ter much &easting, they begin to burn with incestuous lusts because o& runkenness. +hey $rovoke a og, which is tie to a lam$stan to lea$ &orwar an $ull on the chain, with which it is tie , by throwing scra$s outsi e the reach o& its chain. @hen the lam$stan is overturne an e'tinguishe an shameless arkness has come into e'istence, with uns$eakable lust they co$ulate in ran om unions. +hough they o not all commit incest at such an event, they are all guilty, since what is one in ivi ually is the common wish an esire o& all.

LFbkerts te't7 M. Minucii "elicis 2ctavius sive 8ialogus %hristiani et ethnici is$utatium <6E,?=.

(ar)us -urelius (Roman emperor "6"0"78), Meditations 666,"6.9

+hose who o not believe in go s, who &ail their &atherlan , an who o all kin s o& <wicke = things behin close oors.

X6,9
@hat a soul is, the $re$are one <soul=, when it is rea y to be release &rom the bo y, either to be e'tinguishe or issi$ate or remain together, but the rea iness must come &rom its own )u gment, not &rom $ure o$$osition as is the case with the %hristians, but accor ing to sensible eliberation an seriousness( ignity.

Epi)tetus (philosopher, late "st Century) 6.,%

I& ma ness shoul incline anyone to these things, an the 5alileans &rom mere habit, shoul not reason an emonstration be able to learn that go ma e everything in the worl .

:u)ian ($ritin, about a )harlatan Proteus Pere,rinus), 1e morte Pere,rini ""0"6."8

0t that time he learne the strange(won rous wis om(lore o& the %hristians, since he associate with their $riests an learne men in ;alestine. 0n what else> in a short time he ma e them a$$ear as chil ren in com$arison with him, he became their $ro$het an lea er o& their religious gatherings, lea er o& the synagogue <(o& their synagogue=, all by himsel&. *ome o& their books he inter$rete an e'$laine , an many others he himsel& wrote. 0n they honore him like a go an ma e him make laws an ma e him G%ultlea er,H a&ter he whom they still honor, namely he who was cruci&ie in ;alestine, because he intro uce these new mysteries to the worl . +hen ;roteus was also a$$rehen e because o& this matter, an thrown into )ail, which gave him no little re$utation in itsel&, <which $rove an asset= &or his &uture li&e an the charlatanism an houn ing &or a career, which he like . @hen he ha been thrown into $rison, the %hristians took this near to heart, they i everything in or er get him &ree . @hen this $rove im$ossible, all other &orms o& attention were shown to him. 0n &rom early morning one coul see ol women(wi ows an or$hans wait at the )ail, an their o&&icials sle$t insi e together with him,

LoebJs te't +e't &rom Loeb an ;eter 5uyot et al tek<Das frhe Christentum bis zum ende der Verfolgung; Eine Dokumentation , 6IIC=.
6K

a&ter having bribe the guar s. +herea&ter rich meals were brought in an their holy writings were rea alou . 0n e'cellent ;eregrinus, &or so he was calle , was calle the Gnew *ocratesH by them. Even &rom certain cities in the $rovince o& 0sia i $eo$le come. +hey were sent by the %hristians in the name o& their community in or er to hel$ the man, e&en him be&ore court an encourage him. +hey show an incre ible s$ee , when something that a&&ects their entire community ha$$ens, they s$are no e&&ort. Much money was sent to ;eregrinus on account o& his im$risonment, an his income &rom this was in no way small. +he wretches are convince that they will become com$letely immortal an that they shall live &or evermore, there&ore they es$ise eath an &or the most $art give themselves over <to the authorities= voluntarily. "urthermore their &irst lawgiver has convince them that they are all brethren, when they have converte once an enie the 5reek go s, an instea worshi$ this cruci&ie so$hist an live accor ing to his comman ments. +hey also es$ise all $ossession, an consi er it to be common $ro$erty, a&ter having a o$te such o$inions without $recise evi ence. @hen a charlatan an trickster who un erstan s to e'$loit the situation comes to be among them, he -uickly becomes rich by e'$loiting the situation, by making a mockery o& sim$le $eo$le. "or the secon time he took o& on his aimless wan erings, he ha am$le &un s in the %hristians. +hey &orme a bo yguar so he live in great $ros$erity. "or a time he live thus, but then he also transgresse against them <I believe he ate one o& the &oo s which is &orbi en to them=, an they no longer wante to have anything to o with him.

:u)ian ($ritin, about another )harlatan, -le5ander), Alexander 2&.""

+hen, in or er to scare his a versaries, he let it be known that ;ontos was &ille with atheists an %hristians, who ha the au acity to blas$heme gravely against him, an he comman e that they shoul be stone , with one wante the blessings o& the go

:u)ian, Alexander 97.

I& any atheist or %hristian or e$icurean6! has come to s$y u$on the rites, let him &lee away, but those who are in the go let them celebrate the mysteries in or er to receive goo ness, 0t the beginning o& the celebration, there was an e'$ulsion in which he took $art, saying7 G0way %hristians.H 0n the multitu e answere saying7 G0way e$icureans.H

66 6!

Loebs tekst +he e$icureans were the &ollowers o& a $hiloso$hical school which was re$ute to be ungo ly.

Galen (philosopher and do)tor), 1e Pulsum 2,/.

Lso that one shoul not straight &rom the beginning, as i& having come into the school o& Moses or %hrist, hear o& un emonstrable laws.

Galen, 1e Pulsum 9,9.

It is easier &or a $erson to teach new things to the &ollowers o& Moses or %hrist than to the octors or $hiloso$hers, who are &irmly attache to their schools.

Galen (the 2ollo$in, passa,es are 2rom $orks lost in their Greek ori,inal, but preser+ed in -rabi) translation), re2eren)e & "9
I& I ha inten e such $eo$le who teach their $u$ils like the &ollowers o& Moses an %hrist o 1 &or they comman them to acce$t everything &aith&ully 1, I woul not have $resente you with a e&inition.

Galen, re2eren)e 6
Most $eo$le are unable to un erstan the $rogression in emonstrative arguments an hence they come to nee allegories &rom which they may bene&it. <By HallegoriesH he means stories o& rewar an $unishment in the herea&ter.= In this manner we now see that the $eo$le who are calle %hristians raw their &aith &rom allegories an miracles,6/ but at times the ee s o& the real6A $hiloso$hers take $lace among them. +hat is to say, their &earlessness o& eath an what they will meet a&ter it6? is something we may all6C see every ay an likewise also their abstinence &rom se'ual intercourse. "or among them there are $eo$le, not only men but also women, who have re&raine &rom se'ual intercourse all the ays o& their li&e. 0n among them there are $eo$le whose sel&Mcontrol in their mo eration6E with &oo an rink6I an whose strong esire &or )ustice have reache such a egree that they o not &all short o& the real $hiloso$hers.

The translation of references 5 and 6 is based on R. Waltzers Arabic version (1949). The main so rce for the te!t is the historian Ab" l#$id%& (d. 1''1)( b t Waltzer also indicates variant readin)s from other so rces. 6/ Ab" l#$id%& omits *and miracles*. 6A +nl, Ab" l#$id%& incl des *real*. 6? Ab" l#$id%& omits *and -hat the, -ill meet after it*. Waltzer /refers this omission. 6C +nl, Ab" l#$id%& incl des *all*. 6E The Arabic -ord )iven as *moderation* is act all, tadbr( -hich /ro/erl, means *considerin)*( */lannin)*( *mana)in)*. 6I Ab" l#$id%& omits *in matters of food and drin0* (Waltzer does not )ive this variant in the Arabic te!t( b t see /. 65( note 1).
6,