ORGY ROMAN LAWS

Marriage / family, welfare, Roman orgies were prostitution, Judaism allowed, infanticide Marriage was monogamous:
Why Christian free sex would disrupt Roman and Greek society to the level of pursecution:
http://www.patriarchywebsite.com/monogamy/mono-history.htm, History of Monogamy, Romans Were Notoriously Monogamous:

It should be noted that the Romans were notoriously monogamous due to an inherent exclusivity (which we shall discuss later) in monogamy. These are some of the practices and enforcement, even on their own monarchs and nobles. Nero, the Caesar who divorced, banished and murdered his first wife in order to marry the second. He blamed his atrocious act of burning Rome on the Christians. What resulted were countless martyrs.
http://www.wishop.com/philosophy/BibleInfo/persecution_of_christians.htm, Persecution of Christians, Undermining the Family:

The charge could be sustained entirely by reference to the published sayings of the Christians' own god: For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. (Mt 10:35-37) Christians dealt with Pagan families in this cavalier way yet let some modern ruthless sect like the Moonies undermine the cohesion of Christian families and they are bleating that Satan is at work. Much more, even than modern Christians, Romans looked upon the family as the building block of social stability and personal morality and were tremendously upset by these Jewish and pseudo-Jewish missionaries coming into towns and causing trouble.
http://www.crystalinks.com/romefamily.html, Ancient Roman Family, Weddings: Polygomy was outlawed.

The bride and groom could not be closed related. In general, marriage was forbidden between relatives four times removed, and between anyone connected by marriage. Incest was not allowed during the time of the Roman Empire.

http://people.vanderbilt.edu/~james.p.burns/chroma/saints/Persecution.html, Christians and the Roman State, THE GREAT PERSECUTION:

Forty years of relative peace since the toleration of Gallienus were coming to an end.[57] But this imperial mood of moral and religious outrage, combined with a passion for disciplined conformity, was no sudden novelty. A few years previously, for example, in 295, an edict was issued from Damascus[58] on the moral offence of incestuous marriages within degrees of kindred long forbidden by ancient Roman law, marriages roundly declared to be a sacrilegious abomination and a barbarian savagery by which men 'plunged into illicit unions with promiscuous lust no better than cattle and wild beasts without a thought for morality and piety'. I take it, Rome didnt like free sex.
http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/marriage/a/RomanMarriage.htm, Matrimonium - Roman Marriage, Who Had The Right To Marry?:
Bride and groom must have reached puberty. Over time, examination to determine puberty gave way to standardization at age 12 for girls and 14 for boys. Eunuchs, who would never reach puberty, were not permitted to marry. Monogamy was the rule, so an existing marriage precluded connubium as did certain blood and legal relationships.

http://www.polygamy.com/Reviews/Polygamy-Reconsidered.htm, Polygamy Reconsidered: African Plural Marriage and the Christian Churches, 1 - The problem in historical perspective:

the use of a ring, the style of the ceremony and the institution of betrothal were all imported from pre-Christian Roman law and custom. The idea that the purpose of marriage is "in order to bring forth children" is a Roman idea, The basic principles of the Canon Law of the church concerning the obligations and nature of the marriage contract were (surprise, surprise) the same as the Roman law. As the author says, "Christianity did not introduce monogamy into the Greco-Roman world." Instead, it is shown that while the Romans were being monogamist and abusing the Bible, those people with the original texts, the Jews, were still practicing polygamy. This can be seen from the writings of Josephus in the first century AD, of Justin Martyr in the second, and in a Roman law (not another one!) passed in 212 AD to 'tolerate' Jewish polygamy.
http://bama.ua.edu/~morin002/, Roman Family Law and Traditions:

The Roman Family The family came first for the Romans, before all other obligations; such
as, civil, politic, and military obligations. The family was the vehicle for transmission of moral character. The institution of the Roman family was strengthened by a healthiness, a solidarity, and a spirit of uprightness and self-restraint superior to that of perhaps all other ancient peoples. Purposes and Benefits of Marriage: Through marriage, the woman could also gain her husband's social status. Roman marriage was monogamous, there was only one woman in the household; her role was wife to the paterfamilias and mother to his children. Caesar Augustus(ruled 27 B.C. to 14 A.D.) encouraged marriage and having children. He assessed heavier taxes on unmarried men and women and, by contrast, offered rewards for marriage and child bearing. Laws on Adultery:

(Hey James Dobson would love those pagans.)

Augustus(ruled 27 B.C. to 14 A.D.), hoping to elevate the morals, increase the numbers of the upper classes in Rome and the population of native Italians in Italy enacted new laws. Those laws encouraged marriage, procreation, and established adultery as a crime. The laws against adultery made the offense a crime punishable by exile and confiscation of property. Fathers were permitted to kill daughters and their partners in adultery. Husbands could kill the partners under certain circumstances and were required to divorce adulterous wives. Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome, Adkins, 1994, p. 339, The Family | Marriage:

Late Antiquity: A Guide to the Postclassical World, Harvard University Press, 1999, p. 430, Eroticism:

Human Sexuality, Luria / Friedman / Rose, 1987, p. 9, The Greek and Romans:

I dont see anything there about free sex.

The Oxford Classical Dictionary, 1949, p. 539, Marriage, Law of:

Fundamentals of Human Sexuality, Katchadourian, 1989, p. 572, Greece and Rome | Eros in Greece:

The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, Brown, Zondervan Publishing, 1976, vol. 2, p. 575, Marriage, Adultery, Bride, Bridegroom | :

http://64.1911encyclopedia.org/R/RO/ROMAN_LAW.htm, Roman Law, I. THE REGAL PERIOD | iii. Institutions of the Private Law:

The Romans were always strictly monogamous.

http://www.exmormon.org/mormon/mormon001.htm, Mormon prophets warn of Evils of Monogomy: Rome...was a monogamic nation "Since the founding of the Roman

empire monogamy has prevailed more extensively than in times previous to that. The founders of that ancient empire were robbers and women stealers, and made laws favoring monogamy in consequence of the scarcity of women among them, and hence this monogamic system which now prevails throughout Christendom, and which had been so fruitful a source of prostitution and whoredom "Monogamy, or restrictions by law to one wife, is no part of the economy of heaven among men. Such a system was commenced by the founders of the Roman empire....Rome became the mistress of the world, and introduced this order of monogamy wherever her sway was acknowledged.
http://archives.econ.utah.edu/archives/mfem/2000m09/msg00220.htm (University of Utah), Prostitution, Sexuality, and the Law in Ancient Rome:

Laws such as the Augustan prescriptions on marriage and adultery allocated prostitutes a conspicuously lowly place in society. Prostitutes were treated as

despicable yet necessary, if legitimate marriage was to be protected. At the same time, prostitution was legitimized by the taxation system (at least after Caligula).
http://modernpolygamy.org/History_of_Marriage/047.html, The History and Philosophy of Marriage: Chapter 5: Origin of Monogamy:
MONOGAMY IS THE DISSOLUTE DAUGHTER OF PAGANISM AND ROMANISM. I have demonstrated that monogamy is not commanded in the Bible, and that it is not the doctrine of Christianity. I shall now account for its origin, by proving that it is the joint offspring of paganism and Romanism. The social system of European monogamy is proved to be derived from the ancient Greeks and Romans (especially from the latter), by the early histories of the nations of Europe, and by an uninterrupted descent of traditional customs from them to our own times. It is one of those pagan abominations which we have inherited, which the Roman Church has sanctioned and confirmed, and from which we find it so difficult to emancipate ourselves.

The Greek world had a history of more open sexual behavior and lots of homosexuality; hence likely why Christianity flourished in the Greek areas during Roman rule. The New Testament was written entirely in Greek, and basically stayed that way until about 400 AD, when Christianity was finally accepted in the Latin word.
Sexualia: From Prehistory to Cyberspace, Bishop / Osthelder, 2001, pp. 200-201, The Classical World | Greek Marriage and the State:

Sounds like its still all for the mans pleasures.

Sexualia: From Prehistory to Cyberspace, Bishop / Osthelder, 2001, pp. 218-221, Roman Marriage:

Rome didnt like free sex women (even the husband was mandated to divorce her), but allowed prostitution. Can you understand the difference between the two?
P. 221, Roman Marriage | Birth Control:

P. 232, The Classical World | Roman Emperors:

http://catholicculture.net/docs/doc_view.cfm?recnum=3415, Marriage and Indissolubility: a Historical Note, Roman Law Influenced Western Law:

As a durable society, Roman marriage was essentially monogamous. On the other hand, the Oriental codes of the day knew and practiced polygamy. Rome made no such allowances in its legal doctrine. Monogamy was absolute. In fact, for Roman law, monogamy appeared so natural that the jurists did not bother to formulate the doctrine. Roman repression of adultery and bigamy was but a translation of this moral reprobation. In Classical Roman law as well as in the law of the later Empire, it was necessary that such consent be externalized in some ceremony or act in order that the marriage be publicly known and recognized in order to distinguish it from contubernium (a sexual encounter)and concubinage (informal living arrangement among those incapable of marriage, e.g., slaves). Contuberni -um -a is in the Latin Vulgate twice, Wisdom of Solomon (apocrypha) 8:3 & Mark 6:39, and both are of positive suggestion. Contuberni -um -a is translated as a tent mate, companionship in a tent, slaves mate, cohabitation, etc.

See, http://lysy2.archives.nd.edu/cgibin/words.exe?generositatem+glorificat+contubernium+habens+Dei+sed+et+omnium +Dominus+dilexit+illam (generositatem glorificat contubernium habens Dei sed et omnium Dominus dilexit illam=[verbatim] generosity, glorify, companionship in a tent / cohabitation, have, God, but in fact/truth, and even, every one / all persons, the Lord, love / approve, those) for Wisdom of Solomon 8:3, and http://lysy2.archives.nd.edu/cgibin/words.exe?et+praecepit+illis+ut+accumbere+facerent+omnes+secundum+contube rnia+super+viride+faenum (et praecepit illis ut accumbere facerent omnes secundum contubernia super viride faenum =[verbatim] and, order / teach, those, to, lie on bed, do / make, every one / all persons, according to, companionship in a tent / cohabitation, over, fresh, hay) for Mark 6:39, which is Jesus talking, commanding the multitudes to lie down and companionship in a tent a top the hay (in the correct translation). Sounds like an orgy to me. This Latin was the language / interpretation of the then Roman tongue. For the above Latin Vulgate text, see http://speedbible.com/vulgate/B80C008.htm for Wisdom of Solomon 8:3, and http://speedbible.com/vulgate/B41C006.htm for Mark 6:39. Then copy-paste the verse intohttp://lysy2.archives.nd.edu/cgi-bin/words.exe.
http://www.ultralingua.net/index.html?action=define&sub=1&searchtype=stemmed&text=contubernium&s ervice=latin2english, Ultralingua web: The Language Site, Latin-English: contubernium: The common dwelling of a male and female slave intimacy; concubinage http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgibin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0059%3Aentry%3D%2310920, Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary, contbernum:

Words With Similar Definitions Latin 1: contubernalis 2: Epigoni 2: xustrolkuthos 3: Andriscus 3: pandmos 4: Eros 5: antepilanus Greek 1: stlengidolkuthos 4: autandros 5: laos

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/cjc-marriage.html (Fordham University), Medieval Sourcebook: Corpus Iuris Civilis: The Digest and Codex: Marriage Laws:

The texts here address the issue of marriage, and date back particularly to the time of Augustus [r. 27BCE-14CE] who was very concerned about family matters
DIGEST | Book XXIII. Title II. On the Marriage Ceremony | 34. Papinianus, Opinions, Book IV.:

(2) Marriage can be contracted between stepchildren, even though the have a common brother, the issue of the new marriage of their parents. (Shows that incest was illegal.)
43. Ulpianus, On the Lex Julia et Papia, Book I:

3) Octavenus [a minor Roman jurist], however, says very properly that where a woman publicly prostitutes herself without doing so for money, she should be classed as a harlot. (Free sex criticized.)
Book XXVI. Title VII. Concerning Concubines | 1. Ulpianus, On the Lex Julia et Papia, Book II:

(3) If a woman has lived in concubinage with her patron, and then maintains the same relation with his son or grandson, I do not think that she is acting properly, because a connection of this kind closely approaches one that is infamous, and therefore such scandalous conduct should be prohibited.
3. Marcianus, Institutes, Book XII:

(1) Adultery is not committed by a party who lives with a concubine because concubinage obtains its name from the law, and does not involve a legal penalty; as Marcellus states in the Seventh Book of the Digest. (It just sounds like Old Testament law, but its Roman law.)
Book XLVIII. Title V. Concerning the Julian Law for the Punishment of Adultery | 20. Papinianus, On Adultery, Book I

The right is granted to the father to kill a man who commits adultery with his daughter while she is under his control.
24. Macer, Public Prosecutions, Book I:

A husband is also permitted to kill a man who commits adultery with his wife, (1) It is also provided that a husband who has killed any one of these must dismiss his wife without delay.
CODEX | Book IX. Title IX. On the Lex Julia Relating to Adultery and Fornication | 1. The Emperors Severus and Antoninus to Cassia. [198CE]:

The Lex Julia declares that wives have no right to bring criminal accusations for adultery against their husbands, even though they may desire to complain of the violation of the marriage vow, for while the law grants this privilege to men it does not concede it to women.
9. The Same Emperor to Proculus. [225CE]:

It is proper for the preservation of virtue during My reign that a woman convicted under the Lex Julia concerning chastity should suffer the legal penalty. Moreover, anyone that knowingly marries, or takes back a woman convicted of adultery, who has in some way evaded the penalty prescribed for her crime, shall be punished by the same law as a procurer. (The husband cant even overlook it, if he wants to.)
10. The Same Emperor to Demetrianus. [226CE]:

It is not lawful to condone the crime of adultery, and he who is guilty of collusion is in the same position as one who refuses to reveal the truth.
http://www.crystalinks.com/romefood.html, Ancient Roman Food, During the Imperial Age:

Julius Caesar divorced one of his wives because there were rumors that a man had slipped into the Bona Dea festival at his house. Although it was never proved, it was on that occasion that Caesar said that not only Caesar's wife should be above reproach, she should be seen to be, as well.
The Praeger Encyclopedia of Ancient Greek Civilization , 1967, pp. 281-283:

Encyclopedia of the Ancient Greek World, Sacks, 1995, p. 138, marriage:

Encyclopedia of the Ancient Greek World, Sacks, 1995, p. 198, prostitutes:

See, Sparta has free / promiscuous sex, therefore no prostitutes at all, showing that free / promiscuous sex is what solves the Bibles sin / problem of prostitution; which, logically, God / Jesus must support if they dont want any more prostitution.
Encyclopedic Dictionary of Religion, 1979, vol. ?, p. 3740, WIDOW (IN THE BIBLE):

In appears that marriage was a financial necessity for a woman.

The Roman Welfare System:

Why were the Romans / Pagans so strict about the marriage standard? Likely for the same reason we are today -- the welfare system:
http://www.crystalinks.com/romefood.html, Ancient Roman Food, During the Imperial Age (27 BC to 476 AD):

In the regular food welfare system, people were issued welfare stamps, which were little tokens, called tesserae. How these were issued (remember there was no open

public postal system), and how Romans identified themselves to the authorities in the first place, we (the authors of this article) do not know.
http://www.mackinac.org/article.aspx?ID=3 (Mackinac Center for Public Policy), Are We Going the Way of Rome?, Remarkable Achievements: The legalized plunder of the Roman welfare state was undoubtedly sanctioned by people who wished to do good. When Julius Caesar came to power in 48 bc, he found 320,000 persons on government grain relief. Temporarily slowing the welfare state bandwagon, he ordered the welfare rolls cut to 200,000. Within a half-century, the rolls were back up to well over 300,000. Government Bread; Surely, many Romans opposed the welfare state and held fast to the old virtues of work, thrift, and selfreliance.

It was still the most economically vibrant culture of ancient times. Now, lets have and increase the welfare standard and drop the marriage standard and see how much better life will actually be. Then every one will be working for the gravy, which is what they want to be working for. That will optimize motivation / enthusiasm.
http://www.fsmitha.com/h1/ch15.htm, The Rise of Rome, to 201 BCE, The Results of Victory:

Many small farmers found themselves unable to compete with the larger farms and their more numerous slaves. Moreover, a greater importation of grain from Sicily and North Africa brought a drop in grain prices, and many small farmers gave up, sold their farms to the wealthy and joined the migration to the cities. The wars that began with the minor incident at Messana had brought unintended consequences - as wars often do. Many of Rome's small farmers, who had been the backbone of the Roman Republic, had become city-dwellers living off welfare - free bread and circuses. You see, progress is being able to obtain commodities quicker and easier. When we do that, logically, people overall shouldnt have to work as hard or as long anymore for our basic needs (like food and shelter). In todays (and yesterdays) system, when we progress it just means more and more people are going to be out of work and poor. Then we create a whole lot of waste and fluff to balance it all out again. Say, how about we eliminate all the waste (products built to break, shabby services, etc.) and fluff (light or superficial entertainment) and make sure every one has good and/or better essentials first (and dont make them feel guilty about having it)? Then when we all get lazy from future progress, then we can work on more fluff (but leave out the waste). (I think there is too many words in this paragraph for the vast majority to fully comprehend. How about one word: Goldenrule. The only problem is that todays religious leaders will have to stray from their bought-and-paid-for cop-outs and fully teach it. The Goldenrule would actually mean that the rich and powerful would just have more sympathy for the poor and unlucky. That would work all by itself, with no added intelligence. But, that would take a fear of God, which again, the religious leaders (only) would have to re-implement. Say, how much better would things be if we did both? (Thats essentially Matt. 22:36-40.)

Roman Orgies were just prostitution, not free sex (except during the Saturnalia, because it turned everything around):
The Oxford Companion to Classical Civilization, 1998, p. 577, prostitution, secular:

Fundamentals of Human Sexuality, Katchadourian, 1989, p. 578, Greece and Rome:

Rife: In widespread existence, practice, or use; increasingly prevalent. Abundant or numerous.

http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/bmcr/1999/1999-09-22.html (University of Pennsylvania), Bryn Mawr Classical Review 1999.09.22: Prostitution, Sexuality, and the Law in Ancient Rome:

At the end of his detailed chapter of analysis of the Augustan law on the repression of adultery, McGinn notes that it was the novelty of the Augustan legislation that women were included in the public sphere of formal law in the legislation of certain sexual activities as criminal (p. 90). Insofar as Augustus' program involved an abiding concern with family, marriage and legitimate sexuality, it was always with these purposes uppermost in his mind that he legislated -- purposes that had little or nothing to do with the regulation of prostitutes as such. Indeed, the original Augustan statutes disappeared beneath a mountain of juristic commentary in the next centuries, most of which, it is important to remember, "did not directly concern pimps or prostitutes" (p. 105).9 In fact, the only thing that stands out about prostitutes in this legislation is a pervasive assumption that they were part of a social world with which the government had little direct interest. At times, he has recourse to functional explanations as, for example, in his understanding of why female prostitutes were the main concern of the legislation (p. 124), as if the drafters of the laws were moved by the regulation of the actual prostitutes, The penalties for infringements of these laws were never directed against the prostitutes as such, but rather to the free and propertied persons of some social consequence (p. 75). In the light of McGinn's own detailed analysis of the evidence, however, it might well be argued that the Roman state had nothing reasonably describable as "a policy" towards prostitutes or prostitution. Indeed, the

state and its legal apparatuses seemed not to care very much about the persons or the moral status of the commerce. The other was a simple economic interest: prostitution as a potential source of tribute, of more tax revenues. The Roman government looked down on prostitution, but allowed it because it helped the economy. Free sex would interrupt that kind of revenue a lot.
http://www.sexualrecords.com/WSRtechnique.html (World Sex Records), Technique and Response, Promiscuity | Busiest Lover | Female:

Valeria Messalina (22-48 AD)8,000

The wife of Roman Emperor Claudius, Messalina used her venerable position to compel subordinates to fulfill her sexual desires. At first she confined her activities to tame palace affairs, but her desire to indulge in the wildest of sexual excesses led her to search out new licentious adventures. Once she converted a palace bedroom into a brothel, disrobed, gilded the ______ of her tiny _______, and invited the male public in to be entertained for the legally regulated fee. Another time she challenged a noted prostitute to a contest, insisting she could entertain more men in 24 hours than her rival. Pliny the Elder writes that Messalina won "for within the space of 24 hours she cohabited (see my contubernium / contubernia above) 25 times." The History Channel, 12-29-08, Seven Deadly Sins: Lust (documentary), counter: about 7:14:

The Roman worship of lust perhaps reached its peak with the reign of Emperor Caligula in 37 AD. The young emperor was said to have demanded sex from every attractive woman in Rome, including his own sisters. Its rumored he turned part of his palace into a brothel, where he forced Roman matrons into prostitution for his own amusement.
http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mcaligula.html (The Straight Dope), Was the Roman emperor Caligula as crazy as they say?:

Pimping. Dio and Suetonius claim Caligula turned the Palace into a brothel, but the other sources are silent on the topic. In Dio, as in I, Claudius and the 1979 film, it is the wives of senators he prostitutes. It was not one big happy orgy as depicted in the film and miniseries, even if Dio and Suetonius are to be believed about the brothel. They agree that the encounters happened in private rooms set aside for the purpose. It is suspicious that the four earlier sources don't mention it, so modern historians are skeptical of the charge. The supposed motive for this and many other acts was that he was always on the verge of bankruptcy and needed money. It's true that he was an extravagant spender, but many modern historians doubt the fiscal situation was ever really desperate. There certainly seems to have been no lack of money in the treasury for his successor Claudius to spend early in his reign.
http://users2.ev1.net/~kryan73/emitt/washpost.html, Emitt Rhodes: Lost & Found: Film Reawakens An Old Melody, By Eli Attie, Special to The Washington Post, Sunday, January 27, 2002:
In his rush to record a second LP, Rhodes could barely tour to support the first one, let alone enjoy its success. "I learned a lot about life from the movie 'Caligula,'(Emperor of Rome, 37-41 AD) " he says. "Who are the richest men in Rome? The pimps, of course."

http://www.crystalinks.com/romeculture.html, Ancient Roman Culture, Urban Life:

But in addition to the arenas, temples, and forums, Rome also had theaters, basilicas, gymnasiums, baths, taverns, and brothels.
The Womans Dictionary of Symbols and Sacred Objects, Barbara G. Walker, 1988, p. 232, Angel:

This shows that they didnt have free sex orgies in the pagan world. This shows that sexual repression then was a lot like it is today, and probably even worse. According to todays news, the promise of this kind is what causes todays suicide bombers. Unbelievably, with a fad for diversity in looks, we can actually achieve this kind of paradise right now, right here on earth.
http://users2.ev1.net/~kryan73/emitt/washpost.html, Roman Baths:

The Roman workday began at sunrise, with work being complete around noon, which was the time when the baths were generally visited. Republican bathhouses often had separate bathing facilities for women and men, but by the empire the custom was to open the bathhouses to women during the early part of the day and reserve it for men from 2:00 pm until closing time (usually sundown). As a rule, men and women bathed separately. Mixed bathing is first recorded in the 1st century AD, and was condemned by respectable citizens and prohibited by the emperors Hadrian (ruled 117-138 AD) and Marcus Aurelius (ruled 161-180 AD). Women who were concerned about their respectability did not frequent the baths when the men were there, and the baths were an excellent place for prostitutes to ply their trade.
http://www.liverpoolcollege.org.uk/Classics/roman_baths.htm, The Roman Baths, Baths in Pompeii (buried 79 AD): Each set of baths would have a hot room, which is known as the calidarium, which contained a large hot bath and a steam bath. There is also a warm room (tepidarium) and a cold room (frigidarium). These facilities were duplicated on a smaller scale for women. This is because men and women bathed separately in the baths. http://users.skynet.be/pluto/Texthistory/civ05romans_01.html, History of Soccer: The Romans: The Roman Baths, The History of Spa:

It is interesting to note that, while Romans took care to protect their modesty, the English had no qualms about bathing in the nude with members of the opposite sex.
http://www.crystalinks.com/romebaths.html, Ancient Rome - Baths:

Looks pretty separated to me; like it would be today.

Jews were exempt from pagan worship:

http://www.gospelofjohnthefilm.com/history/timeofjesus.aspx (11-8-04), The Gospel of John (the Movie), Time of Jesus:
During the time Jesus lived, Jerusalem and the surrounding area was under Roman rule, limiting the Jews' autonomy and political rights, but allowing a great measure of religious freedom.

http://www.brims.co.uk/romans/gods.html, Roman Gods, Christianity:

Across their empire, there were many different religions. In the east of the Roman empire, in Palestine the people were Jewish and a man called Jesus lived. The Romans did not like Jesus because he believed in only one God.

The Romans allowed the Jews to worship the one God.

The Catacombs of St. Callixtus; Baruffa; Published by L.E.V., Vatican City; 1993; p. 19; 5. The Real Reason for the Persecutions:

http://www.mont-acad.pvt.k12.al.us/facultypub/buchanan.m/taf/wcreview/wcrs05, The Western Cultural Tradition, Chapter 5, Test Review (9-13-02):

The reasons for Roman persecution of Christians were complex. Ordinarily the Romans didnt care who or what people worshipped, as long as it didnt interfere with public order, but the Christians were different. Giving sex away free would certainly interfere with the public order of prostitution and marriage. Because Christianity was illegal, very little Christian art survives from before the 4th century A.D.
http://www.ecanaan.org/english/sundayschool/sshandouts/Persecutions.htm, Persecutions, II. By the Romans | A. In General:

Further, there were false rumors about Christians spreading from time to time; for example, agape (the love feast) was misconstrued to be a feast of orgies, and communion was misconstrued to be a feast of cannibalism. Thus, being Christian was against Roman law. Judaism was tolerated under Roman law due to its long standing history, but Christianity, being a new religion and one that distinguished itself from Judaism, enjoyed no such protection.
Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome, Adkins, 1994, pp. 280-281, Festivals:

Roman Law -- Killing Children:

http://www.answers.com/infanticide, infanticide: infanticide (nfn'tsd) [Lat.,=child murder], the putting to death of the newborn with the consent of the parent, family, or community. Infanticide often occurs among peoples whose food supply is insecure (e.g., the Chinese and the Eskimo). Female infanticide was common in some traditional patriarchal societies. In certain societies children who are deformed or are believed tainted by evil (e.g., twins) may be slain at birth. In Greece and ancient Rome a child was virtually its father's chattele.g., in Roman law, the Patria Potestas granted the father the right to dispose of his offspring as he saw fit. In Sparta the decision was made by a public official. Child sacrifice occurs in many traditional societies for religious reasons, http://www.wishop.com/philosophy/BibleInfo/persecution_of_christians.htm, Persecution of Christians, Undermining the Family:

Christians also interfered with the right of the head of a Roman household to accept a new baby into the family or to reject it and leave it exposed to the cold to die.
http://bama.ua.edu/~morin002/, Roman Family Law and Traditions:

Children Sons were preferred over daughters. One old law states that fathers had to raise all of
their sons but only their first daughter. Girls did not have their own names, instead, they had the feminine form of their father's first name followed by the rest of the father's name in the genitive case showing possession. Right after a child was born it was laid at its father's feet and if the father took it into his arms, it was his and became part of the family.Otherwise the child would be disowned and left on the street to die or to be taken by slave traders. Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome, Adkins, 1994, p. 339, The Family:

Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome, Adkins, 1994, p. 340, The Family | Children:

Theres a ton of other early Church and pagan documents which arent easily accessible, or that I have found translations of, so there could be much more evidence, which I dont have the time to research.
The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Gibson, 1909, p. 54:

It sounds like Christians may have killed infants for the eucharist as it was allowed by Roman law, but had sympathy for exposed infants. Apparently Romans priority was money, and if killing ones child allowed financial gain, then it was allowed but obviously looked down on very much. Apparently, the artificial salvation cop-out of the eucharist for early Christians would have also been priority over an infants life, as it would be also for todays Christians (many wars and crimes can be attributed to religious cop-outs: What do you thing the Israeli invasion of Palestine was all about?) But, today, direct infanticide is much more taboo when its illegal. When something is both wrong and the law says its wrong, then thats overwhelming reason; but, when the law says its okay, then I guess youd have had to live in that time to understand. Possibly the early Christians misinterpreted Luke 18:17. With human beings, theres always an excuse:
The Womans Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets, Barbara G. Walker, 1983, pp. 90-91, Baptism:

In the 16th 17th centuries, the church even justified the murder of children:

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