The Decian Persecution
by John Allen Fitzgerald Gregg (9780217583176)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER VI. THE PERSECUTION IN EUROPE. THE EDICT AT ROME ? DIEECTED AND EXECUTED AGAINST THE BISHOPS?THE CHUBCH IN ROME?THE DEATH OF FABIANUS ? HIS GRAVE?ELECTION OF HIS SUCCESSOR, CORNELIUS, DELATED?DISCUSSION AS TO ITS DATE?INTREPID BEARING OF THE NEW BISHOP?RECEPTION OF THE EDICT AT ROME? CONFESSORS?DEATH OF MOYSES?BRAVERY OF CELERINUS? OTHER CONFESSORS ? PARTHENIUS AND CALOCERUS ? ABDON AND SENNEN ? METHODS OF EVADING THE EDICT ? PBESBY- TERAL COUNCIL ? ROME A REFUGE FOR SUFFERERS?THE STORM PASSES OVER ? REASON ASSIGNED ? TWO SPANISH BISHOPS RENOUNCE CHRISTIANITY?' ACTA ' OF LITTLE AUTHORITY?MARTYRDOM OF SATURNINUS OF TOULOUSE. The documentary evidence extant is of so indirect a nature that it is impossible to give a very complete account of the course which the persecution took in the capital. In the previous chapter it has been shown that the edict was published before January 20, 250, and in chapter i. that the emperor left Eome in the following March or April. We may concludethat during the first three months of 250 the persecution was carried out under the immediate superintendence of the emperor, while from April 250 till his death in the summer of 251 (during which period we have reason to believe that he did not again visit Eome) the edict was put in force with constantly diminishing energy, until what was practically an amnesty succeeded. In March 251 a new bishop, who held his position, undisturbed by interference from without, during the last few months of the reign of Decius, was appointed to the see of Eome. It is probable that the ordinary members of the Church did not feel the full force of the persecution, which was purposely directed against their officials. It was the emperor's deliberate intention to reduce the Church at large to impotence by str...

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