Re: The Early Christians - The State, Society and Martyrs

We are charged with being irreligious people and, what is more, 
irreligious in respect to the emperors since we refuse to pay religious 
homage to their imperial majesties and to their genius and refuse to 
swear by them.

High treason is a crime of offense against the Roman religion. It is a 
crime of open irreligion, a raising of the hand to injure the 
deity…Christians are considered to be enemies of the State, enemies of 
the public well-being…In dealing with religious veneration of the second 
majesty, we Christians are accused of a second sacrilege because we do 
not celebrate the festivals of the Caesars along with you.

We wage a battle when we are challenged to face the tribunals of law. 
There, in peril of life, we give testimony for the truth. Guards and 
informers bring up accusations against the Christians as ***ual deviants 
and murderers, blasphemers and traitors, enemies of public life, 
desecrators of temples, and criminals against the religion of Rome. Look, 
you do not deal with us in accordance with the formalities of criminal 
cases even though you consider the Christian guilty of every crime and an 
enemy of the gods, emperors, laws, morals; yes, of the whole of nature. 
“You do not,” so they tell us, “wor****p the gods, nor do you make 
sacrifices to the emperors.” Accordingly we are charged with sacrilege 
and high treason.

We are publicly accused of being atheists and criminals who are guilty of 
high treason.

Tertullian, To the Heathen (Nations) 1.17; 
Apology 24, 27, 35, 50, 2,10; Justin, Second Apology 8.

Greg G. wrote:

> When we assert that he who ordered this universe is the one God, then, 
> incomprehensibly, a law is put in force against us.     
> 
> Athenagoras, A Plea Regarding Christians 7, c. A.D. 177.
> 
> 
>