Question

-251 ce
starting in 60 ce, there was a long period in which the persecution of christianity was inconsistent and local. in the middle of the 3rd century, emperor decius decided that christians were a real enemy of the roman order and stability. as such, emperor decius required all christians to not only to offer sacrifice to roman gods, but also to obtain official certificates from witnesses to their offering.
some accounts of christian persecutions say that believers were thrown to wild animals in roman amphitheaters—as depicted in this 19th century painting.

1. how did emperor decius requirement affect christians?
2. why did he try to enforce this requirement?

Explanation:

Question 9

To answer how Emperor Decius' requirement affected Christians, we analyze the text: Emperor Decius required Christians to offer sacrifice to Roman gods and obtain official certificates for this act. Since Christianity's teachings likely forbade worship of Roman gods, this forced Christians into a conflict: either violate their religious beliefs to comply or face consequences for non - compliance (implied by the context of persecution). So the requirement put Christians in a position where they had to choose between their faith and following the emperor's edict, and also had the practical task of getting certificates.

To find why Emperor Decius enforced this requirement, we look at the text: It states that Emperor Decius decided that Christians were "a real enemy of the Roman order and stability". So his motivation was to preserve the Roman order and stability by targeting Christians, and he believed that by forcing them to worship Roman gods (and get certificates), he could either bring them into line with Roman religious and social norms or identify and deal with those who refused (thereby removing what he saw as a threat to the Roman state).

Answer:

Emperor Decius' requirement forced Christians to either violate their religious beliefs by offering sacrifice to Roman gods (and obtaining official certificates for it) or face consequences for non - compliance. It put them in a conflict between their faith and the emperor's edict.

Question 10