Emperor Decius comes to rule the Roman Empire amidst a time of great trial and wants to bring Romans into a greater unity by demanding that everyone, including the Christians, offer sacrifice to the gods. For the first time, the Church will find itself facing an organized empire wide persecution. With its leadership arrested and executed, how will the Church endure?

Links:

Image of a libellus/certificate attesting that one had offered sacrifice to the gods.

Here you can find a map of the Christian population at the time of the Decian Persecutions – Note key cities Rome, Carthage, Antioch, Alexandria and Jerusalem

How an apocalyptic plague helped Christianity

Rodney Stark – Reconstructing the Rise of Christianity: The Role of Women

Other sources:
Rives, J. B.. 1999. “The Decree of Decius and the Religion of Empire”. The Journal of Roman Studies 89. Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies: 135–54.

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To listen, just click on the link below:
#312 – A History of the Catholic Church – For The Safety Of The Empire