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The Great Persecution . Persecution under Decius. The Great Persecution. How to read historical accounts. Emperor Decius (249-251). Started the first empire-wide persecution of Christians -- Decius ordered everybody to sacrifice to Jupiter and to obtain a certificate
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The Great Persecution Persecution under Decius. The Great Persecution. How to read historical accounts.
Emperor Decius (249-251) Started the first empire-wide persecution of Christians -- Decius ordered everybody to sacrifice to Jupiter and to obtain a certificate --Decius went after Christian leaders --problem of the lapsed
Emperor Diocletian (284-305) • Instigated the second Empire-wide persecution of Christians (303-311) • Went after church leaders and property • Installed tetrarchy
Diocletian’s tetrarchy André Thevet The Tetrarchs. Corner of San Marco, Venice.
How to Read Historical Accounts • All histories are written from a particular point of view • All historical accounts are selective • History is not a mere time-line or chronicle • Historians at times distort facts