Salvation Essay #9 “Roman Persecution of Christians, Psychology. And us!”
By Jeff Swanson, Interim Pastor at New Hope Lutheran Church, El Paso, Texas
Why Romans violently persecuted Christians is offered explanation via human psychology.
During the first century a young woman was converted by St Paul. Her name was Thecla. She was sentenced to death by public burning in a circus arena. A storm put out the fire. Lions and beasts were loosed to finish her. She fought them off. So she was taken to a pit of man-eating seals. Rather than be tossed in…she jumped in!
Thecla was a Christian martyr. “Martyr”, means; one who testifies to what they experience as truth. The Romans worked to kill her. A cheering throng paid big money to behold.
Why? Perhaps the best explanation is from Dr Ernest Becker, who wrote a monumental study which he titled, “The Denial of Death”.
Becker, a Jewish lad, joined the US Army in WW 2. Infantry volunteer. Fought across Europe and liberated Nazi Concentration Camps. Knew a thing or two about killing, dying, human behavior. Became a scholar. Cultural Anthropologist. Wrote nine books. Died young of cancer.
Dr Becker posits that humans have vivid imaginations. But we cannot readily comprehend the nonbeing condition of death. Thus, while we are alive we seek to attach ourselves to religions and causes which perpetuate us beyond mortal lifespans. We tend to establish these religions and causes as necessary for our mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. When someone or something comes along and threatens, denies, or opposes our versions of eternal truth…humans are ready to vehemently resist, silence, and even, in many cases…kill the opposition.
First century Christians, offered salvation notions beyond mortal life via the love of God shown to us in Jesus. They offered salvation notions about social wellbeing now…which were based on the ethics and behaviors as taught by Jesus, not Rome. Thus, they were systematically punished and even killed.
Also, as Aristotle noted, humans tend to be quite relieved, when the person next to us gets hit with the arrow, instead of us. From a psychological perspective, this means that when we experience death … upon someone else … and we are spared … we feel relieved that we did not die … and yet have a higher sense of vulnerability. Conscious or subconscious.
Romans sought notions of control over their sense of vulnerability. Specifically by public entertainment based upon killing humans by gladiators, fire, beasts. Imagine thousands of people seeing violent death … and each one, consciously or sub-consciously thinking; “Thank my temple god…it was not me!” Emperors, guests, ate, drank and gloated. Crowds frothed! Beasts were fed.
Lest we condemn ancient Romans…and ignore ourselves…denial of death continues. Daily, we can see thousands of people being killed on our televisions. Death scenes moved from Roman Coliseums, to our living rooms! We give ourselves illusions of comfort over mortal vulnerability. How? Well, all the scenes depict someone else getting killed…not us. AND…we control the television off-on button! Our conscious and subconscious minds delude us; that we can control death. Conversely, the early Christian martyrs left us a saner and clear message; “God, in Jesus, leads us through life and delivers salvation from … even death.”
More explanation … next essay. Rome delivered many temporal salvation realities; peace, law and order, roads, sewage and water systems. They failed to deliver the moral ethics, and eternal salvation for which the people yearned. Christianity delivered. Women in the lead. Amen