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A 4 page essay that summarizes and offer reflection on chapter 6 of Justin Gonzalez's The Story of Christianity, Volume 1: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation. No additional sources are cited.
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4 pages (~225 words per page)
File: KL9_khgonzchp6.doc
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listed below. Citation styles constantly change, and these examples may not contain the most recent updates. Gonzalez, The Early Church, Chapter 6
Research Compiled By - February, 2012 properly! The Correspondence between Pliny and
Trajan This is the first section of chapter 6, "Persecution in the Second Century," and it deals with the actions of Pliny the Younger, governor of Bithynia, towards Christians. This
affords readers of Justo Gonzalezs text insight into how Roman officials, who consider themselves to be just and moral, such as Pliny, could rationalize the execution of Christians.i Pliny first
became concerned about Christians in his city when he found that Christianity was disrupting the local economy because the pagan temples were virtually deserted, which meant that the business of
merchants who sold sacrificial animals was seriously impaired. In response, Pliny brought Christians before him, allowing those who recanted their religion to go free. If they failed to recant, after
three opportunities, they were executed or sent to Rome, if they were Roman citizens.ii Gonzalez points out that, from the Roman point of view, the main reason these Christians were
executed was their obstinacy; however, as Pliny considered himself a just man, he felt obliged to learn if Christians should be "punished for concrete crimes, or should the very name
Christian be considered a crime?"iii It was at this point that he wrote Emperor Trajan for direction. Trajans response was brief, but to the point, saying that it really
was not worth wasting the time of the state to seek out Christians, but, if they were accused and refused to recant they certainly should be punished.iv In discussing this
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