20:
158:
102:
In the first two centuries of the
Christian era, it was local Roman officials who were largely responsible for persecutions. In the second century, the Caesars were largely content to treat Christianity as a local problem, and leave it to their subordinates to deal with. Until the reign of emperor
115:
By 177, a number of the
Christians in the area of Vienne and Lyon were Greeks from Asia. Before the actual outbreak of violence, Christians were forbidden from the marketplace, the forum, the baths, or to appear in any public places. If they did appear in public they were subject to being mocked,
146:
When the governor arrived at
Lugdunum, he interrogated them in front of the populace again, mistreating them to such a degree that Vettius Epagathus, a Christian and man of high social standing, requested permission to testify on behalf of the accused. This request was refused and instead the
178:
was subjected to extreme torture. She was initially exposed, hung on a stake, to be the food of the beasts let loose upon her. As none of the beasts at that time touched her; she was brought back again to the prison, before being cast in a net and thrown before a bull.
150:
These
Christians endured torture while the authorities continued to apprehend others. Two of their pagan servants were seized and, fearing torture, falsely charged the Christians with incest and cannibalism (Hist. Eccl., 5.1.12-13).
123:
How long all of this lasted is not indicated, but eventually the authorities seized the
Christians and questioned them in the forum in front of the populace. They were then imprisoned until the arrival of the governor.
107:(249-251) persecution was local and sporadic. For Roman governors being a Christian was in itself a subversive act, because it entailed a refusal to sacrifice to the gods of Rome, including the deified emperor.
170:
There were 48 victims at
Lugdunum, half of them were of Greek origin, half Gallo-Roman. The elderly Bishop Pothinus, first Bishop of Lugdunum, was beaten and scourged, and died shortly after in prison.
154:
What followed was the torture of the captive
Christians by various means. In the end, all were killed, some of whom had recanted but later returned to the faith (Hist. Eccl., 5.1.45-46).
135:. It is in the form of a letter sent by the Christians of Lyon and Vienne to the churches of Asia Minor. According to Eusebius (Hist. Eccl.,5.4), while yet a presbyter or elder,
456:
339:(n.d.). "The Letter of the Churchs of Vienna and Lyons to the Churches of Asia and Phrygia including the story of the Blessed Blandina".
95:
was born in
Lugdunum. The first known Christian community established in Lugdunum some time in the 2nd century was led by a bishop named
120:, 5.1.5,7). The martyrs of Lyon were accused of "Thyestean banquets and Oedipean intercourse," a reference to cannibalism and incest.
451:
476:
461:
23:
317:
Butler, Alban (1866). "Saint
Pothinus, Bishop, Sanctus, Attalus, Blandina, &c., Martyrs of Lyons".
63:
422:
183:
352:
131:. It is untitled in the only version which survives, which is that copied by Eusebius into his
385:
340:
375:
358:
26:, in Lyon. The pole in the arena is a memorial to the people killed during this persecution.
139:
was sent with a letter, from certain members of the Church of Lyon awaiting martyrdom, to
87:
river in 43 BC by Lucius
Munatius Plancus, it served as the capital of the Roman province
8:
466:
19:
147:
governor arrested Vettius Epagathus when he confessed to being a Christian (5.1.9-10).
88:
186:, Maturus, Saint Ponticus, a fifteen-year-old boy, and Sanctus, a deacon from Vienne.
404:
Weidmann, Frederick W. (2000). "The Martyrs of Lyons". In Richard Valantasis (ed.).
409:
195:
140:
68:
47:
369:
96:
413:
445:
471:
351:
318:
116:
beaten, and robbed by the mob. The homes of Christians were vandalized. (
247:
245:
243:
39:
67:, book 5, chapter 1, which was written 150 years later in Palestine.
240:
127:
The source for these events is the text conventionally known as the
336:
175:
136:
92:
58:
35:
157:
104:
84:
83:
Lugdunum was an important Roman city in Gaul. Founded on the
368:
43:
34:
in AD 177 was an outbreak of persecution of Christians in
57:
161–180), recorded in a contemporary letter preserved in
228:
257:
71:
also describes the persecution in the 6th century in
293:
218:
216:
16:
Persecution of Christians in Lugdunum, Gaul (c.177)
379:. Vol. 9. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
362:. Vol. 9. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
269:
213:
443:
408:. Princeton University Press. pp. 398–412.
281:
350:Goyau, Pierre-Louis-Théophile-Georges (1910).
110:
386:"Why were the Early Christians Persecuted?"
427:Touchstone: A Journal of Mere Christianity
420:
299:
182:Also martyred at this time were Attalus,
403:
335:
263:
251:
156:
18:
406:Religions of Late Antiquity in Practice
444:
383:
366:
316:
275:
234:
222:
349:
287:
13:
457:Anti-Christian sentiment in France
14:
488:
373:. In Herbermann, Charles (ed.).
356:. In Herbermann, Charles (ed.).
452:Persecution of early Christians
52:
46:, France), during the reign of
24:Amphitheatre of the Three Gauls
421:Whitehead, Kenneth D. (n.d.).
1:
367:Kirsch, Johann Peter (1910).
201:
78:
353:"Archdiocese of Lyons"
206:
7:
189:
10:
493:
423:"Witnesses of the Passion"
309:
111:Account of the persecution
477:2nd century in Roman Gaul
414:10.1515/9780691188164-038
331:– via bartleby.com.
165:
462:2nd-century Christianity
384:Walton, Stephen (2005).
320:The Lives of the Saints
184:Epipodius and Alexander
162:
64:Ecclesiastical History
27:
376:Catholic Encyclopedia
359:Catholic Encyclopedia
342:History of the Church
160:
22:
323:. Vol. VI: June
254:, Book 5, Chapter 1.
32:persecution in Lyon
163:
143:, bishop of Rome.
89:Gallia Lugdunensis
73:De Gloria martyrum
28:
99:from Asia Minor.
484:
437:
435:
433:
417:
400:
398:
396:
380:
372:
363:
355:
346:
332:
330:
328:
303:
297:
291:
285:
279:
273:
267:
261:
255:
249:
238:
232:
226:
220:
196:Feast of Wonders
69:Gregory of Tours
56:
54:
492:
491:
487:
486:
485:
483:
482:
481:
442:
441:
440:
431:
429:
394:
392:
326:
324:
312:
307:
306:
298:
294:
286:
282:
274:
270:
262:
258:
250:
241:
233:
229:
221:
214:
209:
204:
192:
168:
129:Martyrs of Lyon
113:
81:
51:
48:Marcus Aurelius
17:
12:
11:
5:
490:
480:
479:
474:
469:
464:
459:
454:
439:
438:
418:
401:
390:The Theologian
381:
364:
347:
333:
313:
311:
308:
305:
304:
292:
280:
268:
266:, p. 398.
256:
239:
227:
211:
210:
208:
205:
203:
200:
199:
198:
191:
188:
167:
164:
112:
109:
91:. The emperor
80:
77:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
489:
478:
475:
473:
470:
468:
465:
463:
460:
458:
455:
453:
450:
449:
447:
428:
424:
419:
415:
411:
407:
402:
391:
387:
382:
378:
377:
371:
370:"Lapsi"
365:
361:
360:
354:
348:
344:
343:
338:
334:
322:
321:
315:
314:
301:
300:Whitehead n.d
296:
289:
284:
277:
272:
265:
264:Weidmann 2000
260:
253:
252:Eusebius n.d.
248:
246:
244:
236:
231:
224:
219:
217:
212:
197:
194:
193:
187:
185:
180:
177:
172:
159:
155:
152:
148:
144:
142:
138:
134:
130:
125:
121:
119:
108:
106:
100:
98:
94:
90:
86:
76:
74:
70:
66:
65:
60:
49:
45:
42:(present-day
41:
37:
33:
25:
21:
430:. Retrieved
426:
405:
393:. Retrieved
389:
374:
357:
341:
325:. Retrieved
319:
295:
283:
271:
259:
230:
181:
173:
169:
153:
149:
145:
132:
128:
126:
122:
117:
114:
101:
82:
72:
62:
31:
29:
276:Kirsch 1910
235:Butler 1866
223:Walton 2005
118:Hist. Eccl.
467:Roman Lyon
446:Categories
288:Goyau 1910
202:References
141:Eleutherus
79:Background
40:Roman Gaul
237:, 2 June.
207:Citations
174:A slave,
337:Eusebius
190:See also
176:Blandina
161:Blandine
137:Irenaeus
97:Pothinus
93:Claudius
59:Eusebius
36:Lugdunum
310:Sources
133:History
55:
432:2 June
395:2 June
327:2 June
166:Deaths
105:Decius
85:Rhone
434:2022
397:2022
329:2022
44:Lyon
30:The
472:177
410:doi
61:'s
448::
425:.
388:.
242:^
215:^
75:.
53:r.
38:,
436:.
416:.
412::
399:.
345:.
302:.
290:.
278:.
225:.
50:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
