mountainman

On another thread ...
The "ancient histories" is a singular ecclesiastical
history and totally Eusebian. From this page:

1. Laws against the Christians

The legislation of Decius The legislation of Decius, which must have appeared in 250AD, is not known from any text. However, the reports of the martyrs *** permit us to discern its contents. Under pain of death, the Edict ordered everyone to make a sacrifice, which could be proved with a certificate. This sacrifice could be very simple such as, a few grains of incense offered to a statue of the Emperor or offering a piece of flesh taken from a sacrificial victim. As a consequence of this act the suspect was pardoned and so fell into apostasy. This in fact was the aim of the proceedings. But what constituted an innovation"' was that, those who did offer sacrifice were registered and that a written certificate, issued by the civil authorities, was necessary. Allard cites two of these reports or certificates of sacrifice. One reads as follows:

To the people in charge of the sacrifices of the village of the Island of Alexander, for Aurelius Diogenes, son of Gatabus of the village of the Island of Alexander, aged about seventy-two years, a scar on the right eyebrow. I have lived without ever ceasing to sacrifce to the gods, and now in @ your presence in conformity with the edicts, I have sacrificed and I have drunk, and I have tasted the victims. This I ask you to certify. Keep well! I have presented Aurelius Diogenes, I Mus ... son of... (1 have seen him) sacrificing and (I confirm it). The first year of the Emperor Caesar Caius Massius Quintus Trajanus Decius, Pieux, Felix, Auguste, the second of epiohi (26th of June 250AD)"'.

In order to extort this certificate the authorities used all possible means and martyred those who resisted. St. Cyprian 144 confirms that apostasies were very numerous. However, as far as we know, Eusebius, who wished above all to edify, makes no mention of them.

It needs to be mentioned and emphasised that such
certificates of sacrifice exist in bountiful supply, but
not one single document makes reference to the word
"christian".

It should also be pointed out that Roger's assertion above,
that a [251 CE] persecution of the Christians was raging is a
separate inference, drawn from the acceptance and integrity of
the ecclesiastical research of Eusebius in the fourth century,
and in which literature is gloriously portrayed the reports of
the martyrs ***.

My argument is that there is absolutely no archeological correlation
between these certificates of sacrifice and the purported existence
of christianity in the year 251 CE.

If you believe that said certificates of sacrifice relate somehow to
the practice of third century christianity, what evidence compels
you, or what pieces of information from any ancient histories enable
one to infer that such a belief is sound.


Best wishes,



Pete Brown
Certificates of Sacrifice - GOOGLE INDEX