Slackness and unwillingness in the face of persecution

Photo: UOJ

The Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy: “…all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). This is true for all times. Even when Christianity was not just the dominant, but the sole dominant religion across the entire civilized world of that era, the righteous were persecuted. These persecutions took on different forms and came from different people, sometimes even from those vested with spiritual authority and great power. Athanasius the Great, John Chrysostom, Photius the Great, Philip of Moscow, Arsenius of Rostov, and many others were exiled by their fellow bishops.

However, if we consider persecution in a narrower sense, as the persecution of Christians by pagans or atheists, all these events, occurring in different historical periods and under various socio-political conditions, have common features. If we examine, analyze, and try to project these features onto today's times, we will understand the meaning of what is happening and strengthen ourselves to endure today’s hardships and tribulations. In this article, we will focus on one aspect common to almost all known persecutions, which our church tradition does not particularly emphasize. Yet, it is a very important point.

All persecutions are generally preceded by periods of relative peace and prosperity for Christian communities. Take, for example, the persecution known in historiography as the most significant and brutal – the Diocletianic Persecution, also called the "Great Persecution." It is believed to have lasted 10 years, from 303 to 313, covering the entire Roman Empire at the time. However, this is not entirely accurate. Firstly, in the western part of the empire, the persecution effectively ended in 306, while in the eastern part, it ceased in 311, although isolated incidents continued beyond these dates. Secondly, the intensity, universality, and severity of the persecution varied in different localities. Nonetheless, imperial edicts against Christians were in effect throughout the Roman Empire, posing a constant threat of persecution.

Before this persecution, Christians lived in peace and prosperity for 40 years. The previous persecution under Emperors Decius Trajan and Valerian, which was neither as extensive nor as prolonged as the Great Persecution, ended in the 250s. Since then, Christian communities had grown significantly, spread across many cities, acquired property, and built church buildings. Remarkably, in Nicomedia, a substantial Christian church was constructed right opposite the imperial palace. The destruction, or according to some sources, the burning of this church along with its congregation, was the first act of the Great Persecution. Our saints' calendar commemorates on December 28 (old style) the memory of the 20,000 martyrs burned in Nicomedia. Tradition holds that they had gathered in the church for the Christmas celebration. The emperor ordered them all to be burned, but those who agreed to sacrifice to pagan idols could leave the church. Of course, the number 20,000 is a significant exaggeration, but it nevertheless indicates that the church was very large by the standards of the time. It could not have been built in secrecy and without substantial financial resources. During those years, Christian churches were legally and openly erected in almost all major cities of the Empire. After the persecution ended, many of these churches were returned to Christian communities through legal procedures, and compensation was paid for those that were destroyed.

In addition to the construction of churches during this period, many people from the upper echelons of society joined the Church. For example, one of the most famous saints, George the Victorious, came from a very wealthy family and was a military commander close to Diocletian. A significant portion of the army and the bureaucratic apparatus were Christians. The material and financial position of the communities was also quite good.

All this, of course, contributed significantly to the spread of Christianity across different strata of society and various territories, but it also led to a state of spiritual complacency. Christ’s words: “…Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Mark 8:34), were certainly not forgotten, but they receded into the background in people’s consciousness, while a state of satisfaction with earthly life, comfort, and the possibility of combining faith in the One True God with earthly well-being came to the forefront. All of this is very good, and at certain times, perhaps, can be combined, but then there come times when a person faces a choice: one or the other.

And when the time of trials comes, many Christians are unprepared to choose Christ and give up earthly well-being. This is not commonly emphasized, but the fact remains: during persecutions, a huge number of Christians compromised and met the demands of their persecutors. The lack of historical sources does not allow us to make a definite conclusion as to whether there were more confessors or apostates. But that there were very many of the latter is beyond doubt.

Moreover, rarely did any of these apostates break with Christianity once and for all. Most believed that it was not permissible, but quite forgivable, to meet the demands of the authorities while continuing to believe in Christ in their hearts. The demands varied, and so did the degrees of acceptable compromises. Bishops themselves often called for meeting the demands of the pagan authorities. For example, Prof. Bolotov, in his "History of the Ancient Church," writes about Euctemon, the bishop of Smyrna, who urged Christians to formal apostasy to save their lives. In Carthage and Alexandria, apostasy took on a mass character.

Reliable historical sources rarely mention cases where Christians were directly forced to renounce their faith verbally. A person could believe in Christ, but at the same time, they were required to perform certain actions demonstrating loyalty to the state authority and its associated religious cult. These demands varied: from offering sacrifices to idols to surrendering sacred books or church utensils. The extent of acceptable compromise differed from place to place. For instance, if Bishop Philip of Heraclea permitted the surrender of utensils and Scriptures, then Bishop Felix of Thibiuca believed it was better to die than to do so.

After the Great Persecution, those who had fallen away from the faith, known as "traditors," returned to the Church en masse. Canonical rules of Saint Peter of Alexandria and the Council of Arles in 314 addressed how to accept them back. These documents describe various degrees and forms of apostasy, with some being quite justified or treated leniently. For example, Peter of Alexandria fully justified those who bribed officials to be released. In his 12th Canon, he writes: “Those who gave money so that they would not be disturbed in any way, let it not be charged against them. For they suffered the loss of money so as not to lose their souls, which others did out of greed...” Interestingly, he supports his view with an example from the Acts of the Apostles: “...and we read in the Acts of the Apostles that those who were dragged before the city officials in Thessalonica because of Paul and Silas were released for a sufficient bribe.”

Another tactic was for wealthy Christians to force their slaves to offer sacrifices to idols on their behalf. “Some put Christian slaves in their place, and the slaves, being under their masters’ power and fearing them, were driven to idolatry and fell,” writes Saint Peter. There were also cases where Christians only pretended to offer sacrifices without actually doing so. For example, someone might appear to throw a piece of incense on the altar before a statue but would secretly keep it in their hand.

In all these instances, we see the psychology of opportunism, adapting to changing external conditions. The main goal was to survive and, if possible, maintain their well-being. If this could be done without renouncing the faith or through minor forms of apostasy, it was considered acceptable. If not... well, God will forgive. This view is opposed by another: the main goal is to remain faithful to Christ, regardless of the cost. Many confessors held this view. Historian and Saint Eusebius of Caesarea, who himself experienced the Great Persecution, writes: “One could tell of thousands of Christians who showed remarkable courage in confessing faith in Almighty God... Here are thousands of people – men, women, children, who, despising this temporary life, endured various kinds of death for the teachings of our Savior.” He also notes that often the tortures inflicted on Christians, intended to instill fear in others, had the opposite effect: people themselves sought martyrdom to unite with Christ.

"At that time, we witnessed an astonishing fervor and truly Divine strength and courage among those who believed in Christ God. Even as the sentence was being read to some martyrs, others ran from all sides to the judge's platform, declaring themselves Christians, unconcerned about the tortures, however terrible and varied they might be. Fearlessly proclaiming God the Creator, they joyfully, with smiles and cheerfulness, accepted the death sentence and sang hymns of thanksgiving to the Creator until their last breath," writes Eusebius.

These two approaches, these two mindsets, are characteristic of all historical persecutions, and the current one is no exception. We also have those who stand firm in their faith, remain loyal to the Church, and refuse to compromise. It is not that they are completely unafraid of the consequences of such loyalty. Fear is a perfectly normal feeling for a psychologically healthy person. But these people consider falling away from the Church a far more terrifying prospect and therefore fear becoming apostates due to any compromises.

The current persecution of the Church offers only one compromise – joining the OCU. And those in the second category, those who have made such a compromise, have internally convinced themselves that it is neither betrayal nor apostasy. It is merely a transition from one jurisdiction to another, especially one sanctioned by a person bearing the title "His All-Holiness" (referring to the Patriarch of Constantinople). Outwardly, everything remains the same: the same church, the same vestments, the same (or almost the same) services, the same prosperous existence where no one bothers you or takes anything away. "Business as usual." But somehow, this very "business as usual" becomes a priority in people’s minds, pushing loyalty to the Truth into the background. The main thing is for everything to stay as it was, with faithfulness maintained if possible. And here, the words of Revelation come to mind, likely spoken about such a state of mind: "...you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth" (Rev. 3:15-16).

What is also noteworthy is that a firm spirit, the resolve to go all the way, to remain true to one’s convictions no matter what, often proves to be a more reliable defense against the very persecutions than clever evasiveness and desperate attempts to wiggle out of trouble. Very often, trials and misfortunes bypass those who do not fear them and, conversely, befall those who, in an attempt to avoid them, are ready to make deals with their conscience.

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