Linus Lleyn "The Martyr" ap Caradoc, Pope, 1st Bishop of Rome (45 - d.) - Genealogy Linus Lleyn "The Martyr" ap Caradoc, Pope, 1st Bishop of Rome Is your surname ap Caradoc? Research the ap Caradoc family Share your family tree and photos with the people you know and love Build your family tree online Share photos and videos Linus Lleyn "The Martyr" ap Caradoc, Pope, 1st Bishop of Rome Also Known As: Died in Alia, Palermo, Sicilia, Italy Immediate Family: brother About Linus Lleyn "The Martyr" ap Caradoc, Pope, 1st Bishop of Rome Linus the Martyr, his sister Claudia and her husband Rufus Pudens aided the Apostle Paul in the Christian Church in Rome, as recorded in II Timothy 4:21 and Romans 16:13 (Rufus Pudens and St. Paul are shown to be half-brothers, with the same mother but different fathers.

"His mother and mine." She thus appears to have been the mother of an elder son, Paul, by a Hebrew husband, and a younger son, Rufus, by a second marriage with a Roman Christian.) notes or source: ancestry.com & HBJ 2 Timothy 4:21 Paul is writing to Linus in Rome. Linus was active as a Bishop in Rome (on Pauls instructions) before Peter arrived at Rome, and was undoubtably one of the Christians in Rome both Peter and Paul desired to see. It is only Roman Catholic tradition that teaches otherwise. This is understandable of course, because who wants to belong to the Church Linus built. Unfortunately tradition is not factually correct. The Church made the switch in the order of Popes to ensure Peter was the first Bishop of Rome, and I've heard some Roman Catholics concede as much. Further corroboration of Linus' appointment as the First Bishop of Rome can be found in the writings of St. Peter himself. His words, preserved in the "Apostolic Constitutions" (Bk. I, Chap.

46) read: ' 'Concerning those Bishops who have been ordained in our lifetime, we make known to you that they are these; of Antioch Eudius, ordained by me, Peter; of the Church of Rome, Linus, brother of Claudia, was first ordained by Paul, and after Linus' death, Clemens, the second ordained by me, Peter. In another statement Peter affirms that Linus was a Briton, son of a royal king. Irenaeus, a disciple of Polycarp (Born cir. A.D. 130) and later Bishop of Smyrna, also confirms Linus' appointment. He wrote: "The apostles, having founded and built up the Church at Rome, committed the ministry of its supervision to Linus. This is the Linus mentioned by Paul in his Epistle to Timothy." (Irenaei Opera Lib. III. C.I.). Pope Saint Linus (d. ca. 76) was, according to several early sources, Bishop of the diocese of Rome after Saint Peter. This makes Linus the second Pope (or the first, if Peter is not considered to have been Pope).

According to other early sources Pope Clement I was the Pope after Peter. Linus Lleyn "The Martyr" ap Caradoc, Pope, 1st Bishop of Rome's Timeline 45 The First Christian Martyrs of the Church at Rome | Get Fed | A Catholic Blog to Feed Your Faith The First Christian Martyrs of the Church at Rome June 30, 2012 By Gretchen Filz Leave a Comment Like the martyrdom of the Apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul (see previous post here ), a great number of Christians perished at the hands of Nero during the terrible persecution that lasted from the years 64-68 A.D. This was the first major persecution of the newly founded Church at Rome. The holy men and women are also called the “Protomartyrs of Rome.” The historian Tacitus, in his said that a “great multitude” of Christians were put to death. The Christian persecution began in the summer of 64 A.D., when a great fire blazed throughout Rome and destroyed much of the city. The insane tyrant Nero was blamed by the citizenry for lighting the fire to satisfy his own twisted amusement.

To shift the blame from himself, Nero accused the Christians (who were already disliked) as the perpetrators. The historian Tacitus describes the brutality suffered by these first Christian martyrs as a result of this accusation: “Yet no human effort, no princely largess nor offerings to the gods could make that infamous rumor disappear that Nero had somehow ordered the ﬁre. Therefore, in order to abolish that rumor, Nero falsely accused and executed with the most exquisite punishments those people called Christians, who were infamous for their abominations . . . Therefore, ﬁrst those were seized who admitted their faith, and then, using the information they provided, a vast multitude were convicted, . . . And perishing they were additionally made into sports: they were killed by dogs by having the hides of beasts attached to them, or they were nailed to crosses or set aﬂame, and, when the daylight passed away, they were used as nighttime lamps.” Tacitus (c. 55 -117 CE) Some martyrs were burned as living torches in the Emporer’s gardens, some crucified, others were fed to wild animals. These martyrs died even before Sts.

Peter and Paul, and therefore it is said of them that they are the “disciples of the Apostles . . . whom the Holy Roman church sent to their Lord before the Apostles’ death.” It was a terrible time of suffering, but also a time that purified and strengthened the Church through the power of the Holy Spirit. God used the sacrifice of these holy men and women, who died like their savior Jesus Christ, to lay the indestructible foundations of His Church; Christ promised that the gates of hell would never prevail against it. People of all backgrounds, from all countries, from all stations of life, were willing to die gruesome deaths for the sake of one man, Jesus Christ. The brave and holy manner in which the martyrs faced their tormentors became inspiration for all. Many became Christians after witnessing so many men and women lay down their lives (sometimes willingly) only to be murdered in the most atrocious and diabolical manner–concluding that the Gospel of Christ must be the Truth. Thus, instead of weakening the Christian faith, these persecutions only caused it to strengthen and spread exponentially.

On this feast day of the First Martyrs of the Church at Rome, let us remember that no matter what our sufferings, when united to Christ these sufferings will always be used by God to build up the Church and bring salvation to the world. The First Christian Martyrs of Rome The First Christian Martyrs of Rome Posted on 06/30/2005 7:29:47 AM PDT by Salvation The First Christian Martyrs of Rome The Vatican Basilica of St. Peter (shown at right), the burial place of the Apostle, is a prime destination for pilgrims to Rome. Another important memorial of Peter, one of many in the city, is not so well known. The Church of St.Peter in Chains was built by the Empress Eudoxia in the 5th century on the western slope of the Esquiline Hill, not far from the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, to house the prison chains that held Peter, the Apostle. Many modern visitors find the chains questionable, of course, and usually turn to the tangible beauty of Michelangelo's statue of Moses, located in the same church. Chains that held the Apostle Peter. Really!

Site of the Roman Prefecture Whatever one thinks of them, Eudoxia (pictured at right) chose a good place to house the chains. The Roman Prefecture, where justice was still being dispensed even in Eudoxia's day, once stood just south of the church. Rome's main prison was there, where suspected criminals were tortured, questioned and judged. At a spot not far away the condemned were summarily beheaded or strangled. From the second half of the 1st century till the early 4th century, many Christians were convicted and executed in this area. For this reason the church, now surrounded by modern office buildings and shops, is holy ground for believers. It recalls many early Christian martyrs, especially those who died in the first great persecution of Christians by the Emperor Nero around 67, which claimed the lives of the Apostles, Peter and Paul. Continued: Christian martyrs of Rome Nero's Persecution 64-67 A.D. Nero's persecution was occasioned by an early morning fire on July 19, 64.

It broke out in a small shop by the Circus Maximus and spread rapidly to other regions of Rome, and raged for nine days, destroying much of the city. This was the worst in a series of fires that beset the crowded city -- more than a million people, packed tightly into apartment blocks of wooden construction, among narrow streets and alleyways. Only two areas escaped the fire; one of them, the Transtiberum region, Trastevere, across the Tiber River, had a large Jewish population. Nero was at his seaside villa in Anzio when the blaze began, but he delayed returning to the city. They say that when he heard the news, he began composing an ode comparing Rome to the burning city of Troy (illustration above). His indifference to the suffering caused by the tragedy stirred resentment among the people. Rumors began that he himself set the fire in order to rebuild the city with his own plans. To stop the rumors, Nero decided to blame someone else, and he chose a group of renegade Jews called Christians, who had caused trouble before, and already had a bad reputation in the city.

Earlier, about the year 49, the Emperor Claudius had banished some of them from Rome for starting upheavals in the Jewish synagogues of the city with their disputes about Christ. Nero's Raging Sword "Nero was the first to rage with Caesar's sword against this sect," wrote the early-Christian writer, Tertullian. "To suppress the rumor," the Roman historian Tacitus says, "Nero created scapegoats. He punished with every kind of cruelty the notoriously depraved group known as Christians." Just how long the process went on and how many were killed, the Roman historian does not say. Continued: Christian martyrs of Rome The Early Christians of Rome Who were the early Roman Christians? Most of them came from the large community of about 50,000 Jewish merchants and slaves who had strong ties to their mother city of Jerusalem. Even before Peter and Paul arrived in Rome, Jewish-Christians, clearly identified as followers of Jesus Christ, were found among the city's Jews. Indeed, these were the founders of the church at Rome; the apostles were among its foundation stones.

By the time of the fire Rome's Jewish-Christians had become alienated from the larger Jewish community and were beginning to separate from it. Where they lived and met was well known. The authorities, following the usual procedure, seized some of them, brought them to the Prefecture and forced them by torture to give the names of others. "First, Nero had some of the members of this sect arrested. Then, on their information, large numbers were condemned -- not so much for arson, but for their hatred of the human race. Their deaths were made a farce." (Tacitus) Mass Executions Instead of executing the Christians immediately at the usual place, Nero executed them publicly in his gardens nearby and in the circus. "Mockery of every sort accompanied their deaths. Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as a nightly illumination, when daylight had expired." (Tacitus) Most thought Nero went too far. "There arose in the people a sense of pity.

For it was felt that they (the Christians) were being sacrificed for one man's brutality rather than to the public interest." (Tacitus) Continued: Christian martyrs of Rome Martrydom of Peter and Paul Late in the persecution, the apostles Peter and Paul, were martyred. An unquestioned tradition among early Christian communities -- affirmed today by many historians and archeologists -- says that Peter met his death at Nero's circus on the Vatican and Paul was beheaded along the Via Ostia near the place where Constantine later built a church in his honor. Details of their martyrdom are unknown, but like others they must have been arrested, put in chains, questioned, and sentenced before being executed. There are later legends, of course. One says they were imprisoned in the Mamertime Prison, near the Capitoline Hill, where they converted and baptized their jailers. Peter escaped and fled along the Via Appia until he reached the place where the chapel, Domine, Quo Vadis? now stands. There he met Jesus coming into the city. "Where are you going, Lord?" Peter asked. When Jesus told him he was going to join those suffering, the apostle turned to embrace the same fate.

The Ordeal of a Frightened Church Legends like these have dubious historical value, but do they suggest something about the early persecution? The Christians of Rome, considered part of the city's Jewish community in the middle of the 1st century, enjoyed the extensive privileges bestowed on the Jews by the Romans at that time; they must have felt safe and secure, until Nero's arbitrary attack. Their troubles with Claudius around 49 were only minor. How shocking Nero's sudden blow! Certainly brave martyrs emerged in the persecution, but in those chaotic days how many wavered or fell? One wonders if the story of a frightened Peter, fleeing in fear, then regaining strength for his ordeal, was a lesson in hope for Christians who, taken by surprise, wavered, fled in terror, denied and betrayed? Continued: Christian martyrs of Rome Words for a Persecuted Church: The Gospel of Mark Many scholars believe the Gospel of Mark was finally formulated in Rome during the turbulent years of Nero's persecution, before the fall of Jerusalem in 70. Most likely it was written for Rome's Christians, reeling from persecution and wondering what new troubles lay ahead.

Central to Mark's Gospel is his story of the Passion of Jesus, in which the Lord experiences a stark, brutal martyrdom that cannot be explained. How appropriate for a church wrestling with the mystery of absurd, unmerited suffering caused by a mad, capricious emperor. More than other Gospels do, Mark portrays Peter in weakness, a disciple who fails his Master and then awaits his mercy. Does he remind the Christians of Rome that their church is not made up of the strong, but the weak and the fallen as well? For hard times, Mark's Gospel proclaims the hard, uncompromising message of Jesus Crucified, who calls his disciples to follow him to the Cross. The First Letter of Peter Other contemporary New Testament writings offer a similar message to the Roman community and Christians of the wider church. Like Mark's Gospel, the 1st Letter of Peter, written in Rome and perhaps sent to Jewish Christians in Asia Minor threatened with persecution, calls for standing firm in suffering, even unjust, absurd suffering. "Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps. He committed no sin and no deceit was found in his mouth.

When he suffered he did not threaten; instead he handed himself over to the one who judges justly." (1 Peter 2, 21-23) In the letter there is no thought that those who follow Jesus abandon the place where they are when suffering comes. Whether slave, or wife or husband, they are not to flee -- always a temptation for those who have been hurt. Rather, they are to stay where they are and "maintain good conduct among the Gentiles," (1 Peter 2:12) "give honor to all, love the community, honor the king."(1 Peter 2:17) In the years following the persecution, Jewish Christians fled from Jerusalem before advancing Roman legions, and Christians elsewhere, seeing Nero's reign as a sign of the last times, washed their hands of this world and waited for the end. But the Christians of Rome stayed in their city and built their church. Where many of them suffered, they and their neighbors worked to rebuild the city's burnt-out structures. Here they toiled for the coming of the Kingdom of God. We celebrate the memory of these, our ancestors in faith, on June 30th, following the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul.

Continued: Christian martyrs of Rome Are they Peter's chains? A final note. What about the chains in the Church of St.Peter on the Esquiline Hill? Some authorities believe the chains may actually come from the ancient prison of the Prefecture nearby. If that is so, could they have once held the apostle after all? And if not Peter, perhaps a believer like him, who shared his fate? What signs shall we, Christians of the 21st century, leave as evidence of our belief? [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies ] To: All **Peter escaped and fled along the Via Appia until he reached the place where the chapel, Domine, Quo Vadis? now stands. There he met Jesus coming into the city. "Where are you going, Lord?" Peter asked. When Jesus told him he was going to join those suffering, the apostle turned to embrace the same fate.** Our priest mentioned this last night in the Mass of Sts. Peter and Paul.

6 posted on 06/30/2005 7:36:47 AM PDT by Salvation (ï¿½With God all things are possible.ï¿½) To: nickcarraway; sandyeggo; Siobhan; Lady In Blue; NYer; american colleen; Pyro7480; sinkspur; ... Saint of the Day Ping! Please notify me via FReepmail if you would like to be added to or taken off the Saint of the Day Ping List. 7 posted on 06/30/2005 7:45:29 AM PDT by Salvation (ï¿½With God all things are possible.ï¿½) First Martyrs of the Church of Rome (d. 68) There were Christians in Rome within a dozen or so years after the death of Jesus, though they were not the converts of the Apostle of the Gentiles (Romans 15:20). Paul had not yet visited them at the time he wrote his great letter in a.d. 57-58. There was a large Jewish population in Rome.

Probably as a result of controversy between Jews and Jewish Christians, the Emperor Claudius expelled all Jews from Rome in 49-50 A.D. Suetonius the historian says that the expulsion was due to disturbances in the city caused by the certain Chrestus [Christ]. Perhaps many came back after Claudiuss death in 54 A.D. Pauls letter was addressed to a Church with members from Jewish and Gentile backgrounds. In July of 64 A.D., more than half of Rome was destroyed by fire. Rumor blamed the tragedy on Nero, who wanted to enlarge his palace. He shifted the blame by accusing the Christians. According to the historian Tacitus, a great multitude of Christians was put to death because of their hatred of the human race. Peter and Paul were probably among the victims. Threatened by an army revolt and condemned to death by the senate, Nero committed suicide in 68 A.D. at the age of 31. Comment: Wherever the Good News of Jesus was preached, it met the same opposition as Jesus did, and many of those who began to follow him shared his suffering and death.

But no human force could stop the power of the Spirit unleashed upon the world. The blood of martyrs has always been, and will always be, the seed of Christians. Quote: From Pope Clement I, successor of St. Peter: It was through envy and jealousy that the greatest and most upright pillars of the Church were persecuted and struggled unto death.... First of all, Peter, who because of unreasonable jealousy suffered not merely once or twice but many times, and, having thus given his witness, went to the place of glory that he deserved. It was through jealousy and conflict that Paul showed the way to the prize for perseverance. He was put in chains seven times, sent into exile, and stoned; a herald both in the east and the west, he achieved a noble fame by his faith.... Around these men with their holy lives there are gathered a great throng of the elect, who, though victims of jealousy, gave us the finest example of endurance in the midst of many indignities and tortures. Through jealousy women were tormented, like Dirce or the daughters of Danaus, suffering terrible and unholy acts of violence.

But they courageously finished the course of faith and despite their bodily weakness won a noble prize. 8 posted on 06/30/2005 7:51:11 AM PDT by Salvation (ï¿½With God all things are possible.ï¿½) To: Salvation Faith-sharing bump. 10 posted on 06/30/2005 8:01:50 AM PDT by Ciexyz (Let us always remember, the Lord is in control.) The Persecution of the Christian Churches by the Nazis Important Nuremberg Document Made Public It is well-known that Hitler, his advisors as well as other Nazi leaders were immersed in the occult. In simple terms, they were magicians, adepts of Satan, and they were probably demon-possessed. Hitlers mesmerizing speeches, the pagan symbols used by the Nazis (the swastika is a symbol of the revolving sun, fire, infinity and magic), their obsession with death and killing testify to this. Hitler is said to have been a member of the secret satanic Thule Society.

He read books dealing with occultism and mysticism, practiced black magic and believed himself to be the Antichrist. The Nazi leadership was forced to participate in initiation rites and Satanic ceremonies. Moreover, Hitler demanded oaths of loyalty and worship from the multitudes. Hitlers involvement in the occult has been the subject of a number of books, mostly English, published in the last few years. We do not wish to elaborate on this subject. The fact that uncompromising real Christians and Christian Churches were persecuted as a consequence of the Nazis hatred of God and His children, is less known and less publicized. But a report of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), Americas first central intelligence agency, prepared in 1945 for the Nuremberg War Crimes prosecutors, documents the persecution of the Christian Churches by the Nazis and it is posted now on the Internet site of the Rutgers Journal of Law & Religion. See The Nazi Master Plan, Annex 4: The Persecution of the Christian Churches (108 pages, Adobe Acrobat format).

The report describes, with illustrative factual evidence, Nazi purposes, policies and methods of persecuting the Christian Churches in Germany and occupied Europe. Overview of the OSS report entitled The Persecution of the Christian Churches National Socialism by its very nature was hostile to Christianity and the Christian Churches. Indications of this fact can be found in the speeches and writings of Nazi leaders, especially in Alfred Rosenbergs book, entitled Myth of the Twentieth Century, the most important book of Nazi ideology after Hitlers Mein Kampf. Christianity was incompatible with National Socialism, since it could not be reconciled with the principle of racism, with a foreign policy of unlimited aggressive warfare, or with a domestic policy involving the complete subservience of Church to State. Since these were fundamental elements of the National Socialist program, conflict was inevitable. The result was the Nazis systematic persecution of the Christian Churches in Germany and in the occupied areas throughout the period of the National Socialist rule. The goal of the Nazis was to minimize the influence of the Christian Churches without declaring an open war on them and without adopting a radical anti-Christian policy officially.

(This could be due to the fact that the Nazis came to power in a basically Christian country and continent, and an open war against Christianity would have meant the fall of the Nazis.) Policies Adopted by the Nazis in the Persecution of the Christian churches Germany In Germany they adopted the policy of gradual encroachment, which meant that they pretended to be good friends of the Churches at first, then gradually deprived them of all opportunity to affect public life; persecuted those Christians and priests who criticized the Nazi regime and sent many of them to prisons or concentration camps. This plan had been established even before the Nazis came to power. The Catholic Church Before the Nazis came to power, the relationship between them and the German Catholic Church was bitter. In their speeches, the Nazi leaders attacked the Catholic Church. Catholic bishops in turn considered the Nazi movement anti-Christian and forbade the clergy to participate in ceremonies where the Nazis were officially represented. Catholic priests spoke out against National Socialism and denied Nazis the sacraments and church burials. Catholic journalists criticized National Socialism in Catholic newspapers.

After the Nazis came to power in 1933, they wanted to liquidate the political opposition, especially the Communists, and they sought an ally in the Church for this. To gain the support of Catholics, the Nazi government forbade anti-religious and anti-Church propaganda and closed secular schools. In return they requested Catholics to refrain from political activity. The Catholic hierarchy then lifted all restrictions imposed on members of the Church adhering to the Nazi movement, and as a result many Catholics joined the Nazi Party. On July 8, 1933, a Concordat was signed in Rome between the Holy See and the German Reich. Under this treaty, the freedom and the rights of the German Catholic Church, its organizations and its schools were guaranteed. In exchange they had to promise loyalty to the Reich government and had to withdraw from the political scene. The negotiations were conducted in secret over the heads of German Catholics and bishops. The Center Party, a political organization of the Catholic Church, was forced to voluntarily dissolve itself. After the consolidation of the regime, the relations between the Nazi state and the Catholic Church worsened. The Nazis resumed their campaign against Christianity and stripped the Church of all its more important rights.

The opposition of the Catholic Church to the Nazi movement grew. Nazism was branded as an enemy of Christendom. The Nazis sent many priests and Christians to prisons and concentration camps and persecuted the Church in other ways, too. In March 1937, Pope Pius XI issued an encyclical entitled Mit Brennender Sorge (With Deep Anxiety) and in it denounced the violations of the Concordat by the Nazi state and described the actions of the Nazi government against the Church as intrigues which from the beginning had no other aim than a war of extermination. The Evangelical Church To gain control over the German Evangelical Church, which had a democratic constitution, the Nazis imposed a centralized organ of administration on it, headed by a Reich Bishop, whose election was controlled by the Nazis. In this way the Nazis succeeded to plant their own man into the bishops seat. As a consequence, the freedom of the pastors became limited and religious associations were dissolved. But the attempt to control the Evangelical Church by these means failed, because some bishops refused to yield to pressure. They were placed under house arrest.

Opposition in the Church succeeded in uniting a large part of Evangelicals in protest against the Reich Bishop, who did not resign, but faded from the scene. He was gradually superseded by other agencies of Nazi control. In 1935, Evangelical churches were deprived of their right to sue before the regular courts, thus of protection in civil courts. A new administrative court was set up for church matters except questions of faith and worship, whose president was a Nazi appointee. Moreover, Hitler created a Reich Ministry for Ecclesiastical Affairs, which was empowered to issue ordinances. This meant Nazi control over the entire Church administration. Church leaders addressed a memorandum to Hitler denouncing the anti-Christian acts of the government. The majority of the ministers who attacked Hitler and the Nazis in their speeches and writings were silenced by being put into concentration camps or by being prohibited to speak or write. The Christian Sects Certain of the smaller Christian sects, especially the Jehovahs Witnesses (Ernste Bibelforscher) and the Pentecostal Association (Freie Christengemeinde) were particularly objectionable from the Nazi standpoint because of their advanced pacifist views.

Since they were without important influence at home or abroad, it was possible to proceed against them more drastically than against the larger Christian Churches. Both groups were therefore declared illegal and there were times when almost no adherent of either group was outside a concentration camp. Incorporated and Occupied Areas In incorporated areas, local Churches were feared primarily as potential centers of national resistance to German domination. They were severely persecuted. In occupied areas, where the Churches cooperated with the occupying authorities, such as Slovakia, they were favored. In countries where the local churches supported national resistance, such as Poland and Norway, they were persecuted. Methods Used to Implement the Policy of Persecution Interference with the Central Institutions of Church Government The Direct Seizure of Central Institutions of Church Government This was the case with the German Evangelical Church, as we have discussed above. In the case of the Norwegian National Church, a state Church to which 98.6% of the Norwegian population adhered, the Nazis placed pro-Nazis in charge of its central organization after they invaded Norway. As a result, almost all Norwegian pastors resigned their public office and salaries on Easter Sunday 1942.

Interference with the Normal Operation of Central Institutions of Church Government In the case of the Catholic and some Protestant Churches, the Nazis were unable to gain control of their central governing institutions, therefore they tried to prevent those institutions from operating. Jehovahs Witnesses and the Pentecostal Association were declared illegal, their members were persecuted and sent to concentration camps. The central governing organ of the German Confessionals, a Church made up of protesting Evangelicals, was declared illegal. Another method to control Christian Churches was the imposition of financial control on their operation. The principal Christian Churches of Germany were supported financially by state collected church taxes. To control these Churches, it was sufficient to deprive them of all other sources of revenue and to impose state restrictions on the expenditure of state collected funds. For example, state controlled finance departments were set up for the German Evangelical Church in 1937. At the same time, severe restrictions were placed on the right of churches and other organizations to solicit contributions. Nazis also interfered in the communication within churches. The telephone conversations of the bishops were under constant surveillance by the police. In some cases their offices were raided by the Gestapo.

Interference with the Persons of the Clergy and of Lay Workers Systematic propaganda campaigns were carried out against the clergy to depict them in an unfavorable light. Church leaders were frequently attacked, mobbed and insulted by the SA, the SS, the Hitler Youth and other Nazi organizations. Many Catholic and Protestant ministers were removed from office, arrested, imprisoned or sent to concentration camps for their pacifism and criticism of the Nazis. The Nazis didnt want to create martyrs, nevertheless they murdered a large number of Christians. Interference with the Activities of the Clergy The Closing of Church Buildings Used primarily in the incorporated and occupied territories, such as western Poland and Norway. Interference with Freedom of Speech and Writings All discussion of the Church question in the press, in pamphlets or in books was prohibited by the Minister of Education in 1934. The next year, professors of theology in the universities were ordered not to participate in the church dispute. In 1935 the Propaganda Ministry imposed censorship before publication on all church periodicals and on all writings and pictures multigraphed for distribution.

In 1937 the Reich Minister for Ecclesiastical Affairs threatened to confiscate or prohibit any printed pastorals. A few cases: on Palm Sunday, 14 March 1937, the Papal Encyclical letter about the situation of the Catholic Church in Germany, Mit Brennender Sorge (With Deep Anxiety) was read in most Catholic churches in the Third Reich. The Nazis retaliated by closing the printing offices, seizing the duplicating machines, confiscating the copies and arresting people who distributed or transcribed the text. Similar measures were taken against the Encyclical of October 1939 by Pius XII (Summi Pontificatus), pastoral letters which dealt with Catholic principles of education and the hardships of Catholic organizations, or complained about restriction set on the freedom of the Church. In 1936 a Catholic Sunday paper was suspended because it printed a sermon entitled The Threat to Catholic Faith. An Evangelical pastors memorandum entitled The State Church is Here was confiscated in 1935.

In 1937, three Evangelical Christian leaders issued a declaration in which they protested against a Nazi demand that the German nation give up the Christian faith. Nazis closed the printing shop and confiscated printed copies of this declaration. Evangelical leaders issued a manifesto against the New Paganism of Alfred Rosenberg. When the pastors read this Manifesto from their pulpits, some 700 of them were arrested, 500 to be put in prison and 200 under house arrest. When the ministers continued nevertheless to read the Manifesto, fanatical Nazi governors made use of the concentration camp. Interference with the Educational Functions of the Clergy The Nazis wanted to eliminate the Gospel, the clergy and the Christian influence from education. Principal elements: The Closing of Theological Seminaries. Cases: in 1939 the theological faculties of the University of Munich and the University of Graz were closed. The lesser seminaries in Austria were all closed. In 1938 the theological faculty at the University of Innsbruck, a seminary connected with this faculty, and the theological faculty in Salzburg was closed.

In March 1944, the last remaining independent theological school in Norway was closed. The Closing of Denominational Schools. Before the Nazis came to power, the majority of private and public elementary schools in Germany were denominational schools. The Concordat guaranteed the right to maintain Catholic denominational schools and to establish new ones, and to employ only Catholic teachers in these schools. Religious orders and congregations were entitled to establish and conduct private schools. In spite of this, the Nazis tried to eliminate all religious influences from education. They targeted secondary schools directed by religious orders at first. Catholic orders and congregations had altogether 12 secondary schools for boys and 188 for girls, which were gradually eliminated. The c 1600 teachers who were members of religious orders were eliminated from the c 400 public elementary schools for girls in 1937. In 1938 the Ministry of Interior in Vienna deprived all private schools in Austria of public recognition and rights, then closed them finally. In 1939 the Bavarian Ministry of Public Instruction forbade the clergy to teach in secondary schools. In Bavaria and other districts, most of the denominational primary schools were converted into National Community Schools.

At the time of the outbreak of the war, the abolition of the Catholic denominational schools was complete. Elimination of Religious Instructions From Other Schools. Religious instruction was provided, for those who wished it, in the public schools under the Weimar Republic. The continuation of this system was guaranteed by the Concordat, but the Nazis set to eliminate this as rapidly as possible: religious instruction was curtailed in schools, teachers were influenced to refuse the teaching of religion and Catholic religious text books were vetoed. At the time of the outbreak of the war denominational religious instruction had practically disappeared from Germanys primary schools. Interference with Christian Organizations Catholic organizations were protected under the Concordat. But the Nazis quickly began to suppress the activities of both Catholic and Protestant Church organizations. After the occupation of Austria, all Catholic associations were dissolved in that country. The same was attempted in Germany, but gradually. The organizations affected were the following: Religious orders The Concordat guaranteed the foundation and protection of any number of Catholic religious orders and congregations, the free selection of their members, their pastoral activity, education, affairs and administration. These guarantees were violated in many cases. Franciscan Friars were closed in Germany.

In Austria different religious orders were dissolved or their properties confiscated, such as the society of Christ the King, the old abbeys of Goettweig, Admont, Engelzell, the nuns of Eggenberg and Mariazel, a Benedictine foundation, Franciscan friars, Cistercians. The Youth Movement Christian youth organizations exerted Christian influence over the youth of Germany and they were rivals to the Hitler Jugend, therefore the Nazis wanted to abolish them. On December 17, 1933 by the order of the Reich Bishop, the entire Evangelical Youth Movement with more than 700,000 members was placed under the leadership of the leader of the Hitler Youth. The Catholic Youth movement was protected by the Concordat, but the Nazis began a campaign to destroy it through restrictions and persecution. A decree issued in 1933 forbade simultaneous membership in the Hitler Youth and in denominational youth organizations. In 1935, all not purely religious activity was forbidden to denominational youth associations. Every method of propaganda and coercion was employed in order to bring all German youngsters into the Hitler Youth and to prevent them from joining denominational organizations.

Finally the Catholic Youth associations were simply forbidden in entire districts of the Reich. Physical terrorization did the rest By 1938, in almost all districts of the Reich, the Catholic Youth Associations had been dissolved. Other Church Organizations The Catholic Workers Associations and other adult organizations were put under pressure. For example, the head of the German Labor Front forbade simultaneous membership in the Labor Front and in denominational professional organizations. After a few years these Catholic organizations were forbidden, district by district, and some of them ended by self-dissolution, such as the Catholic Teachers Organization, Catholic student fraternities, etc. Organizations Bearing Particular Responsibility in Connection with the Persecutions In the persecution of the German Evangelical Church, the principal part was played by the Reich Bishop and his collaborators on the Spiritual Council before 1935, then by the Reich Ministry for Ecclesiastical Affairs. The German Evangelical Church's chief legal and administrative department, the Church Chancery, was also responsible. Financial control over this Church was maintained by its state controlled finance departments. The group called German Christians, renamed Luther Christians in 1938, played an important part in the persecution of the German Evangelical Church.

Lesson: as there are wolves among the sheep, so were there traitors among Christians during the Nazi regime, especially top-level leaders, who sold out to the Nazi regime and took part in the persecution of Christians and lower priests. Unreligious organizations responsible for the persecution of Christians: Reich Education Ministry; Reich Propaganda Ministry, which issued orders for the censorship of Church publications and was responsible for the systematic campaign of defamation waged against the German clergy; Reich Ministry of the Interior, which was the principal agency for direct government action in Church affairs prior to the creation of the Ministry of Ecclesiastical Affairs and which issued orders curtailing freedom of discussion; the police forces controlled by the Ministry of Interior; the Gestapo, that is the political police; the SS, the SA and the Hitler Youth, which were responsible for most of the acts of intimidation and violence against the clergy and laity beside the police; the German occupation authorities in occupied areas, such as Norway and Poland, where the persecution of the Christian Churches was the most severe.

11 posted on 06/30/2005 9:10:00 AM PDT by Smartass (Si vis pacem, para bellum - Por el dedo de Dios se escribiï¿½) Ignatius' Martyrdom by Lions in the Colosseum | Christian Persecution (Bible History Online) Ignatius' Martyrdom by Lions in the Colosseum Ignatius Martyrdom by Lions in the Colosseum 2nd Century A.D. Bishop of Antioch This painting reveals a Christian martyr who is being eaten by lions for the entertainment of the crowd. Persecution of the Christians was prevalent during the times of the Roman Empire. Lions and other wild animals would tear the Christians apart limb from limb. This painting is of an illuminated leaf from the Menologium of Basil II. Eastern Church service book.

Christian Persecution Paul said, "all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." Jesus said, "no servant is greater than his master, if they hated me they will hate you also." He also said, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake." Persecution is something that every Christian must welcome, there is no Christian who is not persecuted in some way. In fact the very word "witness" comes from a Greek word which is translated in English "martyr". When Christianity was born on the day of Pentecost, 50 days after the resurrection of Christ, the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem were the first to persecuted Christians. Later it was the Roman Empire who heavily persecuted Christianity. "Suffer me to become food for the wild beasts, through whose instrumentality it will be granted me to attain to God. I am the wheat of God, and let me be ground by the teeth of the wild beasts, that I may be found the pure bread of Christ." - Ignatius According to tradition there were 10 great persecutions upon the Christian church by the Roman Empire.

The most famous Roman Emperor who was a persecutor of the Christians was the Emperor Nero who subjected the Christian church to severe persecution in Rome in 64 A.D. and also in 65 A.D. and that is when the apostle Paul and the apostle Peter both perished. The author of the book of Revelation claims that he was in exile for the Christian faith on the island of Patmos near the end of the first century A.D. It is assumed that this persecution took place under the Emperor Domitian. Later Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, was martyred in 107 A.D. during the reign of Trajan. There was a conversation recorded in history of the Emperor Trajan and Pliny in 112 A.D. which makes clear that there was a growing persecution of Christians in Asia minor. Also in 177 A.D. there was a major persecution of Christians at Lyons under the reign of Marcus Aurelius. During the beginning of the third century A.D. the Roman Empire attempted to prevent any conversions to Christianity and during this time came about the sad story of the martyrdom of Perpetua and her companions at Carthage.

Later there was the persecution of Decius who required that every citizen of Rome sacrifice to the Emperor, which actually led to many apostasies within the church. The last major persecution within the Roman Empire was under the reign of Diocletian, and this was probably the most severe. In 303 A.D. Diocletian persecuted the Christians so intensely that he ordered the destruction of many churches, and many sacred books. In 313 A.D. the Emperor Constantine terminated persecutions with the Edict of Milan which granted toleration of the Christian church. Christian Persecution in Easton's Bible Dictionary The Christian church passed through many bloody persecutions. Of subsequent centuries in our own and in other lands the same sad record may be made. Christians are forbidden to seek the propagation of the gospel by force (Matt. 7:1; Luke 9:54-56; Rom. 14:4; James 4:11, 12). The words of Ps.

7:13, "He ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors," ought rather to be, as in the Revised Version, "He maketh his arrows fiery [shafts]." Read Full Article Also See: Heart Message A Constant Craving Rome had so conquered its domain, achieving dominion, knowledge and wealth in varied disciplines of warfare, science, art, & architecture among others, that citizens had leisure and could enjoy the glorious civilization. But nations, like individuals, when strife for survival is no longer demanding, can feel the emptiness inside of our fallen nature rather than being able to enjoy what was built. An entire population can become unruly when it has time on its hands. Governments should be directing their citizenï¿½s to higher aspirations, but without leadership, a people can fall to its baser instincts. Amusements have a shelf life before they become boring. A joke can only be told once and be funny. Wealth in our own time is producing darker and darker forms of entertainment as society is continually desensitized and requires more and more stimulation. The ugly bottom of this never-ending craving can become a bloodlust, the desire to see others suffer.

The self-hatred inside an empty soul can be hyped up and projected towards a scapegoat who seems offensive enough to be blamed for oneï¿½s own fallen emotions. The Romans offered up the Christians who in faith to Christ were trying not to ride along with the corrupted culture but received the forgiveness of God and fullness of the Holy Spirit. As Gladys Knight once sung, ï¿½Iï¿½d rather live in his world, than live without him in mine.ï¿½ The Bible mentions a lot regarding persecution: Psalms 69:26 - For they persecute [him] whom thou hast smitten; and they talk to the grief of those whom thou hast wounded. Jeremiah 17:18 - Let them be confounded that persecute me, but let not me be confounded: let them be dismayed, but let not me be dismayed: bring upon them the day of evil, and destroy them with double destruction. Romans 12:14 - Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.

Psalms 7:1 - O LORD my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me: Matthew 23:34 - Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and [some] of them ye shall kill and crucify; and [some] of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute [them] from city to city: Psalms 31:15 - My times [are] in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me. Jeremiah 29:18 - And I will persecute them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be removed to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse, and an astonishment, and an hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations whither I have driven them: Psalms 7:5 - Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take [it]; yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth, and lay mine honour in the dust.

Selah. Luke 21:12 - But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute [you], delivering [you] up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake. Matthew 5:44 - But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; Psalms 10:2 - The wicked in [his] pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined. Psalms 119:84 - How many [are] the days of thy servant? when wilt thou execute judgment on them that persecute me? Matthew 5:11 - Blessed are ye, when [men] shall revile you, and persecute [you], and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Matthew 10:23 - But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come. John 5:16 - And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day. John 15:20 - Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. Psalms 35:3 - Draw out also the spear, and stop [the way] against them that persecute me: say unto my soul, I [am] thy salvation. Luke 11:49 - Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and [some] of them they shall slay and persecute: Psalms 35:6 - Let their way be dark and slippery: and let the angel of the LORD persecute them.

Psalms 83:15 - So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm. Psalms 119:86 - All thy commandments [are] faithful: they persecute me wrongfully; help thou me. Lamentations 3:66 - Persecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of the LORD. Job 19:28 - But ye should say, Why persecute we him, seeing the root of the matter is found in me? Psalms 71:11 - Saying, God hath forsaken him: persecute and take him; for [there is] none to deliver [him]. Job 19:22 - Why do ye persecute me as God, and are not satisfied with my flesh? Lamentations 3:43 - Thou hast covered with anger, and persecuted us: thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied. Psalms 143:3 - For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead.

Galatians 4:29 - But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him [that was born] after the Spirit, even so [it is] now. Deuteronomy 30:7 - And the LORD thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies, and on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee. Isaiah 14:6 - He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, [and] none hindereth. Galatians 1:13 - For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it: Psalms 109:16 - Because that he remembered not to shew mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man, that he might even slay the broken in heart. Matthew 5:12 - Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great [is] your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Acts 7:52 - Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted?

and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: Acts 26:11 - And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled [them] to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted [them] even unto strange cities. John 15:20 - Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. 1 Corinthians 4:12 - And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it: Galatians 1:23 - But they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed. Revelation 12:13 - And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man [child]. Psalms 119:161 - SCHIN.

Princes have persecuted me without a cause: but my heart standeth in awe of thy word. Matthew 5:10 - Blessed [are] they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Acts 22:4 - And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women. 1 Corinthians 15:9 - For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 1 Thessalonians 2:15 - Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men: 2 Corinthians 4:9 - Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

Question: Which Christian martyr was first bishop of Rome?
Answer: St. Peter