What was Marcus Aurelius's view of and interactions with Christianity?
Upvote:10
It seems there may be one interesting encounter which is recorded regarding Marcus Aurelius and the Christian population at the time. Marcus gives some credit to prayer by Christians within his forces to an event during his campaign in the north (here from Apology):
For having cast themselves on the ground, they prayed not only for me, but also for the whole army as it stood, that they might be delivered from the present thirst and famine. For during five days we had got no water, because there was none; for we were in the heart of Germany, and in the enemy's territory. And simultaneously with their casting themselves on the ground, and praying to God (a God of whom I am ignorant), water poured from heaven, upon us most refreshingly cool, but upon the enemies of Rome a withering(3) hail.
and this apparently caused a declaration before the Senate :
Founding upon this, then, let us pardon such as are Christians, lest they pray for and obtain such a weapon against ourselves. And I counsel that no such person be accused on the ground of his being a Christian. But if any one be found laying to the charge of a Christian that he is a Christian, I desire that it be made manifest that he who is accused as a Christian, and acknowledges that he is one, is accused of nothing else than only this, that he is a Christian; but that he who arraigns him be burned alive. And I further desire, that he who is entrusted with the government of the province shall not compel the Christian, who confesses and certifies such a matter, to retract; neither shall he commit him. And I desire that these things be confirmed by a decree of the Senate. And I command this my edict to be published in the Forum of Trajan, in order that it may be read.
So, it appears that he experienced what he interpreted as a miraculous intervention, enough that he forbade punishment of Christians merely for their faith. Please note the author of the above document is not Marcus Aurelius himself, but the individual mentioned in the question, Justin Martyr, so this writing is obviously 'biased' from a Christian viewpoint.
The view expressed in Apology, does not seem to be held by some later historians however. Gibbon, in his HISTORY OF THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE, discusses this in Chapter XVI: Conduct Towards The Christians, From Nero To Constantine.βPart V:
The edict of Marcus Antoninus is supposed to have been the effect of his devotion and gratitude for the miraculous deliverance which he had obtained in the Marcomannic war. The distress of the legions, the seasonable tempest of rain and hail, of thunder and of lightning, and the dismay and defeat of the barbarians, have been celebrated by the eloquence of several Pagan writers. If there were any Christians in that army, it was natural that they should ascribe some merit to the fervent prayers, which, in the moment of danger, they had offered up for their own and the public safety. But we are still assured by monuments of brass and marble, by the Imperial medals, and by the Antonine column, that neither the prince nor the people entertained any sense of this signal obligation, since they unanimously attribute their deliverance to the providence of Jupiter, and to the interposition of Mercury.During the whole course of his reign, Marcus despised the Christians as a philosopher, and punished them as a sovereign.
More post
- π How did the "Standard Model" physics theory get that name?
- π What evidence is there that Lenin died because he was poisoned?
- π What is the current location of the "Cauldron of Trun and Chambios" from August 1944?
- π What do the insignias on the collar shown in this photograph stand for?
- π Has a sovereign Communist government ever run, and conceded loss, on a fair election?
- π How did Hindenburg and Ludendorff lose WWI?
- π When did steel first appear?
- π How did Heian Era Japanese Clans work? (esp. Taira vs. Minamoto)
- π Did the USSR have any position on global warming?
- π Why was the movement for Austro-German unity less successful than that of Italian unity?
- π Was the Jewish population expelled from the Jerusalem after the siege of 70 AD or after the Bar Kokhba revolt?
- π What is the nature of questions that can be answered by historical sources and methods?
- π Could skirmishers pass through friendly formations in ancient/medieval warfare?
- π Were the Huns and Mongols at one point rivals?
- π When did coal replace firewood in early America?
- π Where is Ernst Kummer's grave located?
- π Why did peasant serfdom last longer in Eastern Europe than in Western?
- π Did ancient or medieval warriors "substitute" in and out of combat?
- π Can anyone explain why the Scottish flag on this map from 1504 has a red cross on a white background?
- π Please help to identify these coins
- π By what right/legitimacy did the Republic of Indonesia come to rule the country?
- π Who is 'Chlodebaudo/Chlodebaud' in the Merovingian-era Clovis I genealogy & Charlemagne ancestry, supposedly mentioned in a Salic Law manuscript?
- π Who was DΓ©Ε« Singh Baru, final raja of Nuwakot, Kakani?
- π What was the largest warship sunk by a Motor Torpedo Boat in WW2?
- π Who was Woodburn Heron?
- π Have map projections and distortions ever affected treaties?
- π How powerful and influential was the "last caliph" Abdul Mejid?
- π Why did the Zimmerman telegram upset America if it was not asking for aggression against America?
- π Was Kandhar/Gandhar renamed Afghanistan?
- π Sino-Taiwanese air clashes
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- π What was Marcus Aurelius's view of and interactions with Christianity?
- π When was the term "Dravida" first used and what is the context with which it was presented?
- π What was up with "Alicorn" in the 1920's and 30's
- π Was murdering a slave illegal in American slavery, and if so, what punishments were given for it?
- π What was wrong with Hitler's left hand?
- π What is the evidence to claim that political order in ancient Rome was sufficiently different under "kingdom", "republic" and "empire"?
- π What was the average height of Roman men and women?
- π What was the shortest time between a historical event occuring and a museum opening dedicated to said event?
- π What exactly was East Prussia between 1933 and 1945? Was it part of a larger government, and which one?
- π What was the most recent country to be conquered and disappear?
- π What goods did Germany trade during World War II, and with whom?
- π What was the Mantineian form of government and what praise did it receive?
- π What was used instead of toilet paper in the US and the UK prior to 1900?
- π What exactly happened with beer and Leeuwarden in 1487?
- π What is the silver object on the desk and what is 'Elizabeth I' doing with it?
- π What is the name and meaning of a World War 2 CCC Medal with both the Polish Eagle and British Statant Gardant Lion?
- π What was the life expectancy of an ancient Roman child and adult?
- π What was the role of Indian princes and aristocratic landowners under British colonial rule?
- π At what point, and why, did snuff tobacco fall out of favor with European nobility?
- π What percentage of British and American troops were involved in direct combat with enemy in World War II
- π What is this metallic object with teeth in mouth, screw to tighten and a handle?
- π What goods did Germany trade during the Weimar Republic, and with whom?
- π What was Gandhi's post-factum view of the Partition?
- π What did European people of the 5th century AD eat during spring and what was the availability?
- π What was El Greco's relationship with the Spanish Inquisition?
- π What was a "searcher" associated with a funeral in 1690?
- π Was the Iraqi Mukhabarat modelled on the German Reichssicherheitshauptamt, and in what ways?
- π Can anyone tell me what this coin was used for, an approximate date and possibly what itβs worth?
- π In the British empire, what was the difference between a Governor General and a Viceroy?
- π Why was ancient Christianity more successful than the Roman pantheon and Judaism in gaining followers?