event
Decian persecution
Also known as Edict of Decius (250)
high
- start. 249high · Wikidata P580
- end. 250high · Wikidata P582
Empire-wide demand to sacrifice (250); many complied, producing the 'lapsed' controversy; Origen was tortured.
Wikipedia extract
Christians were persecuted in 250 AD under the Roman emperor Decius. He had issued an edict ordering everyone in the empire to perform a sacrifice to the Roman gods and the well-being of the emperor. The sacrifices had to be performed in the presence of a Roman magistrate, and be confirmed by a signed and witnessed certificate from the magistrate. Although the text of the edict has been lost, many examples of the certificates have survived.
CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikipedia contributors. Source page
Sources
- Decian persecution · Wikipedia contributorsAccessed 2026-11-12 · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Wikidata Q2590336 · Wikidata contributorsAccessed 2026-11-12 · CC0 1.0
Authority files
Related
- Decius · person
- The Myth of Persecution · book
- Candida Moss · scholar
persecution · 3rd-century