Since Christians were now a sizable part of the population, instructions
were given to Governors to make every effort to persuade them to abjure
their faith rather than be martyred. Those who stubbornly refused to
conform would forfeit their property and perish.
The Decian persecution came as a shock to a Church that had enjoyed
peace for most of the previous fifty years. The good relations with
Alexander Severus and Philip the Arab tended to make many faithful
believe that the struggle with paganism was virtually won. Much of the
austerity and vigilance proper to times of persecution had waned, to the
displeasure of men such as Origen and St. Cyprian of Carthage. Again, the
first victim of persecution was the Bishop of Rome, Pope Fabian, who was
unhesitatingly targeted by Decius. Immediately after Fabian’s death Decius
declared that he hoped to never hear of the election of another Bishop of
Rome.
Nor could a successor be elected as the persecution raged in earnest.
Within just two months after its promulgation, Decius’ decree claimed the
lives of the Bishops of Rome, Carthage, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem
and Toulouse. The bishop of Smyrna apostatized, together with thousands
of others throughout the Empire, especially Rome and North Africa.¹ Many
others, including priests and bishops, went into hiding or took flight
beyond the boundaries of the Empire. On the other hand, many great names
were enrolled into the Acts of the Martyrs, names that have lived on
throughout the centuries: the priest Pionius, Bishop Dionysius of
Alexandria, Origen, Celerinus, Bishop Nestor of Pamphylia, Isidore and
Agatha.
Success for Decius seemed imminent; the situation for the Christians,
perilous. But at this same time Gothic barbarians crossed the Danube River
and penetrated into the Balkans. Decius was forced to leave Rome with his
army to meet the challenge. In his absence, the persecution was relaxed.
Decius was defeated in his first encounter with the Goths in Thrace. In his
second encounter at Dobrudja near the mouth of the Danube he vanished in
the midst of the marshes, never to be seen again.
1
There were various classes of apostates: the Thurificati – those that offered
incense to the gods; the Sacrificati –
those that offered sacrifice to the gods; the
Libellatici
– those who evaded persecution by dishonestly obtaining documents
certifying that they had offered incense or sacrifice.
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