Today I continue looking at ancient non-biblical sources. The next few posts will be focused on Roman government officials. First up is Pliny the Younger. Pliny was a "Roman author and administrator who served as the governor of Bithynia in Asia Minor."[1] Pliny is considered to be one of the world's greatest letter writers and 10 books that preserved his letters are still in existence today.
In his tenth book (c. 112 A.D.), Pliny mentions Christianity in his province as well as some information regarding Jesus. In a letter to Emperor Trajan, Pliny writes a fairly lengthy letter inquiring advice on how to proceed with driving out Christianity (we will read Trajan's response to Pliny in tomorrow's post). Here is just a small portion of what Pliny wrote:
They asserted, however, that the sum and substance of their fault or error had been that they were accustomed to meet on a fixed day before dawn and sing responsively a hymn to Christ as to a god, and to bind themselves by oath, not to some crime, but not to commit fraud, theft, or adultery, not falsify their trust, nor to refuse to return a trust when called upon to do so. When this was over, it was their custom to depart and to assemble again to partake of food-but ordinary and innocent food. Even this, they affirmed, they had ceased to do after my edict by which, in accordance with your instructions, I had forbidden political associations. Accordingly, I judged it all the more necessary to find out what the truth was by torturing two female slaves who were called deaconesses. But I discovered nothing else but depraved, excessive superstition.[2]
From this it is possible to pick out the following facts regarding the worship practices of the early Christians[3]:
- Christ was worshipped as a deity by early believers (seems to be a high Christology in practice).
- The teachings of Jesus were called "excessive superstition" and "contagious superstition."
- Jesus' ethical teachings are reflected as an oath taken by Christians never to be guilty of a number of sins mentioned in the letter.
- A possible reference to communion and the Christian celebration of the "love feast" which is their regathering and partaking of ordinary food.
- A possible reference to Sunday worship since Pliny says that they met "on a certain day."
- Christians were identifiable by their worship practice and what they refused to worship - this allowed Pliny to target Christians for interrogation as well as execution.
- Pliny reports that true believers could not be forced to worship the gods or the emperor.
- Christian worship involved a pre-dawn service.
- This time of worship included the singing of hymns.
- The Christians came from all classes, ages, localities and sexes.
- There was structure and positions in the church since Pliny mentions two deaconesses who were tortured for information.
- Habermas, Gary R. The Historical Jesus: Ancient Evidence for the Life of Christ. Joplin, MO: College Press Publishing, 2008, 197.
- Pliny the Younger, Letters 10.96-97.
- Habermas, Gary R. The Historical Jesus: Ancient Evidence for the Life of Christ. Joplin, MO: College Press Publishing, 2008, 200-201.