Table of Contents

• Introduction: The Cruelty and Fascination of Ancient Persecutions of Christians
• 1. The Marginalization of Christianity within Judaism
• 2. Christianity's Offensiveness: Ideological Parameters of the Ancient Conflicts
• 3. Legal Procedures and Punishments
• 4. Persecutions in Rome under Nero and Domitian
• 5. Christians as Victims of Local Police Actions (111–249)
• 6. A Decade of Persecution: From Decius to Valerian (249–260)
• 7. The Fiercest Attack on Ancient Christianity: The 'Great Persecution' under Diocletian and Its Aftermath
• 8. Later Repressions of Christians in the Roman Empire
• 9. Late Antique Persecutions outside the Roman Empire
• 10. The Dispute about Repentance after Apostasy
• Concluding Observations

About the Author

Wolfram Kinzig is Professor of Church History at the University of Bonn.

Markus Bockmuehl is Dean Ireland's Professor of the Exegesis of Holy Scripture at the University of Oxford.

Reviews

Kinzig's book is both an excellent guide to the useful primary sources on early Christian persecution and a careful narration of the events of the persecution.--Robert Winn "Fides et Historia"

The translation is accurate and highly readable, reflecting the clarity of the original.--Brent Shaw "Church History"