Ancient Writings of Pliny the Younger and Emperor Trajan

Evidence ID: HIS-EV20

Evidence: Ancient Writings of Pliny the Younger and Emperor Trajan

Summary: Pliny the Younger, the Roman imperial governor of Bithynia in Asia Minor, consulted with Emperor Trajan regarding the treatment of Christians in his province. His letter to Trajan offers important details on the practices of the Christian community, most notably their worship of Jesus as God.

Description: Pliny the Younger (ca. 61-113 AD) was born Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus. He was Roman imperial governor of Bithynia in Asia Minor from 110-117 A.D under the reign of Trajan. Pliny the Younger authored hundreds of letters that later became literary works of which 247 of his letters survived and became of great historical value.

Pliny the Younger was the nephew of the Pliny the Elder (ca. 23-79 AD) who served as an author, naturalist and philosopher under Emperor Vespasian reign from 69-79 AD.

In Pliny the Younger's tenth letter to Trajan (ca. 112 AD), he speaks of Christian in the province of Bithynia. He wrote that Christian had influenced the local culture to such a degree that pagan temples and festivals were deserted. This caused him to interrogate and persecute Christians. If Christians did not recant and turn from their faith, they were executed or tortured to obtain information about other members of the church.

Meanwhile, in the case of those who were denounced to me as Christians, I have observed the following procedure: I interrogated these as to whether they were Christians; those who confessed I interrogated a second and a third time, threatening them with punishment; those who persisted I ordered executed. For I had no doubt that, whatever the nature of their creed, stubbornness and inflexible obstinacy surely deserve to be punished. There were others possessed of the same folly; but because they were Roman citizens, I signed an order for them to be transferred to Rome.

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.

I therefore postponed the investigation and hastened to consult you. For the matter seemed to me to warrant consulting you, especially because of the number involved. For many persons of every age, every rank, and also of both sexes are and will be endangered. For the contagion of this superstition has spread not only to the cities but also to the villages and farms. But it seems possible to check and cure it. It is certainly quite clear that the temples, which had been almost deserted, have begun to be frequented, that the established religious rites, long neglected, are being resumed, and that from everywhere sacrificial animals are coming, for which until now very few purchasers could be found. Hence it is easy to imagine what a multitude of people can be reformed if an opportunity for repentance is afforded. (Excerpts from Pliny the Younger to the Emperor Trajan, Letters 10.96-97)

From this lengthy passage, we learn several facts about Christians and Jesus:

We can also assume from this letter that the Christian community in 112 AD in Bithynia in Asia Minor was populous and well organized with church leaders, governance (creeds, doctrines), and standard meeting times and practices (singing hymns). The church also attracted a wide range of people and was effective at crossing socio-economic boundaries in spite of Roman laws prohibiting religious freedom.

Emperor Trajan's response supported Pliny the Younger's efforts to eradicate the Christian movement in Bithynia.

You observed proper procedure, my dear Pliny, in sifting the cases of those who had been denounced to you as Christians. For it is not possible to lay down any general rule to serve as a kind of fixed standard. They are not to be sought out; if they are denounced and proved guilty, they are to be punished, with this reservation, that whoever denies that he is a Christian and really proves it--that is, by worshiping our gods--even though he was under suspicion in the past, shall obtain pardon through repentance. But anonymously posted accusations ought to have no place in any prosecution. For this is both a dangerous kind of precedent and out of keeping with the spirit of our age.

From this we learn that "anonymously posted accusations" or heresy regarding a person's association with the Christian community should not be prosecuted. This temperance toward Christians was encouraged by other emperors such as Emperor Hadrian [HIS-EV21].

Pliny the Younger was personally involved in the interrogation of Christians. He is an eyewitness to the activities of the Christian community and therefore speaks with historical authority. Further, manuscripts of his original letters exist today.

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