Question

The Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in the year A.D.________.

Answer 1

1. The Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in the year of 70 AD.

The first Temple was built by King Solomon for seven years in the 10th century BC. The first Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC. The construction of the new Temple began 535 BC and it is completed in 516 BC. The rebuilding of the Temple was approved by Darius I. It was, however, destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. Despite the fact that the Temple was destroyed, all the outer walls still stand, and for a long time, it was believed that only the west wall stood.

 

The provincial governors in Rome were given orders to openly persecute the Christians by Emperor Trajan.

This can be concluded from the letter sent to him by Pliny, governor of Bithynia (province of Asia Minor). He had doubts about the investigation and the way of punishing those who were accused as Christians because he never been present at any trials of Christians. This implies that there have already been trials for Christians and that he did not know the details about Trajan’s decree of prosecuting Christians.

 

The Roman emperor who passed a decree to require everyone to participate in the cult of emperor worship was Decius.

Emperor Decius (249-251) announced the edict that orders everyone to do sacrifice to the Roman gods and to him personally. According to the edict, the sacrifice had to be carried out in the presence of a Roman magistrate who issued a certificate that this had been done. There is no evidence that it was directed against the Christians, but it was fatal for them because was contrary to their beliefs.

 

1 Peter 3:17: "For it is better, if  God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong."

The quote is from the First Epistle of Peter, which is part of the New Testament. It is written by Peter the Apostle in Rome (where he was a bishop) as the letter which is sent to believers in Asia Minor who were persecuted and tortured.

 

The most damaging charge brought against the Christians in Rome was that they were constant law-breakers who did not discharge their duties to the state.

The Roman authorities consider Christians as opponents of the state that promoted treasonous activities and they were apprehended for disobedience. Suspected Christians have often refused to deviate from Christianity in order to comply themselves with acts of a state cult, which was understood as a public cancellation of loyalty to the state.