Early Christian Beliefs About Sacrifice Certificates Under Persecution
Early Christians treated certificates of sacrifice as tied to real idolatry, not as a harmless formality. Cyprian said unlawful certificates could count as testimony to idols, and Peter of Alexandria warned against tricks used to avoid sacrifice. Justin Martyr, Tertullian, and Lactantius also show Christians refusing sacrifice even under threat. The main teaching is clear: do not sacrifice to idols, and do not treat a fake or bought certificate as morally clean.
121 early-church witnesses · 239 source quotations · compared with Scripture
What did early Christians believe about certificates of Sacrifice Under Persecution?
Early Christian writers strongly taught that believers must not sacrifice to idols, and they treated the state’s demand for sacrifice as a real test of faith. Cyprian is the clearest witness on certificates, saying that Christians who unlawfully got or used wicked certificates were still counted as having given testimony to idols, even if they did not stand at the altar.
Peter of Alexandria also treated people who tried to avoid sacrifice by tricks or substitute actions as needing repentance, while Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Lactantius, and others describe Christians refusing commands to sacrifice under threat. The evidence is broad and consistent on refusal of sacrifice, and very direct on the moral problem of certificates tied to that refusal;
the only thin part is that the exact term for the certificates appears mainly in Cyprian and Peter rather than across many authors. Many more early Christian quotations, Bible passages, and source links are gathered below so you can study the evidence for yourself.
Key Takeaways
- Cyprian said unlawful certificates could count as giving testimony to idols.
- Peter of Alexandria treated fake avoidance of sacrifice as needing repentance.
- Justin Martyr and other writers describe Christians refusing sacrifice even when threatened.
- The main issue is idolatry under pressure, not just paperwork.
Questions Answered by the Sources
Did early Christians refuse to sacrifice to idols under persecution?
The sources show Christians refusing to sacrifice to idols even when officials demanded it or threatened punishment. Martyr acts, Cyprian, Tertullian, and related Bible texts all point to refusal as the faithful response.
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Cyprian, Epistles Direct teaching
We are not saying this dishonestly. Our earlier letters have already proved it. In them, we clearly told you what we believe, both against those who showed themselves unfaithful by unlawfully obtaining wicked certificates, as if they thought they could escape the devil’s trapping nets. Yet they were caught by that very act no less than if they had gone up to the wicked altars, because by those certificates they had given testimony to him. We also spoke against those who used those certificates after they were made, even though they were not present when they were made, since they had certainly claimed their presence by ordering them to be written that way. For a man is not free from wickedness if he ordered it to be done, nor is he free from the crime if it is publicly declared with his consent, even though he did not do it himself. And since the whole mystery of faith is understood to be contained in the confession of the name of Christ, whoever looks for deceitful tricks to excuse himself has denied Christ. And whoever wants to seem to have satisfied the edicts or laws issued against the Gospel has, by that very fact, obeyed those edicts because he wanted to seem to have obeyed t
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Cyprian, Epistles Supporting witness
...ttempted certain things. For a time he set himself up as an authority for untrained people, so that certificates written by his hand were given indiscriminately to many people in the name of Paulus. But Mappalicus the martyr, careful and modest, mindful of the law and discipline, wrote no letters contrary to the Gospel. Rather, moved only by family affection for his mother, who had fallen, he ordered that peace be given to her. Moreover, Saturninus, after his torture, while still remaining in prison, sent out no letters of this kind. But Lucian, not only while Paulus was still in prison, gave out everywhere in his name certificates written with his own hand, but even after his death he kept doing the same things under his name, saying that Paulus had commanded him to do this. He did not know that he must obey the Lord rather than his fellow servant. Also, in the name of Aurelius, a young man who had undergone torture, many certificates were given, written by the hand of the same Lucian, because Aurelius himself did not know how to write.
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Cyprian, Epistles Direct teaching
...who sacrificed, what a lack of mercy it is, and how bitter the hardship, to join those who received certificates with those who sacrificed. For the man from whom a certificate was obtained may say, “I had already read, and had been taught by the bishop’s message, that we must not sacrifice to idols, and that the servant of God ought not to worship images. Therefore, so that I might not do this unlawful thing, when the chance to receive a certificate was offered, which I also should not have received unless the opportunity had been put before me, I either went myself, or told someone else who was going to the magistrate, to say that I am a Christian, that I am not allowed to sacrifice, that I cannot come to the devil’s altars, and that I pay money for this purpose, so that I may not do what it is not lawful for me to do.” But now even the man who is stained by having received a certificate, after he has learned from our warnings that he ought not even to have done this, and that although his hand is clean and no contact with deadly food has polluted his lips, yet his conscience is still polluted, weeps when he hears us, and mourns. He is now warned about the matter in which he si
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Cyprian, Epistles Supporting witness
and therefore, in order that I might not do this which was net lawful, when the opportunity of receiving a certificate was offered, which itself also I should not have received, unless the opportunity had been put before me, I either went or charged some other person going to the magistrate, to say that I am a Christian, that I am not allowed to sacrifice, that I cannot come to the devil's altars, and that I pay a price for this purpose, that I may not do what is not lawful for me to do.
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Peter of Alexandria, Canonical Epistle Direct teaching
for some of those who witnessed to the faith and suffered for it, pardoned those who by an artifice, as has been said, escaped offering sacrifice, and admitted them to communion with the faithful, because they studiously avoided offering sacrifice to demons.
What did early Christians say about certificates of sacrifice?
Cyprian explicitly condemns unlawful certificates and says they were treated as testimony to the devil; Peter of Alexandria discusses people who avoided direct sacrifice by deception, including giving writings or arranging others to sacrifice in their place. These sources show that the certificate issue was treated as a real pastoral and disciplinary problem.
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Tertullian, Apology Supporting witness
...an obstinate refusal to offer sacrifices, he found in their religious services nothing but meetings early in the morning for singing hymns to Christ and God, and sealing their way of life by a united pledge to remain faithful to their religion, forbidding murder, adultery, dishonesty, and other crimes. In reply, Trajan wrote back that Christians were by no means to be sought out. But if they were brought before him, they should be punished. O miserable deliverance. Under the necessities of the case, it is a self-contradiction. It forbids them to be sought out, as innocent, and it commands them to be punished, as guilty. It is at once merciful and cruel. It passes by, and it punishes. Why do you play this game of evasion with yourself, O Judgment? If you condemn, why do you not also inquire? If you do not inquire, why do you not also absolve? Military stations are set throughout all the provinces for tracking robbers. Against traitors and public enemies every man is a soldier. Search is made even for their confederates and accessories. The Christian alone must not be sought, though he may be brought and accused before the judge, as if a search had any other end than that! And so
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Justin Martyr, The Martyrdom of Justin Martyr Direct teaching
Having come together, offer sacrifice with one accord to the gods.” Justin said, “No right-thinking person falls away from piety to impiety.” Rusticus the prefect said, “Unless ye obey, ye shall be mercilessly punished.” Justin said, “Through prayer we can be saved on account of our Lord Jesus Christ, even when we have been punished, because this shall become to us salvation and confidence at the more fearful and universal judgment-seat of our Lord and Saviour.” Thus also said the other martyrs: “Do what you will, for we are Christians, and do not sacrifice to idols.”
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Justin Martyr, The Martyrdom of Justin Martyr Direct teaching
Rusticus the prefect pronounced sentence, saying, “Let those who have refused to sacrifice to the gods and to yield to the command of the emperor be scourged, and led away to suffer the punishment of decapitation, according to the laws.” The holy martyrs having glorified God, and having gone forth to the accustomed place, were beheaded, and perfected their testimony in the confession of the Saviour.
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Lactantius, Of the Manner in Which the Persecutors Died Supporting witness
and he authorized them to compel the Christians to sacrifice to idols, and, on their refusal, to bring them before the civil magistrate;
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Lactantius, Of the Manner in Which the Persecutors Died Supporting witness
for the judges, dispersed through all the temples, sought to compel every one to sacrifice.
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Justin Martyr, The Martyrdom of Justin Martyr Supporting witness
the time of the lawless partisans of idolatry, wicked decrees were passed against the godly Christians in town and country, to force them to offer libations to vain idols;
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Tertullian, De Corona Supporting witness
...reature is defiled by a mere word, as the apostle teaches, "But if anyone says, 'This is offered in sacrifice to idols,' you must not touch it," 1 Corinthians 10:28, how much more is it polluted by the dress, and rites, and pomp of what is offered to the gods. So the crown also is shown to be an offering to idols. For with this ceremony, and dress, and pomp, it is presented in sacrifice to idols, its originators, to whom its use is especially given over. And chiefly for this reason: that what has no place among the things of God may not be admitted into use with us as with others. Therefore the apostle cries out, "Flee idolatry," 1 Corinthians 10:14. Certainly he means idolatry whole and entire. Think about what a thicket it is, and how many thorns lie hidden in it. Nothing must be given to an idol, and so nothing must be taken from one. If it is inconsistent with faith to recline in an idol temple, what is it to appear in an idol dress? What communion have Christ and Belial? Therefore flee from it. For he commands us to keep at a distance from idolatry, to have no close dealings with it of any kind. Even an earthly serpent sucks in men from some distance with its breath. Going
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Cyprian, Epistles Supporting witness
...uggles and hardships took place in these regions, both generally among everyone and privately among Christians. There were also many frequent earthquakes, so that many places throughout Cappadocia and Pontus were destroyed. Even some cities, pulled down into the abyss, were swallowed up when the earth opened wide. Because of this, a severe persecution also arose against us because of the Christian name. And after the long peace of the former age, it came suddenly, and by its unusual evils it was made more terrible because of the disorder among our people. Serenianus was then governor in our province, a bitter and terrible persecutor. But when the faithful were put into this troubled condition, and were fleeing here and there out of fear of the persecution, leaving their country and crossing into other regions—for there was a chance to cross over, because that persecution was not over the whole world, but local—there suddenly arose among us a certain woman who, in a state of ecstasy, declared that she was a prophetess and acted as if she were filled with the Holy Spirit. And she was so driven by the force of the chief demons that for a long time she troubled and deceived the brot
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Lactantius, Of the Manner in Which the Persecutors Died Supporting witness
The office of those men was to make daily sacrifices to all their gods, and, with the aid of the former priests, to prevent the Christians from erecting churches, or from worshipping God either publicly or in private;
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Lactantius, Of the Manner in Which the Persecutors Died Supporting witness
Being of such a character, she made sacrifices almost every day, and she feasted her servants on the meat offered to idols: but the Christians of her family would not partake of those entertainments;
More related quotations from this section 2 shown
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Julius Africanus, Extant Writings Supporting witness
The Emperor Adrian said to the holy Symphorosa, “Either offer sacrifice with your sons to the almighty gods, or I will have you yourself sacrificed along with your sons.” The blessed Symphorosa answered, “And from where does this great good come to me, that I should be counted worthy, along with my sons, to be offered as a sacrifice to God?” The Emperor Adrian said, “I will have you sacrificed to my gods.” The blessed Symphorosa replied, “Your gods cannot receive me as a sacrifice. But if I am burned for the name of Christ my God, I will instead consume those demons of yours.” The Emperor Adrian said, “Choose one of these two things: either sacrifice to my gods, or die a terrible death.” The blessed Symphorosa replied, “You think my mind can be changed by some kind of fear. But I long to rest with my husband Getulius, whom you put to death for Christ’s name.” Then the Emperor Adrian ordered that she be taken to the temple of Hercules, and there first struck on the face, and afterward hung up by her hair. But when he could not turn her away from her firm resolve by any argument or any fear, he ordered her to be thrown into the river with a large stone tied to her neck. And her broth
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Athenagoras, A Plea for the Christians Background
...s gods, and their wives with them. And the male cattle, if clean, and the male calves, are used for sacrifice by the Egyptians everywhere. But they are not allowed to sacrifice the females, since they are sacred to Isis. The statue of this goddess has the form of a woman, but with horns like a cow, like the Greek images of Io. And who could be more worthy of belief in making these statements than those who, in family succession, son from father, received not only the priesthood but also the history? For it is not likely that the priests, who make it their business to recommend the idols to men's reverence, would falsely say that they were men. If Herodotus alone had said that the Egyptians spoke in their histories of the gods as of men, when he says, "What they told me concerning their religion I do not intend to repeat, except only the names of their deities, matters of very small importance," it would be fitting for us not even to believe Herodotus, as if he were a teller of fables. But since Alexander and Hermes, surnamed Trismegistus, who shares with them the claim of eternity, and countless others also declare the same thing, there is no room left even for doubt that they,
How did early Christians describe martyrs and confessors during persecution?
The sources present martyrs and confessors as people who bore witness, suffered, or were readmitted after persecution. They also show later authors using martyrdom language to explain the value of faithful suffering.
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Peter of Alexandria, Canonical Epistle Direct teaching
...g, and did not do this plainly and openly, but instead used deceptive tricks to fool those who were using force against them, they were like David. When he was fleeing from Saul and was among strangers, he pretended to be insane, and in this way escaped death. So they made a mockery of their enemies’ traps, just as wise and sensible children outwit foolish children. For they deceived the ungodly heathen by appearing to offer sacrifice, even though they did not actually sacrifice. Or perhaps they persuaded heathens and unbelievers to take their place, and in this way made others seem to offer sacrifice for them. About such people, he says that a period of six months is enough for repentance. For although they did not sacrifice, still, because they promised to sacrifice, or sent others to do it in their place, they are considered to need repentance. This is so even though some of those who gave their testimony for the faith have forgiven some of them. He compares them to children because they did not stand bravely against the idolaters, but to wise children because by cleverness they avoided offering sacrifice.
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Peter of Alexandria, Canonical Epistle Supporting witness
...children those by whom the ungodly heathen were deceived, and also those who, although they did not sacrifice, still seemed to sacrifice. They were prudent, because up to that point they had avoided actually sacrificing. But they were children, because they did not show a full-grown and manly courage, and did not nobly resist the worshipers of idols. Instead, they agreed to sacrifice, even though they arranged for others to take their place, heathen people, of course, and unbelievers. And when those people sacrificed, they themselves were regarded as having sacrificed. For people of this kind, he says, a period of six months is enough for repentance. For although they did not sacrifice, yet because they agreed to sacrifice, or got others to do it for them, and so appeared to have sacrificed, they were judged to need repentance. This was so even though some confessors may have forgiven some of them. For some of those who bore witness to the faith and suffered for it forgave those who, by a trick as has been said, escaped offering sacrifice, and admitted them to communion with the faithful, because they carefully avoided offering sacrifice to demons. And because this period was se
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Peter of Alexandria, Canonical Epistle Supporting witness
but children, in that they did not show forth a mature and manly spirit, and did not nobly resist the worshippers of idols, but covenanted to sacrifice, even though they suborned some in their places, heathens, forsooth, and infidels, and when these sacrificed, they were considered to have sacrificed.
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Peter of Alexandria, Canonical Epistle Supporting witness
and those who have not nakedly written down their denial of the faith, but being in much tribulation, as boys endowed with sagacity and prudence among foolish children, have mocked the snares of their enemies, either passing by the altars, or giving a writing, or sending heathen to do sacrifice instead of themselves, even though some of them who have confessed have, as I have heard, pardoned individuals of them, since with the greatest caution they have avoided to touch the fire with their own hands, and to offer incense to the impure demons;
Common Questions
Did early Christians think a certificate of sacrifice made you innocent?
No. Cyprian said unlawful certificates still counted as giving testimony to idols, even when the person did not stand at the altar.
Did early Christians allow people to avoid sacrifice by tricks?
Not as a clean solution. Peter of Alexandria says some who used tricks to seem to sacrifice still needed repentance.
What did Christians do when rulers ordered them to sacrifice?
They often refused. Justin Martyr, Tertullian, and Lactantius describe Christians being punished because they would not sacrifice to idols.
Source Index for Certificates of Sacrifice Under Persecution
The guided sections above show the strongest quotations. This compact index highlights 160 ranked source links from 239 compiled sources for deeper study.
Source index 160 ranked links shown
Early Christian Writings 80 shown of 121
Primary-source quotations from early Christian writers and church documents.
Bible Passages 80 shown of 118
Related Bible passages saved for comparison with the early Christian quotations.