the provinces the majority of the Roman magistrates, whose hands held the power of life and death, were men of polished manners and liberal education who respected the rules of justice. They frequently declined the odious task of persecution; dismissed charges against Christians with contempt, as Pilate and Herod attempted to do with Jesus; or suggested legal evasions to accused Christians (Matt. 27:24; Luke 23:14–16,20,22). When possible, magistrates used their power to relieve rather than to oppress the Christians, and the pagan tribunals were often the Christians’ surest refuge against their accusers. The cruel persecution under the execrable tyrant Nero, who burned Christians to divert public suspicion from himself, forms one of the darkest pages in the history of Pagan Rome; but his victims were comparatively few. The victims of pagan persecution were not entire communities but prominent individuals. Even these persecutions of leading representatives were not so much the result of a fixed, persistent opposition by the government as they were the result of uncontrollable popular clamor, awakened by superstition, which the rulers satisfied in the interest of peace and order. Several illustrations are found in the career of the Apostle Paul, as well as in the lives of the other apostles (Acts 19:30–41; 25:24–27; 26:2,3,28). Between these persecutions there were often long periods of peace and quiet. Despite considerable harassment, Christianity prospered under the emperors of the Smyrna era. Message to Pergamos (A.D. 313–1157) Verse 12: And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; . . . The derivation of the name Pergamos is enlightening. Per is an article of emphasis, sometimes signifying “above” or “higher than,” usually before the genitive case. Thus the name Perga, generally understood to mean “earthy,” has also the sense of “above the earth” (Acts 13:13). The Greek word for a heap of earth is gaion, gaionos. Therefore, Pergamos (per-gaionos) would signify with emphasis “earthly height” or “elevation,” an appropriate description of Papacy’s rise to power. Interestingly, Pergamos was the name given to the citadel of Troy. Others suggest dividing the word into the two parts into which it naturally separates: per meaning “although” or “however” in the sense of calling attention to something objected to; and gamos meaning “marriage.” Hence Pergamos also conveys the thought of “although a marriage.” Probably both meanings are intended in the etymological signification. The one derivation describes Papacy’s rise to power; the other indicates a disapproval of the means by which this rise was accomplished—a certain marriage into worldly power. The angel of the Pergamos period, extending from A.D. 313 to 1157, was Arius the presbyter of Alexandria, Egypt, who first began to attract the attention of the Christian world about the year 312.17 His opposition to both the theory of lordship in the Church and the doctrine of the Trinity, which is of heathen derivation—as well as the general character, chronological location, scope, and influence of his teachings in and upon Christendom—indicates he was chosen by God for this office. ____________________________
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