The Invention of Christian Suffering: Christian Identity in the Roman Empire

Christians weren’t the most persecuted people in the Roman Empire, but they crafted a new point-of-view that allowed the general populace to find meaning in their suffering.  This lecture explores the evidence for Christian martyrdom across the Mediterranean before the Emperor Constantine, and makes the case for a more nuanced understanding of the Christian discourse of persecution. It focuses on Christianity’s novel ideological commitment to giving voice to the ‘sufferer’.

Zoom link: https://utoronto.zoom.us/j/87961010908

This public lecture is hosted by the Canadian Institute of Mediterranean Studies and is co-sponsored by the University of Toronto Department of Classics.

The Invention of Christian Suffering: Christian Identity in the Roman Empire
Thursday, March 9, 2023 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm EST
Justin Hamblin-Yule, PhD student, Department of Classics, University of Toronto