M
mythbuster1
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Thus sayeth the Lord, “Whoever confesses Me before men, I will confess before My Father, and whoever denies Me before men, I will deny before My Father,” and again, “Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.”
As for the great persecutions, I speak of the times of fierce persecution by the Romans. Deicius and Diocletan, in particular, required all people throughout the Empire to sacrifice to the gods of Rome and obtain a notarized document called a libellus testifying to that fact, condemning all who refused as guilty of treason. Some Christians betrayed the Faith by performing the sacrifices; many more bribed officials to draft forged libelli for them. Both were judged by the Church to be guilty of apostasy, requiring Confession and severe public penance to be restored.
As for the great persecutions, I speak of the times of fierce persecution by the Romans. Deicius and Diocletan, in particular, required all people throughout the Empire to sacrifice to the gods of Rome and obtain a notarized document called a libellus testifying to that fact, condemning all who refused as guilty of treason. Some Christians betrayed the Faith by performing the sacrifices; many more bribed officials to draft forged libelli for them. Both were judged by the Church to be guilty of apostasy, requiring Confession and severe public penance to be restored.