History of Persecutions By Christians

History Of Persecutions By Christians

This article gives a historical overview of Christian positions on Persecution of Christians and the History of persecutions by Christians, and more generically on religious persecution and toleration. Christian theologians like Augustine of Hippo and Thomas Aquinas had legitimized religious persecution to various extents and, during the Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, Christians considered heresy and dissent to be punishable offences. However, Early modern Europe witnessed the turning point in the history of Christian thought on persecution and tolerance. Christian writers like John Milton and John Locke argued for limited religious toleration, and later authors like Thomas Jefferson developed the concept of religious freedom. Christians nowadays generally accept that heresy and dissent are not punishable by a civil authority. Many Christians "look back on the centuries of persecution with a mixture of revulsion and incomprehension." Despite this, discrimination, criticism, and proselytism by individual Christians and Christian groups continues.