The Catacombs and Christian Persecutions The catacombs are the ancient underground cemeteries used by the Christians and the Jewish people in Rome. The Christian catacombs began in the second century and the hollowing out continued until the first half of the fifth century. In the beginning they were only burial places, but later they gathered to celebrate their funeral rites, and the anniversaries of the saints and of the dead. During the persecutions the catacombs …showed first 75 words of 779 total…

…showed last 75 words of 779 total…large percentage with heroism, but they did not submit to it without resistance. They defended themselves with great strength by defeating the accusations of those crimes as being false and groundless and by producing the contents of their faith. Bibliography 1.) Celebrating Sacraments Joseph Stoutzenberger 2.) Church and State in Early Christianity, ca. 30-600 Hugo Rahner Translated by Leo Donald Advise 3.) The Oxford Illustrated History of Christianity John McManners 4.) The Rise of Christianity W.H.C. Frend