- Inculcation of “asebeia” (“not believing in the gods of the state”) as an offense was introduced in ancient Greece and used as an easy way to prosecute philosophers.
- Socrates was killed on such a charge (though devout, there were political problems with him as a gadfly irritating the Athenian horse, though ).
- “The specifics of the charge were that his reference to his personal daimōn constituted an attempt to introduce a new illicit cult, which would have been centered upon himself.” -EB.
Failed proscription of Christianity
- At one point in time, Christians were required to prove fealty to the Roman deities by sacrifice (disallowed in Christianity) certified in a scroll.
- Christian exaggerations - C Moss
Little peace
- Some generous Roman Emperors (Gallenus) in mid-late 3rd cen, who put a stop to persecutions of the Christian faith during a crucial period in its history. This is commemorated in Christian history as the “Little peace of the church”. From 260 to 302 AD