The ancient Roman Empire perished from plagues. During the reign of Emperor Diocletian, the nobility lived in corruption and decadence, and they treated prisoners of war and slaves inhumanely. For example, there was a practice of killing slaves and using them as food for giant eels. It was believed that doing so would make the meat of the eels tender and delicious.
In contrast, Christians who practiced charity, no matter whether they were wealthy or ordinary people, refused to enter the Colosseum to watch prisoners of war and slaves fight to the death. The Christians who were wealthy also unconditionally released their slaves.
The pure personal life of Christians was in sharp contrast to the generally debauched and extravagant social atmosphere of the time, which made many depraved people, especially those in power, feel threatened. So the ruling class ordered the destruction of churches, and Christians were forced to choose between abandoning their faith and death.
Large numbers of devout Christians were burned alive, hanged, or thrown into the Colosseum to be killed by lions. After the persecution of Christians began, the Roman Empire suffered four terrible outbreaks of plagues until it was destroyed.
Church historian Euagrius witnessed a plague firsthand. He recorded the outbreak of the epidemic as follows: “In some people, it began from the head, with swollen eyes and face, followed by sore throat, and then these people disappeared forever from the crowd.”
In the first wave of plagues, the population of the Roman Empire was reduced by one-third. In the capital city of Constantinople alone, more than half of the people died. After the fourth outbreak, the Roman Empire was doomed to perish.
Miracles during the plague
Euagrius also wrote: “The ways of infection are different for everyone and cannot be described one by one. There are some who even live with infected people and have contact not only with the infected, but also with the dead, but they are not infected at all. Still others, who have lost all their children and relatives and wish to embrace death themselves, cling tightly to the sick so that they too may die, but as though the disease is unwilling to grant their wish, they are still alive despite all their struggles.”
Euagrius’s description of the great plague is chilling, but the miraculous events he described are often overlooked, and the message behind these miracles is what we are looking for. Why did the plague not infect some people even though they lived with the dead and dying?
People often use the metaphor “plagues have eyes” to express the idea that they can see who to infect based on the person’s lack of moral character or as punishment for wrongdoing. But do plagues really have eyes?
In the West, plagues have been called the “Scourge of God,” and in China, plagues are often associated with the “god and ghost of Plague.” Ancient people believed human evil deeds caused the great plagues and epidemics and that people would be rewarded for virtue and punished for vice. It was thus thought that since so many bad things had been done by the Romans, such a plague was inevitable.
In normal times, good people and bad people all eat, drink, sleep, and live the same way. But when an epidemic comes, the division between good and evil is life and death itself. How can people survive? In addition to accumulating virtue and doing good deeds, it is more important to stay away from, or separate oneself from, evil groups.
Translated by Patty Zhang
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