Why Hated? (Part 2)
Thus far the truth concerning why Christians were hated by the Romans has been presented in response to the outrageous claims of a Columbia University professor that they were not innocent. In truth, they committed no crime except when Rome told them to engage in emperor worship, and they refused. But the professor came up with his own reason for the persecution of the saints: Christians engaged in magical practices, and magic was a criminal act. Nothing, however, is presented to substantiate that claim.
First of all, Christians did not engage in magic. They did miracles which their enemies could not even deny. In Acts 3:1-10, Peter and John healed a man who had been lame from his mother heism the apostles also taught about the resurrection of Jesus (Acts 4:2). However, they were befuddled. "And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it" (4:14). This fact did not stop their hatred, however. Was it a magic trick? Or an illusion? No, it was legitimate—inarguably so. As the Book of Acts comes to a close, Paul healed the father of Publius, "a leading citizen of the island" of Malta (Acts 28:1, 7-9). One would think there might have been at least one informant on the island who would swiftly notify the Roman government. No one seems to have complained; in fact, they were probably too busy having their diseases healed (v. 9).
Was magic outlawed in the Roman Empire? If so, there certainly were a number of risk-takers. We read about Simon the Sorcerer in Samaria in Acts 8. He not only practiced sorcery but he claimed "that he was someone great" (8:9). In fact, the people proclaimed concerning him: "This man is the great power of God" (v. 10). Since he "had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time" (v. 11), why had no one reported him to the Roman government? Apparently, he operated in complete freedom. Incidentally, he believed Philip and was baptized because, while he amazed others with his illusions, he knew the real thing when he saw it (v. 13).
On the island of Cyprus, in Paphos, was a false prophet named Bar-Jesus or Elymas (Acts 13:6-8). For an illegal practice, we certainly run into a multitude of rebels! And what about all those residents of Ephesus—no mean city in Asia Minor. Acts 19:19 describes "those who had practiced magic." They "brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all." Sounds like Ephesus was a hotbed of magic. Why didn’t the Roman government clamp down on them? The value of the books totaled 50,000 pieces of silver. What a bunch of criminals! Or maybe the professor is mistaken.