336-61 Aryan schism 10,000 Arian Christians are killed for disagreeing with Nicean decision that Jesus is divine being; Arians claim Christ is created being. Amusing. First, because note the emeendation made:
                                            (thanks to JustSumner for the correction from 1,000,000 to 10,000) Uh huh! You've got to wonder where this guy got the million figure in the first place. Second, Arians believed that Jesus was created AND divine. Bede adds: We don't actual have records for the execution of any Arians at all. Exile was the most extreme punishment used at this point. However, there were riots in several cities during this period between orthodox and Arian factions when it is likely many people were killed. The figure of 10,000 is just guesswork.

336 Asia minor Constantine sacks pagan temples of Asia Minor and Palestine to furnish churches of Constantinople. False. Bede writes: Pagan idols are not used to furnish churches so this is clearly fantasy. Another reader adds: This is, I think, about Constantine (and other emperors, e.g. Justinian) furnishing a) Churches with columns etc, a standard way of reusing building material in the ancient world - nothing to do with religion, except from being due to the long decline of paganism and a lot of temples not longer in use; b) Other buildings, e.g. The Sunken Palace (aka Yerebatan Saray, Basilica Cistern, Underground Cistern), see here.

337 Constantine dies Constantine is baptised on his deathbed. Marker. True, but hardly constitites a "crime".

340 Christmas Julius I sanctions December 25 as Christ's official birthdate thereby quashing Roman Feast of Saturnus among other pagan festivities. True that Julius was the one to sanction it, but as far as "quashing" goes I find no documentation so far.

341 Soothsayers Emperor Flavius Julius Constantius orders execution or imprisonment of soothsayers and gentiles. Undocumented. Bede says: No 341AD law seems to exist but see 357AD below.

346 Gentiles Constantius launches persecutions against gentiles of Constantinople; famous orator Libanius is condemned as "magician". At least half false. Bede says: Libanius was not condemned as a magician, although polemically accused of many things by his political opponents. We'll deal with the other part in a future edition.

354 Temples closed Constantius orders closure of all pagan temples in Christendom and that some are profaned by being turned into brothels. Half true. Bede says: The brothel point is pure libel but Constantius did order the closure of temples and that they be turned over to other uses.

355 Bishops untried Bishops become exempt from being tried in secular courts resulting in rampant corruption after church becomes law unto itself. Dipsy doodle. Bede writes: Large sections of the CTh deal with perceived abuses due to clerical immunity so the problem was both recognised and dealt with.

356 Death penalty Constantius orders death penalty for all forms of worship involving idolatry or sacrifices. False. Bede writes: Actually, this only applied to sacrifices and repeat offenders. And, as mentioned above, we have no record of anyone actually being executed.

357 Divination outlawed Constantius bans all forms of divination, excluding astrology. Dipsy doodle. Bede writes: This heading appears to be a reference to the outlawing of divination in 357AD (CTh 8:16) although we should note that it was allowed again in 371AD.

359 Death camps Christianity's first death camp is established at Skythopolis, Syria; 1000s of gentiles are exterminated over 30 year period. False. Peasre notes: This can only be a reference to the Arian Bishop of Scythopolis, Patrophilus, who cruelly abused Christian bishops exiled to his see under Constantius. These included Eusebius of Vercelli. It was not a death-camp, nor did it last 30 years, nor were pagans the victims. A reader also recommends a site here.

363 Laodicea Council of Laodicea names 26 New Testament books as "inspired word of God"; Book of Revelation is excluded. Partially false. The books are named of the "New Testament" and "inspired word of God" is not part of the description. Revelation is excluded from the list, but this is in the last canon and it is considered "of most questionable genuineness." See here.

364 Sabbath Council of Laodicea decrees death for Christians who keep seventh day Sabbath. False. See link above. Canon 29 comes closest and says, "CHRISTIANS must not judaize by resting on the Sabbath, but must work on that day, rather honouring the Lord's Day; and, if they can, resting then as Christians. But if any shall be found to be judaizers, let them be anathema from Christ." That's not a death penalty, folks. It means exclusion from the society of the faithful, which is obviously already happened to someone who Judaizes. See here.

364 Antioch library Emperor Flavius Jovianus orders burning of Library of Antioch. Questionable. this site cataloging Roman Emperors, and making use of scholarly sources, notes: "At Antioch, however, where Jovian spent the end of September, the month of October, and early November, John of Antioch (fr. 181, Müller FHG IV, 606-607 = Eunapius fr. 29.2, Blockley) charges that the emperor, urged on by his wife, burned a temple constructed by Hadrian that Julian had made into a library. Whether this possibly baseless tale was meant as a pagan insult or a Christian compliment is difficult to tell." My friend Bede here has this report: An item written hundreds of years later by John of Antioch says, Emperor Hadrian had built a beautiful temple for the worship of his father Trajan which, on the orders of Emperor Julian, the eunuch Theophilus had made into a library. Jovian, at the urging of his wife, burned the temple with all the books in it with his concubines laughing and setting the fire. Bede says: Scholars believe that it is John of Antioch is being quoted. The Suda itself is full of snippets of information but it is treated with justifiable caution by the scholars who have studied it. Certainly, it is very often wrong but usually not deliberately. Instead it just quotes earlier authors uncritically and repeats their mistakes. In favour of the verity of this story, John was from the city of Antioch where the alleged event happened and Jovian did visit there during the few months of his reign. On the other hand, the problems with its credibility are extremely wide ranging. 1. The pagan historian Ammianus Marcellinus was actually with Jovian in Antioch and does not breath a word about any libraries (We complains about their closure at other points in his narrative so was not uninterested in the question. We will return to other these libraries later). 2. Although Jovian was a Christian he is recorded by the rhetor Themistius to have insisted on tolerance towards pagans. 3. The great pagan orator Libanius who lived in Antioch at the time and from whom we have speeches, lectures and no less than 1,500 letters, makes no mention of the library's destruction. 4. We have no other record of there being a temple of Trajan built by Hadrian in Antioch. 5. John was writing several hundred years after the library burning is supposed to have taken place but no one else mentions it. No source for his story is given although some scholars like RC Blockley believe it may have come from Eunapius of Sardis who was a near contemporary of Jovian and whom John of Antioch used as a source. All the counter arguments depend on silence which demonstrates just how hard it is to prove a negative. On a personal note, the involvement of Jovian's wife and concubines makes me feel the story is less convincing although the women could be later accretions. If we knew that burning down libraries was the sort of thing that Jovian or other Christians actually did, we might have a case for believing it happened here but as it is a single example it cannot be allowed to simply reinforce our prejudices. Still, this remains the only possible record of a library being deliberately destroyed that I have been able to find in the sources and those who with an anti-Christian axe to grind should use this case rather than Alexandria. Furthermore, it does illustrate that Christian writers were happy to report such things and repeat them from other sources. Contrary to the allegations of many sceptics, the Christian scribes made no effort to censor this alleged misdeed of Jovian even though he was a Christian emperor.

364 Imperial edicts 3 Imperial edicts order confiscation of all pagan temple properties and punishment by death for participation in any form of pagan ritual. False, by all appearances. It is rather reported here that the emperor "established freedom for all forms of worship, even paganism, but forbade magical sacrifices," which even the pagan emperors didn't always approve of (note that Druidism was called a superstition as well). There is evidence of private acts against pagan temples. The opposing view comes from unrelaible sources; see here, and the link in the above entry, which notes that sacrices obviously did continue.

365 Christian command. Imperial edict forbids any gentile or non-Christian officer from commanding Christian soldiers. And the problem is, what? Even if true this seems no more than a matter of not wanting a pagan in a position to order a Christian to do something they object to. But Pearse notes: In 364 Valentinian and Valens became emperors. The sources for their reigns are Ammianus Marcellinus, Zosimus, the Codex Theodosianus, the Epitome de Caesaribus, Socrates, Sozomen and Theodoret. (All of these are online in English apart from Ammianus). None contain this story, which sounds like something from the fifth century. Ammianus sums up the character of Valentinian: "In the last place his reign was distinguished for religious tolerance. He took a neutral position between opposing faiths, and never troubled anyone by ordering him to adopt this or that mode of worship. He made no attempt to fasten his own beliefs on the necks of his subjects but left the various cults undisturbed as he found them." 30.9.1, Penguin trans. p.407.

366-83 Damasus I Damasus I (366-383) hires thugs to massacre rival Ursinians (Liberians). Not the whole story. As noted here, He was elected pope in October, 366, by a large majority, but a number of over-zealous adherents of the deceased Liberius rejected him, chose the deacon Ursinus (or Ursicinus), had the latter irregularly consecrated, and resorted to much violence and bloodshed in order to seat him in the Chair of Peter. Many details of this scandalous conflict are related in the highly prejudiced "Libellus Precum" (P.L., XIII, 83-107), a petition to the civil authority on the part of Faustinus and Marcellinus, two anti-Damasan presbyters (cf. also Ammianus Marcellinus, Rer. Gest., XXVII, c. iii). Valentinian recognized Damasus and banished (367) Ursinus to Cologne, whence he was later allowed to return to Milan, but was forbidden to come to Rome or its vicinity. The party of the antipope (later at Milan an adherent of the Arians and to the end a contentious pretender) did not cease to persecute Damasus. An accusation of adultery was laid against him (378) in the imperial court, but he was exonerated by Emperor Gratian himself (Mansi, Coll. Conc., III, 628) and soon after by a Roman synod of forty-four bishops (Liber Pontificalis, ed. Duchesne, s.v.; Mansi, op. cit., III, 419) which also excommunicated his accusers. And also here from a reputable historians' work: The second occasion was the much more serious affair of Ursinus fifty years later. This dispute went back to the exile of Pope Liberius in 356 for his opposition to the Arian emperor, Constantius II. Liberius exiled, the government installed in his place Felix, his archdeacon. Three years later Liberius was allowed to return and, although the government seems to have had in mind a regime where Liberius and Felix would together rule the Roman Church, the faithful were of another mind. They rose and Felix fled. Later he returned, and made another bid for power. He was once more defeated and thenceforward lived in retirement until his death (365) when, thanks to the tact and clemency of Liberius, his followers submitted and unity was restored. Nine months later, however, before there had been time for the old bitterness to disappear, and while the expediency of Liberius’ policy was still a subject of bitter disagreement, Liberius too died. The minority of intransigeants whom the dead pope's mercy had scandalised, thereupon elected Ursinus. The majority elected Damasus -- a one-time supporter of Felix. The immediate sequel to the election was a siege of the basilica held by the Ursinians and a three days' riot in which many lives were lost. The government recognised Damasus. Ursinus and his supporters were banished. None the less, so long as Damasus reigned (366-384), they continued to be a menace to the peace of his Church. The Ursinians were the rebels and insurgents who were against the peace here.

c366-83 Heresy bull Damasus I makes it heresy to question nature of Christ and other doctrinal points as decreed at Nicea. So what? ven if true, one wonders if it is a crime to delineate the truth and declare error.

370 Gentiles persecuted Emperor Valens orders widespread persecution of gentiles throughout Eastern Europe. Dipsy doodle. Bede writes: This and the one below refer to an episode described by the pagan historian Ammianus Marcellinus in book 29. Valens was, by all accounts, a pretty unpleasant piece of work who saw plots all about him. Ammianus specifically compares him to the pagan emperors like Caracalla. In this case, he smelt a plot and acted accordingly but Ammianus never suggests that either the plot or the retribution were motivated by religious concerns.

370 Philosophers murdered Philosopher Simonides is burned alive while philosopher Maximus is decapitated. Not the whole story Simonides: Bede notes, Simonides was, according to Ammianus, a blameless young man who was executed with peculiar barbarity for not divulging details of the plot mentioned above. Again, there is no hint of a religious motivation. However, the plot did involve astrologers who allegedly tried to demonstrate that Theodosius was fated to become emperor. We should treat this is suspect as all the evidence came to light as a result of torture. Maximus: As noted here, this guy was the one who led Julian into paganism, was his friend and confidant, and he was executed on a charge of conspiracy, and is regarded by at least one secular academic writer as a disreputable character; see here.

372 Hellenes exterminated Emperor Valens orders extermination of Hellenes in Asia Minor. Dipsy doodle. A few issues here. Valens was an Arian heretic and was not well-loved by the populace; he "faced constant revolts". I can find no documentation of this specific claim anywhere yet except sites repeating this list. Pearse adds: Since paganism lingered much later than this, I suspect this is all nonsense.

372-444 Manichaeans Emperor Valens orders extermination of Manichaean Christian sect for preaching non-Nicean doctrines; numerous thousands persecuted over 70 year period. Nutsy. Since Valens was a non-Nicean himself, it seems a little odd that he would persecute anyone for "preaching non-Nicean doctrines." It is noted here that he persecuted "Nicene Christians and pagan philosophers." Bede adds: However, there are numerous laws specifically against Manicheans in CTh. This continued the pagan attitude that had also persecuted them.

380 Official religion Emperor Flavius Theodosius declares Christianity official religion of Roman Empire. Somewhat true. In this and what follows we have data from here. Theodosius made his "first edict about religion, issued at Thessalonica, Feb. 28, 380, and addressed to the people of Constantinople. It orders that the religion which St. Peter taught the Romans and which Damasus of Rome and Peter of Alexandria profess, should be believed by all nations; that Father, Son, and Holy Ghost should be equally adored; that the adherent of this doctrine should be called Catholic Christians, while all others were to be designated heretics, their places of assembly refused the name of churches, and their souls threatened with divine punishment."

380 Illegal to disagree Theodosius reinforces Damasus I's decree and makes it illegal for believers to question church doctrine. Dipsy doodle. Bede writes: The law in the CTh that this refers to is purely a matter of public order. Inciting a religious mob was what they were trying to outlaw here.

c380 Unbelievers "insane" Theodosius condemns unbelievers as "demented and insane" and orders they "be smitten first by divine vengeance and secondly by retribution of our own initiative". Spun out. A common translation of this found online on popular sites is, We command that those persons who follow this rule shall embrace the name of Catholic Christians. The rest, however, whom We adjudge demented and insane, shall sustain the infamy of heretical dogmas, their meeting places shall not receive the name of churches, and they shall be smitten first by divine vengeance and secondly by the retributions of Our own initiative, which We shall assume in accordance with the divine judgment. However, a more nuanced translation at an academic site here puts it this way: It is our desire that all the various nation which are subject to our clemency and moderation, should continue to the profession of that religion which was delivered to the Romans by the divine Apostle Peter, as it has been preserved by faithful tradition and which is now professed by the Pontiff Damasus and by Peter, Bishop of Alexandria, a man of apostolic holiness. According to the apostolic teaching and the doctrine of the Gospel, let us believe in the one diety of the father, Son and Holy Spirit, in equal majesty and in a holy Trinity. We authorize the followers of this law to assume the title Catholic Christians; but as for the others, since in out judgment they are foolish madmen, we decree that the shall be branded with the ignominious name of heretics, and shall not presume to give their conventicles the name of churches. They will suffer in the first place the chastisement of divine condemnation an the second the punishment of out authority, in accordance with the will of heaven shall decide to inflict. Theodosius sounds no different here than the Old Testament, or Tacitus calling the Christians and Jews names on his own. It's the culture; get used to it.

381 Christ's divinity Council of Theodosius at Constantinople declares Jesus had truly human soul. Marker. Even if true, hardly constitites a "crime".

381 Temples profaned Christians turn Constantinople's Temple of Aphrodite into brothel and Temple of Artemis into stables. Unverified. Another amateur site says that the Temple of Aphrodite was turned into a chariot garage!

382 Hallelujah Hallelu-jah "glory to Yahweh" introduced to Christian mass. Marker. Even if true, hardly constitutes a "crime".

383 Latin gospels Jerome (342-420) presents Pope Damasus I with new Latin gospels, claiming "originals lost". Nutsy. Actually Damasus "induced Saint Jerome to undertake his famous revision of the earlier Latin versions of the Bible". What "originals" are in view here are hard to say (Greek mss.? -- absurd if so; we still have some from prior to Jerome)

c383 Sex Jerome reinforces sexual repression by preaching that "a husband commits a sin if he enjoys sex with his wife too much". Undocumented. This reference appears online only in this list, with no documentation. Perhaps they have in mind a quote where Jerome says, "The truth is that, in view of the purity of the body of Christ, all sexual intercourse is unclean." In context Jerome refers back to the specific case of David and his men abstaining from women and being eligible to eat the shewbread. In essence Jerome is saying that a mind that is on sex is not a mind that is prepared to consider the holy; it is no different than Paul advising prayer and then coming together sexually.

383 Adultery Damasus I is convicted of adultery by 44 bishops but has case overthrown after church patron Emperor Gratian intervenes. Backwards dipsy doodle. It is said here, An accusation of adultery was laid against him (378) in the imperial court, but he was exonerated by Emperor Gratian himself (Mansi, Coll. Conc., III, 628) and soon after by a Roman synod of forty-four bishops (Liber Pontificalis, ed. Duchesne, s.v.; Mansi, op. cit., III, 419) which also excommunicated his accusers." The 44 bishops were his defenders, not his convictors!

385 Priscillian Ascetic leader Priscillian and 6 followers are beheaded by bishops of Trier, Germany, for doubting Trinity and Resurrection. Not the whole story. See here. The charge was actually magic; the execution was ordered by the emperor, and both the emperor and the lead prosecutor were censured by the pope.

386 Pagan temples Christians destroy pagan temples: "If (Christians) hear of a place with something worth raping away, they immediately claim someone is making sacrifices there". Questionable. Bede writes: The quote probably comes from the master of rhetoric in Antioch, Libanius. He was a famous pagan teacher for whom we have thousands of letters extant (so much for Christians destroying all pagan literature) and he is frequently very rude about Christianity. How much we can take his words seriously is a matter of debate but he certainly did have a bee in his bonnet that his own old religion was rapidly being superceeded. One of the reasons that Christianity succeeded is stated in an illuminating passage by the pagan Emperor and friend of Libanius, Julian the Apostate. In his own diatribe against Christians, written about 360AD, Julian complains bitterly that whereas as followers of Jesus look after the poor and ill, pagans are put to shame by their own lack of charity.

388 Public discussion Emperor Theodosius introduces law prohibiting discussion of religious doctrine outside church. Undocumented. Rather hard to evaluate without a citation.

389 Pagan calendars Theodosius outlaws all non-Christian calendars. True, but spun. See here; the Roman calendar named days after pagan gods, and this happened three years earlier.

391 Temple visits Theodosius prohibits visits to pagan temples and even merely looking at pagan statues becomes criminal offence. True. Bede writes: This is found in the CTh where all idols are, yet again, ordered removed.

395 Paganism prohibited Theodosius introduces law making paganism criminal offence and orders banning of pagan events including Olympic Games. Not the whole story. By this time the games had become nothing but a circus rife with cheating and gambling.

396 Paganism treasonable Emperor Flavius Arcadius orders paganism to be treated as high treason; few remaining priests are imprisoned. Dipsy doodle. Bede writes: According to the CTh, high treason was to make sacrifices of 'innocent victims' and read fortunes in the entrails. This may be an enactment against rumours of human sacrifice although we have no evidence pagans were doing this it may have been a libel against them at the time.

397-399 Paganism destroyed Emperor Arcadius orders destruction of almost all pagan temples. True. See here ; this year was one of "widespread destruction of pagan temples throughout the Roman world". However, Bede adds: The laws against temples were reenacted so often that modern scholars now believe that no one was taking any notice. Without any police, it was impossible to enforce laws like this. The large number of temples still standing around the Roman Empire, to this day, testifies to the rather relaxed attitude of the population to them....The CTh is confusing on this point. In August 399 a law is enacted to destroy all temples but is immediately revoked (twice) by laws saying that temples are imperial property and must not be damaged once idols had been removed. It seems that once the building was no longer used for pagan worship, it was to be preserved for other uses. Simple vandalism was not to be tolerated.

398 Pagan books banned Fourth Council of Carthage forbids bishops from reading pagan books. False. Pearse writes: This is horribly misleading. The Council of Carthage forbade anything to be read in church as scripture other than the canonical scriptures (Canon 24). The bishops of the Christian church modelled their writings on the classics, and pagan texts remained the standard in the schools in the Eastern empire to the end in 1453.

398-403 Slavery John Chrysostom, Bishop of Constantinople (398-403), quotes Titus 2:9-10 to support slavery: "The slave should be resigned to his lot; "in obeying his master he is obeying God". If true, still a strawman. See series here. However, Pearse notes: I can find nothing in his works in those words. His thoughts are outlined in Homily 22 on Ephesians (here) and are simply biblical.

405 Palestine Chrysostom calls on wealthy Christian women to help fund his crusades throughout Palestine. That would be a little hard since Chrysostom was in exile at the time and not going on any "crusade" anywhere.

408 St Augustine St Augustine of Hippo (354-430) orders massacre of 100s of pagans at Calama, Algeria, after his Christian conversion in 386. Dipsy doodle. 408 actually saw riots insitgated by the pagans of Calama, in which the bishop Possidius nearly lost his life (see here) and Augustine was but one of several bishops present. The riots were instigated by pagans wanting to reinstate pagan festivals, and the pagans also wrecked the church (see here) as a reaction . In other words, the pagans could dish it out, but they couldn't take it. As far as Augustine giving any orders, and hundreds being killed, I find as yet no documentation other than copies of this list.

413 Slavery Augustine begins writing City of God where he claims: "slavery is now penal in character and planned by that law which commands the preservation of the natural order and forbids disturbance". True. But see the series linked above. Roman slavery was indeed most often "penal" in nature.

415 Hypatia Cyril, Bishop of Alexandria (376-444), executes pagan philosopher Hypatia (375-415) for being woman going against God's will by teaching men; Christian mob parades her mutilated body through Alexandrian streets. Half-truth. See here. She was killed in a riot: In one of these riots, in 422, the prefect Callistus was killed, and in another was committed the murder of a female philosopher Hypatia, a highly-respected teacher of neo-Platoism, of advanced age and (it is said) many virtues. She was a friend of Orestes, and many believed that she prevented a reconciliation between the prefect and patriarch. A mob led by a lector, named Peter, dragged her to a church and tore her flesh with potsherds til she died. This brought great disgrace, says Socrates, on the Church of Alexandria and on its bishop; but a lector at Alexandria was not a cleric (Scr., V, xxii), and Socrates does not suggest that Cyril himself was to blame. Damascius, indeed, accuses him, but he is a late authority and a hater of Christians.

c415 Jews expelled Cyril has all Jews expelled from Alexandria; North African pagan priests are hunted down and crucified or burned alive. Half-truth. See link above: He also drove out of Alexandria the Jews, who had formed a flourishing community there since Alexander the Great. But they had caused tumults and had massacred the Christians, to defend whom Cyril himself assembled a mob. This may have been the only possible defence, since the Prefect of Egypt, Orestes, who was very angry at the expulsion of the Jews was also jealous of the power of Cyril, which certainly rivaled his own. I find nothing so far on pagan priests.

416 Bithynia Christian inquisitor Hypatius, "Sword of God", exterminates few remaining gentiles of Bithynia. Unverified. See biography here. He was unlikely to have the power to do such a thing and is called the "Sword of God" nowhere except in repeats of this list. Bede notes the anachronism of referring to an "Inquisitor" when the Inquisition would not happen for centuries.

416 Public offices Edict introduced in Constantinople makes it illegal for non-Christians to hold positions as judges, army officers or public employees. To be expected, since being in such positions required swearing oaths of loyalty to God. This was simply typical of how religion and state were intertwined in this day, just as it was when pagans were in charge.

418 Original Sin African Bishop Alypius offers bribe of 80 Numidian stallions for church to accept Augustine's doctrine of original sin into its teachings. Not relevant to me, since I reject the Agustinian take on this (see here); however I can find no reliable source yet that verifies this. One page cites "Peter Brown in Augustine of Hippo (Berkeley & Los Angeles: University of California Press. 19703, pg. 362." Pearse writes: In Brown, which I happen to have (and the words and ref are right), the reference is given as 'Op. imp. I. 42'. I think this is probably Augustine, "opus imperfectum contra Iulianum", which is a work against Julian of Eclanum. [CPL 351 or 356] Pearse refers to a site here and says, The work contains accusations by Julian, and the responses of Augustine:

"42. IUL. Vociferans cum feminis, cunctisque canibus et tribunis, quibus octoginta aut amplius equos tota Africa saginatos collega tuus nuper adduxit Alypius.

AUG. Aut calumniaris, aut nescis quid loquaris; et ideo, aut mendax, aut temerarius, ista loqueris. Quid te autem nequius, si haec ipse finxisti? Quid stolidius, si fingentibus credidisti? Iam vero quod etiam scribere ausus es, neque veritus ne ad ea loca libri pervenirent tui, quae terra marique transeuntem seu venientem collegam meum Alypium susceperunt, ubi legi apertissime tua falsiloquia sine tua irrisione vel potius detestatione non possunt; cui, non dico impudentiae, sed dementiae comparatur?"

Julian: The women clamouring loudly and the tribunes barking like dogs, to whom recently your colleague Alypius led 80 or more horses fattened in every part of Africa.

Augustine: Either you slander, or you don't know what you're saying; and so you're either telling a lie or speaking rashly. Who is wickeder than you, if you made this up? Who is stupider, if you believe this fabrication? Now truly what you have also dared to write, neither afraid lest your books should come to those places, where they received my colleague Alypius as he visited or passed through by land or sea, where your falsehood cannot be read openly without ridicule or more likely detestation; these are, I do not say impudences, but insanities.

So it's an ancient accusation, which Augustine simply denies. Making such fraudulent allegations was a common part of imperial-religious politics of the period, rather than church history. (Rather like Athanasius being indicted for chopping off someone's hand, and being able to produce the person in question: with two hands!)

c418 Damnation Augustine's doctrine of original sin is accepted along with his teaching that anyone who does not choose to follow Christ is damned for all eternity. Partly true. Original sin as Augustine forumulated it did come up at this time (though see here for corrective); but the idea of eternal damnation was already in Judaism before Christ.

420-1100 Dark Ages Church engineers complete control over education; reading and writing are restricted only to potential priests and knowledge outside church is suppressed. False. Bede writes: This is completely untrue. First off, we should note that modern scholars no longer talk about the Dark Ages because they were not very dark. Instead they are called the early middle ages as this is less judgemental. In fact, the reason learning collapsed outside the church is that the brutal military despotism of the Roman Empire, that could support a tiny cultured elite by exploiting the vast proportion of the population was destroyed by invasions of Germanic people like the Angles, Saxons, Franks, Vandals and Goths. It is interesting to note that the Greek word for leisure is 'studios' and the Roman word for 'school' means 'games'. For Greeks and Romans, learning was for the leisured upper classes and once they were overthrown, learning disappeared except in the church which preserved it. For this we should all be extremely grateful.

420-1100 Religion rules "There was a time when religion ruled the world; it is known as the Dark Ages" - Ruth Hurmence Green (1915-81). Nice soundbite. Ruth Green was a grandmother and not a scholar.

420-1100 Medicine Advances in Greek and Roman medicine and hygiene are declared heretical; plague sweeps Europe resulting in huge casualties. False. Bede writes: The plague was actually caused by a global drop in temperature which made the germ in question more virulent. Greek and Roman medical advances were not declared heretical, and the pagan Galen, who advocated bleeding, was the standard medical authority until the seventeenth century. Another reader adds: This area is an interesting example of distortion, especially when talking about the attitude to the body, and to autopsy and dissection. There is a widespread myth that The Church made dissections heresy. The truth is that dissection was strictly forbidden both in Greek, Roman (the great authority Galen had to dissect animals, hence medieval medicine books was rather imprecise), Arab and Chinese society - but NOT in Christian Europe. And the Byzantinian Empire set up the first hospitals, and undertook a lot of medical reaearch (later the Arabs did much of the same, if not more). Still, it took Europeans some time to understand how wrong Galen was. They preferred for some time to look at their own discoveries contradicting Galen as accidents and coincidence, as Galen HAD to be right.

420-1100 Technology Roads, aqueducts, heating, indoor plumbing and other technology invented by Greeks and Romans disappear as church power increases during Dark Ages. False. Bede writes: The funny thing is that the early middle ages are now recognised as an area of massive technological change. Instead of wasting a fortune on central heating for the super rich, technology became more practical. The horse collar and heavy plough meant agriculture rapidly out stripped the feebly Roman slave planatations. Watermills and windmills, not used by the Romans, improved industry. Steel production increased and its quality was far greater than the Romans whose mighty legions were swept aside by the so-called barbarians. Finally they had the stirrup that turned the horse into a mighty war machine. There was nothing at all 'Dark' about this period in a technological sense, as historian Lynn White demonstrated half a century ago.

420-1100 History History is rewritten by church fathers claiming world is only 5000 years old. The church fathers? The Bible itself was their source.

420-1100 Science Science is pushed back 2000 years; Pythagoras' idea earth revolves around sun (600BC) is banned by church even when reintroduced by Copernicus in 1600s; Aristarchus' heliocentric theory (300BC) is banned by church until reintroduced by Galileo in 1600s. False. Bede writes: The amount of ignorance demonstrated here defies belief. First off, the Pythagoreans did not believe in heliocentricism, they thought both the sun and earth orbited a central aether or fire. This is sometimes confused with the sun. Aristarchos did suggest a heliocentric system (and may even have believed it, although his surviving work assumes geocentrism). However, the great pagan thinkers of antiquity like Ptolemy were unanimous in rejectingthe idea that the earth moves and produced good arguments against it. Christian thinkers, far from rejecting pagan views, accepted them wholeheartedly and like pagans said the earth was the stationary centre of the universe. The church never banned anything related to this until Galileo. Another reader adds: BTW, Copernicus did not live in the "1600s" (1473-1543) - another example of the "scientific precision" of CC. The Church did not push science back 2000 years, it pushed it forward 2000 years, as modern science in significant ways first became possible because of a Biblical inspired view of the world. Without that we would have remained with the Greek and Arab views, believing too much in Aristotle and too little in Natural Law or in God using "secondary causes".

429 Parthenon Christians persecute pagans of Athens before sacking Temple of Athena (Parthenon). At least partly false. Bede writes: The Parthenon was not sacked but converted into a Christian Church. While it still stands in part, it was unfortunately badly damaged in the 18th century after the Turks used it to store ammunition in! Pearse adds: I'm not clear why a state cult should not be closed down once the state no longer supported that religion, btw....I've [also] found a whole lot of stuff relating to the acts of Theodosius II in Bury at this location. This includes references to the closures of the temples, but even so records 'The same monarch had enacted that no Christian shall disturb or provoke Jews or pagans "living peaceably." ( In quiete degentibus, C. Th. xvi.10.24. ) Indeed pagans could not be dispensed with in the civil service, and in the sixth century we still find them in prominent positions. Hellenism largely prevailed in the law schools, and was no bar to promotion, though it might be made a pretext for removing an official who had fallen out of favour. An able pagan, Tatian, enjoyed the confidence of the fanatical Theodosius the Great, and was appointed Praetorian Prefect of the East; and the same Emperor showed friendly regard towards spokesmen of the old religion like Libanius and Symmachus. The headquarters of unchristian doctrine, the university of Athens, was held in high esteem by Constantine and Constans, and it continued throughout the fifth century unmolested as the home of a philosophy which was the most danger rival of Christian theology. Pagans also received appointments in the university of Constantinople.' Legislation in the late empire was always couched in violent language (so A.Cameron & S.G.Hall in their annotated translation of the Vita Constantini). The incessant repetition of such edicts tells us, however, that such language was a sign of impotence by emperors, not of power.

431 Mother Mary Council of Ephesus decrees Mary may be officially worshiped as Mother of God. Not the whole story. This council concerned the Nestorian heresy; see here. There is nothing about "worship" of Mary.

431 Ireland St Patrick (390-461) begins Christian mission in Ireland. False. Even if true, hardly constitites a "crime". And a reader with expertise in Irish history adds: Patrick was sent to Ireland specifically as "the Bishop to the Christians that are in Ireland", so he certainly didn't begin the Christian mission there. Also, Palladius had been sent to Ireland, possibly also as a bishop to an existing group of Christians but just possibly to begin missionary work there, about 10-15 years before Patrick. Appearances are that the Irish Christian community was not too successful under Palladius and he probably didn't stay long, hence the later trip by Patrick, but there certainly were Christians already in Ireland before Pat got there.

432-40 Sixtus III Sixtus III (432-440) is charged with seducing nun but escapes death sentence by telling biblical tale of woman caught in adultery. Unverified. So far found only in copies of this list and on an anti-Catholic site. Here and in cites that follow about popes, I will use as sources the online Catholic Encyclopedia, Cheetham's A History of the Popes, and Milman's History of Latin Christianity. Pearse adds: This looks like something from an anti-papist source, and a search on 'Sixtus III nun' online produced several bits, citing a "Peter De Rosa, Vicars of Christ" (from a chapter 12 of A Woman Rides the Beast: The Roman Catholic Church and the Last Days, copyright 1994 by Dave Hunt, Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Oregon 97402):

Hunt: 'De Rosa comments: "This theological confusion in an age of depravity led the clergy, in fifth-century Rome in particular, to become a byword for everything that was gross and perverted. ... When Pope Sixtus III (432-40) was put on trial for seducing a nun, he ably defended himself by quoting Christ's words, `Let him who is without fault among you throw the first stone.' "...roving monks were proving to be a social menace ... there ... were long periods when many monasteries were nothing but houses of ill repute. ... The second Council of Tours in the year 567 ... publicly admitted there was hardly a cleric anywhere without his wife or mistress" (De Rosa, op. cit., pp. 402-03).' On another site I find: Peter de Rosa, Vicars of Christ: The Dark Side of the Papacy (Dublin, Ireland: Poolbeg Press, 1988, 2000) page 72. This tells about Pope Innocent III's excommunication of people who supported the Magna Carta. De Rosa is a practicing Catholic and a former priest...The Catholic Encyclopedia entry refers to some kind of slander: "The work which asserts that the consul Bassus accused him of crime is a forgery...he did not write the works "On Riches", "On False Teachers", and "On Chastity" ("De divitiis", "De malis doctoribus", "De castitate") attributed to him."...From: W.Smith & H. Wace, Dictionary of Christian Biography, 4 vols, London: John Murray (1887), vol. 4, p.707: Sixtus III (432-441AD) [...] It is stated in the Liber Pontificalis that in the second year of his episcopate, Sixtus was accused of crime by one Bassus;-- that the emperor Valentinian ordered a council to be assembled, at which the pope was declared innocent by 56 bishops, and Bassus excommunicated,-- but with the allowance to him of the viaticum at the hour of death;-- that Valentinian, with his mother Placida, thereupon proscribed Bassus, and confiscated his property;-- and that Sixtus, on the death of Bassus within three months, honourably interred him in his family burial place at St. Peter's. Acts of the council supposed to have been held at Rome on this occasion are extant, but are undoubtedly spurious. So also is a letter attributed to Sixtus (Ep. iii ap. Labbe), purporting to be addressed to the eastern bishops, giving them an account of what had taken place. According to the Acts the crime alleged against him was the violation of a consecrated virgin; and it is therein represented that the emperor before the assembled council, acknowledging the principle that the pope could be judged by no-one, called on him to pronounce judgement in his own case. [...] NB: Note that the events must be dated to 433, if they ever occurred.

435 Death threat Law is introduced threatening heretics in Roman Empire with death. Dipsy doodle. Bede notes: CTh exiles heretics and threatens the recalcitrant with the sword.

435 Two religions Pagan worship becomes illegal in Rome: only Christianity and Judaism are permitted to exist; remaining pagan temples are destroyed or converted to Christian churches. Partly true. Bede says: This is in the CTh as the last enactment against paganism.

c435 Intermarriage Intermarriage between Christian and Jew becomes illegal; women convicted of crime are charged with adultery and sentenced to death. Unverified.

440-450 Greek temples Christian mobs destroy monuments, altars and temples of Athens, Olympia and other Greek cities. Unverified.

444 Jewish persecutions Cyril, Bishop of Alexandria, orders expulsion of all Jews from Egypt. See above.

447 Council of Toledo First council of Toledo ratifies Devil as "a large black monstrous apparition with horns on his head, cloven hoofs ... an immense phallus and sulphurous smell". Slight mixup. The First Council of Toledo took place in 400 and had to do with a wayward group returning to the church (see here). There appears to have been a later Council of Toledo that did occur in 447 that did what is described.

448 Book burnings Theodosius II (401-450) orders burning of all non-Christian books. False. Bede notes: The reverse of the truth. The CTh shows Theodosius passing a law to set up a brand new school of pagan learning in Constantinople in 425AD. This is to be state financed and to have 10 literature professors in both Latin and Greek, 3 Latin rhetors, five Greek rhetors, 3 law professors and a philosopher. As all the works in these subjects were exclusively pagan we see what nonsense this allegation is. And the law mentions Christianity and theology not once.

450 Resurrection Resurrection of Christ described by author attributed to Mark is accepted into Bible almost 400 years after time allegedly written. Not the whole story. Scribes were well aware of the nature of these verses; see here.

450 200 gospels Theodore of Cyrrhus claims there are at least 200 different gospels in his own diocese; this raises questions concerning why Irenaeus chose only four. Dumb question. See here for why. As for Theo, this is another one of those cites that is repeated all over the Net without any documentation (though one site cited the notoriously unreliable Helen Ellerbee). Punkish adds: His name was Theodoretus and the 200 documents were not different gospels but copies of the Diatessaron of Tatian see www.ccel.org/w/wace/biodict/htm/iii.xx.xvi.htm margin marker 959 (please mention NiceneMica with this entry as she helped while my Internet played me up) notice the text says he destroyed these for being "tainted with heresy" and replaced them with the four gospels. That's somewhat different from the question being raised.

451 Nature of Christ Council of Chalcedon declares Jesus has two natures: one human, one divine. Marker. Even if true, hardly constitutes a "crime".

451 Mary not mother Nestorian sect led by Nestorius of Constantinople declares Mary not mother of God. Marker. Even if true, hardly constitites a "crime".

484-519 Acacian schism Eastern (Greek) Church breaks from Western (Roman) Church after denying divine paternity of Christ. True but hardly a "crime". For an intelligent summary see here.

486 Underground pagans Pagans driven underground by Christians in Alexandria are flushed out, tortured and executed. Unverified, but even if true, nothing less than pagans did earlier; in other words, just the praxis of the times.

491 Armenian schism Armenian Church breaks from Eastern and Western churches. True but hardly a "crime".

496 Clovis Clovis converts to Christianity and becomes first King of the Franks (West Germans). Marker. Even if true, hardly constitites a "crime".

c500 Franks Estimated 500 Germanic tribes convert to Christianity under Frankish King Clovis. Marker. Even if true, hardly constitites a "crime".

c500-700 Powerful nation Christian Franks become most powerful Christian nation in Europe. Marker. Even if true, hardly constitites a "crime".

500 Incense Pagan concept of incense burning is introduced to Christian services. Dipsy doodle. Incense was used by the Jews, who had an altar of incense (Ex. 30).

c500 Women Christian philosopher Anicius Boethius (480-524) writes in The Consolation of Philosophy that "woman is a temple built upon a sewer. False. No such line is found in the translation online here, even though this is pushed on the Net as attributable to Boethius in this work.

c500 Council of Macon Council of Macon votes on whether women have souls. False. This is a myth. As documented here by Michael Nolan, Professor Emeritus in the Maurice Kennedy Research Center at University College, Dublin, this council -- held actually in 585 -- decided no such thing; the myth derives from a purposeful misuse of the council's comments by one Johannes Leyser, a supporter of polygamy who "misinterpret[ed] a story told in The History of the Franks by St. Gregory of Tours" which was about a council (that may or may not have been the one at Macon) that discussed the definition of a word, not whether women had souls. As Nolan goes on: Leyser was inventing stories. His untruths were taken up by Pierre Bayle, a Dutch Calvinist with a marked distaste for the Catholicism to which he had once adhered. From there the myth has been perpetuated.

515 Compulsory baptism Rite of baptism, stolen from several pagan religions, becomes mandatory in Christian religion. Dipsy doodle.Ceremonial baptism was a Jewish rite; there is no parallel in any pagan religion; whether it was made compulsory at this time is unverified but we'll look further.

515 Zoara Emperor Anastasius of Constantinople orders massacre of gentiles in Arabian city of Zoara. Unverified. So far found only on repeats of this list.

528 Divination Emperor Justinianus orders execution of diviners by fire, crucifixion or tearing to pieces by iron nails or wild beasts. Unverified and we'll keep looking.

529 Philosophy Justinian the Great closes Athens' famous 1000-year-old School of Philosophy, declaring it paganistic and threatening to Christian thought. True that it was closed. See here, but no clear proof it was because it was "threatening". Bede adds in an article linked above: The Emperor Justinian is notorious for his closing the academy of Athens in 529AD and causing the pagan teachers to flee to Persia, although they all came back a few years later and were allowed to write and study unmolested. He adds in correspondence: In 529AD, Justinian orders the philosophy school in Athens closed because it is self supporting and the teachers are lecturing anti-Christian stuff. State funded schools in Alex and elsewhere stay open even if the teachers are pagans. Then in 531AD, seven pagan philosophers leave Athens for Persia to seek friendly climes but they don't find them and come back within a year with a safe conduct from Justinian. By 540AD, according to a pagan Alexandrian source, the Athenian school is still going even if on a diminished basis. As late as 565AD, Olympiodorus, an open pagan, still has his job, paid by the state, as a lecturer in Alexandria but the intellectual centres are moving to Constantinople to be nearer money and power. We should also note that the school of Athens was engaged in neo-Platonic mysticism and magic. There was nothing rational or scientific about tis programme. (source: "The last days of the academy of Athens" by Alan Cameron, Proceedings of the Cambridge Philoplogical Society 195 (1969).

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532-577 Asia Minor Inquisitor Ioannis Asiacus leads crusade against Asia Minor gentiles; 99 churches and 12 monasteries are built on sites of demolished pagan temples. Confused. I found no listing for this person anyplace but in copies of this list; perhaps this is who is meant, per Bede: Again, not an inquisitor although a successful missionary and scholar. The 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica says thus: "JOHN OF ASIA (or OF EPHESUS), a leader of the Monophysite Syriac-speaking Church in the 6th century, and one of the earliest and most important of Syriac historians. Born at Amid (Diarbekr) about 505, he was there ordained as a deacon in 529* but in 534 we find him in Palestine, and in 535 he passed to Constantinople. The cause of his leaving Amid was probably either the great pestilence which broke out there in 534 or the furious persecution directed against the Monophysites by Ephraim (patriarch of Antioch 529-544) and Abraham (bishop of Amid c. 520-541). In Constantinople he seems to have early won the notice of Justinian, one of the main objects of whose policy was the consolidation of Eastern Christianity as a bulwark against the heathen power of Persia. John is said by Barhebraeus (Chron. eccl. i. 195) to have succeeded Anthimus as Monophysite bishop of Constantinople, but this is probably a mistake.1 Anyhow he enjoyed the emperor's favor until the death of the latter in 565 and (as he himself tells us) was entrusted with the administration of the entire revenues of the Monophysite Church. He was also sent, with the rank of bishop, on a mission for the conversion of such heathen as remained in Asia Minor, and informs us that the number of those whom he baptized amounted to 70,000. He also built a large monastery at Tralles on the hills skirting the valley of the Meander, and more than 90 other monasteries. Of the mission to the Nubians which he promoted, though he did not himself visit their country, an interesting account is given in the 4th book of the 3rd cart of his History? In 546 the emperor entrusted him with the task of rooting out the secret practice of idolatry in Constantinople and its neighborhood. But his fortunes changed soon after the accession of Justin II. About 571 Paul of Asia, the orthodox or Chalcedonian patriarch, began (with the sanction of the emperor) a rigorous persecution of the Monophysite Church leaders, and John was among those who suffered most. He gives us a detailed account of his sufferings in prison, his loss of civil rights, &c., in the third part of his History. The latest events recorded are of the date 585, and the author cannot have lived much longer; but of the circumstances of his death nothing is known." Punkish adds something he found from a site using a reliable source (a book by Harvard Press): Much closer to the capital, John of Ephesus, Inquisitor, began a campaign of forced conversion in 542. The government appointed him charge d'affaires for pagans, specifically responsible for rooting them out in Asia Minor. He destroyed what he called a "house of idols" and built 24 churches and four monasteries in the Turkish mountains and near the city of Ephesus. The great temple of Artemis/Diana at Ephesus, considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world had already been burned down by Christians a century and a half earlier (405). In 558 John became bishop of Ephesus, and started a new round of persecutions and pogroms. Holy groves and woods were axed, altars overturned and as usual, statues broken and temples pulled down; converts who helped out were paid with a coin, the expenses divided between the government and the Church. 70,000 people were forced to convert.

533 North Africa North Africa is captured by Belisarius; becomes Roman Catholic province. Not the whole story. North Africa at this time was run by the barbarian Vandals. Let the name speak for itself.

534-870 Malta Malta becomes Roman Catholic province. Marker. Even if true, hardly constitites a "crime".

539-62 Persia War between Roman Catholic Church and Persia. Dipsy doodle. It was actually a war between Persia and the Byzantine Empire, and the Persians were the primary aggressors.

540-94 Plague 100,000,000 people die during plague which sweeps northward from Egypt and Syria; European population is halved and Roman Empire never recovers. Marker. True, but hardly constitites a "crime". Bede adds: Also, note that the figure of 100,000,000 is a hopeless exaggeration.

540-94 Plague terror Church leaders claim plague is God's punishment for not obeying church authority; thousands flock into churches in desperation to be "saved". Unverified. However, delivering such an opinion is hardly a "crime".

546 Constantinople gentiles Inquisitor Ioannis Asiacus puts 100s of gentiles to death in Constantinople. See above. There is no report of John (if that is who is in mind) killing people.

550 Eastern Bible Eastern Bible is translated into medieval Greek resulting in much "smoothing and conflation". Criminally vague. Who says this, what is their meaning, and what are their credentials to say so? Translation and paraphrase is done in order to "smooth" a text for its readers, and conflation is hardly a crime.

550 Wales St David converts Wales to Christianity. Marker. Even if true, hardly constitites a "crime".

550 Crucifix Ancient fertility symbol - cross/crucifix - becomes official Christian symbol. Dipsy doodle. The cross was used as a symbol by Christianity as early as the second century; it was not a "fertility symbol" in its simple form (if it was, did the Romans pick it as a shape to crucify people on because of this?). For a more informed view see here.

555 Papal excommunication Vigilius (537-55) becomes first pope excommunicated after conspiring with Justinian and Theodora to kill Pope Silverius (536-37). At best half true. See here. The conspiracy and death of Silverus are noted (though he died, it is said, because of harsh treatment) but the charges are considered to possibly be "exaggerated". Vigilus was according to Milman "designated" as the successor of Boniface II by Boniface himself; it was because he was rejected by the clergy and the people (while Boniface was still alive) that he signed a compact with the Empress (proposed BY HER) guaranteeing "the degradation of Silverus, and a large sum of money, no doubt to secure his election..." The conspiracy was to accuse Silverus of "treasonable correspondence with the Goths." As a result of this conspiracy he was deposed to the level of a monk (the "degradation"); Milman adds that Justianian was in "utter ignorance...of the whole intrigue." [462ff] Silverus went to Justinian for relief, and Justinian sent him back with orders for an investigation. Vigilus banished Silverus to the island of Pandataria (a harsh place where "the worst heathen emperors" had sent exiles!) and it was there he died, though Milman says "whether in the course of nature or by violent means, seems to have been known with no more certainty in his own days than in ours." Cheetham says he died of "privation" and he fixes blame for the conspiracy on Theodora, for her purpose of finding a pope who would be more amenable to her Monophysitism [34] and expresses uncertainty that Vigilus was part of the connivance. Vigilus was "excommunicated" in 584 by Mennas, the Patriarch of Constantinople, after he himself had anathemztized Mennas, but this had nothing to do with the Silverus incident.

556 Antioch gentiles Emperor Justinianus orders inquisitor Amantius to find, arrest, torture and exterminate remaining gentiles at Antioch. Suspicious. Repeated only in copies of this list. There was an Amantius (or Adamantius) under Justianian in 556 but the only activity he is credited with in reliable sources has to do with Jews and Samaritans who attacked Christians at a circus in Caesarea.

562-582 Greek gentiles Christian inquisitors hunt down, arrest, torture and execute Greek gentiles (Hellenes) across Europe. Unverified. Only found in copies of this list. Not enough to confirm.

580 Temple of Zeus Members of Antioch Temple of Zeus sect are thrown to lions or crucified by Christians before their bodies are dragged through Constantinople streets and thrown in city dump. Unverified. Found only in this list.

583 New persecutions Emperor Mauricius launches new persecutions against Greek gentiles. Unverified. Repeated only in copies of this list.

587 Spain Visigoths of Spain convert to Christianity. Marker. Even if true, hardly constitites a "crime".

589 Italy Lombards of Italy convert to Christianity. Marker. Even if true, hardly constitites a "crime".

590-604 Gregory I 100s of patrons are deceived into purchasing expensive relics Gregory I (590-604) claims belonged to saints; many scholars now claim these saints never existed. Unlikely. See here: We may note also that, while this and other passages suggest that no great repugnance was felt in the East to the division and dismemberment of the bodies of the saints, in the West, on the other hand, particularly at Rome, the greatest respect was shown to the holy dead. The mere unwrapping or touching of the body of a martyr was considered to be a terribly perilous enterprise, which could only be set about by the holiest of ecclesiastics, and that after prayer and fasting....In the Theodosian Code the translation, division, or dismemberment of the remains of martyrs was expressly forbidden ("Nemo martyrem distrahat", Cod. Theod., IX, xvii, 7); and somewhat later Gregory the Great seems in very emphatic terms to attest the continuance of the same tradition. He professed himself sceptical regarding the alleged "customs of the Greeks" of readily transferring the bodies of martyrs from place to place, declaring that throughout the West any interference with these honoured remains was looked upon as a sacrilegious act and that numerous prodigies had struck terror into the hearts of even well meaning men who had attempted anything of the sort. Hence, though it was the Empress Constantina herself who had asked him for the head or some portion of the body of St. Paul, he treated the request as an impossible one, explaining that, to obtain the supply of relics needful in the consecration of churches, it was customary to lower into the Confession of the Apostles as far as the second "cataract"—so we learn from a letter to Pope Hermisdas in 519 (Thiel, "Epist. gen.", I, 873) ] a box containing portions of silk or cloth, known as brandea, and these brandea, after lying for a time in contact with the remains of the holy Apostles, were henceforth treated as relics. Gregory further offers to send Constantina some filings from St. Peter's chains, a form of present of which we find frequent mention in his correspondence (St. Gregory, "Epist.", Mon. Germ. Hist., I, 264 -66). As for "never existed" let's have the names of these "scholars".

590 Grammar banned Gregory I, or Gregory the Great, sends out order compelling bishops to desist from "wicked labour" of teaching grammar and Latin to lay people. False. Bede writes: It is likely that this and the next few come from a misreading of Edward Gibbon. Gibbon, of course, was the man who invented the Christians destroying the Great Library of Alexandria and a famous man of the enlightenment. However, he reports the the idea that Gregory destroyed temples, libraries or discouraged learning with disdain, saying "The pontificate of Gregory the Great, which lasted thirteen years, six months, and ten days, is one of the most edifying periods of the history of the church." His footnote is even more damning. He blames the anti-Catholic writer Pierre Bayle for using unreliable and late sources. If Gibbon, the man who practically invented anti-Christian history thinks Gregory the Great a saint, then we would be unwise to disagree.

c590 Education banned Gregory condemns education for all but clergy resulting in society remaining illiterate for almost 1000 years. False. Bede says: See above. This is based on a misreading of Gibbon.

c590 Library burned Gregory forbids laypeople from reading Bible and orders burning of Palatine Apollo library so its secular literature would not distract religious. False. Bede reports here, this was merely a rumor reported by the 13th century writer John of Salisbury, who admits he is reporting a rumor. Bede says: Although there is nothing intrinsically unlikely about Pope Gregory continuing the policy of Rome's pagan rulers in destroying these apparently subversive works we have seen the job appears to have been completed already.

c590 Pagan conspiracies Christian authorities launch new wave of torture and executions in response to perceived pagan conspiracies in Eastern Europe. Too vague to investigate.

c590 Statues destroyed Many ancient Roman statues, marbles and mosaics are destroyed or turned into lime under Gregory the Great or used to adorn Christian churches and cathedrals. Spin doctoring. Venerable Bede offers this comment: This allegation is most likely to come from a letter Gregory the Great wrote to a missionary on his way to England to convert the Anglo Saxons. In the letter, preserved by the Venerable Bede, Gregory writes: "the temples of the idols in that nation [England] ought not to be destroyed; but let the idols that are in them be destroyed; let holy water be made and sprinkled in the said temples, let altars be erected, and relics placed. For if those temples are well built, it is requisite that they be converted from the worship of devils to the service of the true God; that the nation, seeing that their temples are not destroyed, may remove error from their hearts, and knowing and adoring the true God, may the more familiarly resort to the places to which they have been accustomed." (Bede, Church History, Bk 1, Ch 30)...Gregory is talking about pagan idols in England rather than classical marble statues. It is highly unlikely he would allow pagan idols to be used to decorate Christian churchs. The other half of the allegation is also a half truth. Before the Renaissance, people did not value classical art, especially if they were living hand to mouth. Therefore they did use some classical marble to produce lime - the practice actually continued right the way up until the nineteenth century in some poor areas of Europe. This was economic necessity rather than Christian superstition. Mosaics do not usually contain enough marble to be worth uprooting and were not destroyed deliberately. They were usually buried when the building that contained them was abandoned and collapsed. However, serious damage to still-buried mosaics is currently ongoing through heavy ploughing.

c590-604 Enforced celibacy Gregory I introduces celibacy edict to prevent property from passing from church to possible wives, families or mistresses of clergy. False. Venerable Bede (if we need reminder, a Ph D student in history) writes: Clerical celibacy developed quite slowly. Initially, it was only monks and nuns who were celibate and this is still the case in the Eastern Churches. However, popular sentiment in the West slowly pushed the church towards all priests being celibate. First, existing priests were forbidden to marry and later, married men forbidden to become priests. However, this was not finally ratified until the 4th Lateran Council of 1215. Even today married Catholic priests do exist! Gregory was a monk and did approve of celibacy but did not bring in an edict making it compulsory. Instead he forbade the sons of clergy either to inherit their father's position or for church property to be passed on through families. Clearly, these measures were to prevent a hereditary priesthood developing and it is hard to see how anyone could object to them....I would say that Gregory did actively encourage celibacy and a letter to Sicily is extant instructing the Bishop not to make married men deacons. Punkish adds: This appears without documentation io Cawthorne's Sex lives of the Popes.

c590 Babies murdered 6000 babies are found murdered in pond outside Gregory's Lateran palace after celibacy edict is introduced by Gregory I. False. Since there was no such edict. Bede adds, I have no idea where this bizarre claim comes from although similar things have happened. In pagan Rome the exposure on unwanted children was not just accepted but completely non-controversial. One simply took junior to a local rubbish dump and left them there. The Christian Empire successfully outlawed the practice through re-education and making child killing into murder. However, periodically, Roman tips are excavated and the bones of hundred of exposed infants discovered. In the olden days this might cause some excitement as in at least one case they thought they had discovered the bones of the Holy Innocents murdered by Herod. The case above may be similar.

594 Plague ends Plague ends and church moves to dominate field of medicine; Christian monks are taught "bleeding" techniques to prevent toxic imbalances and restore humors. False. Bede writes: The church has never tried to dominate medicine and indeed, the 4th Lateran council forbade clergy to practice it. In the sixth century, however, and for a thousand years before and afterwards bleeding was recognised as the best available treatment for many conditions. This was not Christian teaching but from pagan Greeks such as Hippocrates and Galen. They taught that health required the correct balance between the four humours of blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile. Bleeding was a method of reducing the amount of blood and hopefully helping to restore balance. Thus, far from suppressing pagan science, Christians continued to use it as the best available. The fact that bleeding is likely to do more harm than good is the fault of pagan thought and not Christianity.

594+ Bleeding Tens of thousands die each year by bleeding until practise ends in 16th century. See above. Bede adds: These figures are likely to be fantasy. Bleeding was used by expensive professional physicians who only treated the rich to it is unlikely many people actually died of the practice. Anyway, it should really be included under Crimes of Paganism.

596 Britain St Augustine of Canterbury is sent to convert Britain to Christianity. Marker. Even if true, hardly constitites a "crime".

600 Ethelbert Christianisation of England begins. Marker. Even if true, hardly constitites a "crime".

622-80 Monothelitism Council of Constantinople condemns monothelitism as heretics for believing there is only one will or nature in Christ. True, but hardly a crime. See here.

625-38 Honorius I Honorius I (625-638) becomes first heretic pope after Leo X accuses him of teaching Christ as "divine only" amid church claims he was "divine and human". Badly confused. It was Leo II, not Leo X he was in Luther's time!), and Punkish reports: What about the 6th, 7th and 8th Ecumenical councils, (6th dates 680 AD)? Leo X was pope 1513-1521. Anyway the accusation is incorrect: the heresy involved was Monothelism (related to that of Monophysites) which declares there is but one will involved in the incarnate Word; that is Christ's human will was diminished. The Catholic Encyclopedia on Honorius has this information: the Catholics supposed the Monophysites to hold that the human nature in Christ was so swallowed up in the Divine that it was non-existent. It does not appear that the Monophysite leaders really went so far as this; but they did undoubtedly diminish the completeness of the human nature of Christ, by referring both will and operation to the one Person and not to the two distinct natures. It followed that a human free will and a human power of action were wanting to Christ's human nature.

626 Scotland King Edwin of Northumbria founds Edinburgh and begins Christianisation of Scotland. Marker. Even if true, hardly constitites a "crime".

627-28 Persia Christians under Emperor Heraclius defeat Persians at Ninevah. Marker. Even if true, hardly constitites a "crime".

628 Mecca Arab prophet Mohammed (b c570) captures Mecca and writes to world rulers explaining Islam. Marker. Even if true, hardly constitites a "crime".

629 Jerusalem Heraclius recovers Jerusalem from Persians. Marker. Even if true, hardly constitites a "crime".

632 East Anglia East Anglia is Christianised. Marker. Even if true, hardly constitites a "crime".

632 Islam Mohammed establishes Islam as official Arab religion; rise of Muslims. Marker. And irrelevant to boot.

635-850 China Nestorian mission to China. Marker. Even if true, hardly constitites a "crime".

635 Wessex Wessex is Christianised. Marker. Even if true, hardly constitites a "crime".

636 Ireland Southern Irish Church submits to Roman Catholicism. Marker. Even if true, hardly constitites a "crime".

637 Jerusalem conquered Muslims conquer Jerusalem. Irrelevant marker.

640 Library destroyed Great library of Alexandria, described as centre of Western Culture, is destroyed by Christian mobs; 700,000 ancient rolls are burned. False. See here for an extended account. Bede adds: In fact, 640AD is the date usually given to the equally ficticious destruction of the Library by Moslem invaders. Christians were supposed to have done it in 391Ad but this is a mistake by Gibbon. See here for details of the various legends of destruction.

640 Documents burned Christians destroy Gnostic Basilades, Porphyry's 36 volumes, writings of 27 mystery schools and 270,000 documents collected by Ptolemy Philadelphus. See link above. Bede adds: Oddly enough, several of Porphyry's works survive to this day and they formed part of the syllabus in all Christian universities. His vicious polemical attack on Christianity, however, was condemned and survives only in fragments. Also Crimeline can't spell "Basilides" right.

640-1380 English Bible Period between destruction of Library of Alexandria and first complete English translation of Bible. See above.

661 Easter Synod of Whitby sets date of Easter for Roman Catholic Church. Half true. "The real question decided at Whitby was not so much whether the church in England should use a particular paschal cycle, as "whether she should link her fortunes with those of the declining and loosely compacted Irish Church, or with the rising power and growing organization of Rome". See here -- and hardly a "crime" even if true.

690 Bible translations Earliest translation of parts of Bible into English vernacular. Marker. Even if true, hardly constitites a "crime".

694 Jewish enslavement Fifth council of Toledo orders enslavement of Jews, their property confiscated and children forcibly baptised. False. see link above: The fifth council was held in 636 and was "political in its prescriptions, which were directed towards the defence of the king." In 694 the sixteenth and seventeenth councils were held; the first imposed penance and declared an anathema against Archbishop Sisebert (who had plotted against King Egica), and the second discussed various disciplinary measures.

700 Church splits Western or Roman Church by 700 is divided into four political realms. Marker. Even if true, hardly constitites a "crime".

c700 Spain Spain is ruled by Christian Visigoths until their fall in 711-713 to Islamic Moors. Marker. Even if true, hardly constitites a "crime".

c700 England England is ruled by Anglo-Saxons. Marker. Even if true, hardly constitites a "crime".

c700 Gaul Gaul is ruled by Franks. Marker. Even if true, hardly constitites a "crime".

c700 Italy Italy is ruled primarily by Lombards. Marker. Even if true, hardly constitites a "crime".

716-19 Germany Mission to Germans is launched. Marker. Even if true, hardly constitites a "crime".

752 Donation of Constantine Donation of Constantine, "religion's most spectacular forgery," is used by Stephen II (752) to "prove" territorial and jurisdictional claims to Pepin. True. See here.

782 Charlemagne Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne (c742-814) beheads 4500 Saxon rebels in one morning for refusing to convert to Christianity. Dipsy doodle. He did execute 4500 Saxon rebels (see here) but online academic sources attribute this act to political motives, not religious ones. ("Saxons launch suprise attacks on Charlemagne's men with considerable success. Charlemagne responds by executing 4,500 Saxon prisoners in one day.") Arguably the Saxons were offered conversion as an option, but their refusal was clearly not the motive for execution.

800 Universal Emperor Pope Leo III (795-816) declares Charlemagne Universal Emperor. Marker. Even if true, hardly constitites a "crime".

850 Bible translations King Alfred translates several Bible books into English vernacular. Marker. Even if true, hardly constitites a "crime".

904-11 Sergius III Sergius III (904-911) murders predecessor Leo V (903) and establishes infamous "papal pornocracy"; he is described as "the most wicked of men". Difference of opinion. Of Leo V we find here that he reigned for but a month and that virtually nothing is known about him. Furthermore: The circumstances of his death are as obscure as those of his life. After a pontificate of somewhat over a month he was seized by Christopher, Cardinal-Priest of St. Damasus, and cast into prison. The intruder promptly seated himself in the chair of Peter, but was soon after displaced by Sergius III. Cheetman on the other hand claims Sergius murdered both Leo AND Christopher [75]. As for a "pornocracy" Cheetham knows of this, and it's a little off base: Cheetham calls Sergius ruthless and power-loving, but the "pornocracy" came about via "the most powerful clan" in Rome, headed by one Theophylactus, whose own set of ladies was the "so-called pornocracy". Milman [157/3] notes that he has been "loaded with every vice and every enormity which can blacken the character of man" but finds his reign shrouded in "almost total obscurity" and otherwise only mentions the same family connection Cheetham does, and attributes the worst tales about him to "the malignant license of satire." [159] Punkish adds: This appears in Cawthorne's Sex Lives of the Popes, the 'most wicked of men' quote comes from Baronius' Ecclesiastical Annals (written in the 16th century!)

906 Flying witches Church officially denies witches can fly although thousands later will be consigned to flames based on charges they can. Confused. Punkish notes: In Canon Episcopi. The "denial" is in the statement that it is illusory - "It is also not to be omitted that some unconstrained women, perverted by Satan, seduced by illusions and phantasms of demons, believe and openly profess that, in the dead of night, they ride upon certain beasts with the pagan goddess Diana" - but the document states that *belief* in these things is condemned, one wonders how much of a denial that is.

931-35 John XI John XI (931-935) develops reputation as "debauchee" who courted "beastly women" and "sat in the Chair of Peter during its deepest humiliation". Not likely. He was far too busy with political issues (see here); no documentation is offered for this claim. Cheetham calls him "colourless" but someone who could "be relied on to do as he was told." Milman notes only rumors of him being a bastard (which are not supported by "more trustworthy authorities" [167]. Punkish says: This is a poor use of sources, the actual sentence says "He was supposed to have taken up most of his papacy with 'beastly lewd women'" - Cawthorne p67 without saying where the quote comes from. Cawthorne also cites the rumour of him being a bastard.

942 Hungary Hungary is Christianised. Marker. Even if true, hardly constitites a "crime".

955-66 John XII John XII (955-966) develops reputation as murderer and adulterer; reign becomes so dissolute that Lateran spoken of as brothel. Actually true this time. See here.

964 Benedict V Benedict V (964) develops reputation as thief and adulterer; later described as "the most iniquitous of all the monsters of ungodliness". Unlikely. He reigned only a month before being removed by force; see here. He'd have had to have worked pretty darn hard in one month. Cheetham and Milman know nothing of this claim, but Punkish says, the quote comes from Gerbert, church historian (who became Pope Sylvster II 999-1003).

965-72 John XIII John XIII (965-972) becomes adulterer hated by laypeople; turns Lateran into stews before being murdered by husband who catches him in bed with wife. False. Cheetham says "no fault could be cound with him as a churchman" [79] though he was indeed hated, because he was nominated by the Saxon Emperor. Milman [186] says he was disliked becase of his "haughtiness" [186] and was exiled because of it. Neither mentions adultery or unusual culinary habits.

966 Poland Poland is Christianised. Marker. Even if true, hardly constitites a "crime".

973-4 Benedict VI Benedict VI (973-974), born illegitimate son of monk, is strangled for his wickedness after permitting women to be raped under his pontificate. Partially false. He was strangled, but the reason for it is not verified; see here. Cheetham mentions nothing of this and only notes that he was deposed; Milman says the same [188].

984-5 Boniface VII Boniface VII (984-985) allegedly murders predecessor to ascend throne; is later described as "horrid monster" who "in criminality, surpassed all the rest of mankind". True/Differing view. One source shows no sign of murder, but says he was an embezzler. See here. Cheetham says the quote came from a "future pontiff" and does say that he strangled his predecessor. Milman agrees with Cheetham [189] about the deposition but says that he killed his rival with either starvation of poison.

988 Russia Russia is Christianised. Marker. Even if true, hardly constitites a "crime".

999 Millennium Millennium terror results in people donating money, houses and land to church in what became "history's most spectacular giveaway". Likely true. But not much relevant to our position.

1010 French Jews Bishop of Limoges orders expulsion or execution of Jews from France refusing to convert to Christianity. Overstated According to a Jewish site here: Although the Capetian dynasty had been in power in France for twenty-three years, they provided no security for Jews. In Limoges, Bishop Alduin gave them the option of baptism or exile. The Jews sent Jacob bar Yukutiel to petition the Pope. One of his sons was forced to remain behind as a hostage to the bishop, while the rest went with him to Rome. He persuaded the Pope to send an envoy to the area with a papal order "not to kill, injure or rob Jews, nor to deprive them of their religion." This information like came from a source named Karlheinz Deschner, who will be used further on in the list. Bede has this to say of that author: did a search for this Karlheinz Deschner on the main academic databases and here are my results: International Medieval Bibliography full text search: zilch...JSTOR full text search of history journals: nada...Arts and Humanites Citations Index: one review of a book of his in a popular German magazine. I also found his books at the Cambridge University Library (they have everything) filed under 'Christianity - Controversial Works' wherein we also find Joseph McCabe, Freke and Gandy, the Holy Blood crew etc. We don't need to take him seriously, and the sole reason for using a German citation in an English webpage is to avoid scrutiny of sources.

1012-24 Benedict VIII Benedict VIII (1012-24) assassinates predecessor to ascend throne; Victor III (1086-87) claims he committed "rapes, murders and other unspeakable acts". False. See here: The first of the Tusculan popes, being the son of Gregory, Count of Tusculum, and Maria, and brother of John XIX, he was, though a layman, imposed on the chair of Peter by force (18 May, 1012). Nevertheless, dislodging a rival, he became a good and strong ruler. The only "down" report is that he is accused of avarice -- on "seemingly insufficient grounds". Neither Cheetham nor Milman agree with the assessment.

1022 Orleans 13 heretics are burned at Orleans by King Robert the Pius. Partly unverified. Punkish: Found in JB Russell's Witchcraft in the Middle Ages, 88, that these heretics were burned. Still unknown how many of them were.

1032-48 Benedict IX Benedict IX (1032-48) is described as "a demon from Hell disguised as a priest"; allegedly hosts homosexual orgies, sodomises animals and "order murders". Exaggerated. See here. He is called a "disgrace" for leading a dissolute life, but no specifics are given. Cheetham says he participated in "carousing and whoring" all around Rome but that scandals elsewise were "heightened in the telling." [84] It should be noted as well that several popes in this time came from the same corrupt family. Milman [230] does speak generally of adulteries and homicides "by his own hand" and of "abominations" but is otherwise not specific.

1045-6 Gregory VI Gregory VI (1045-6) allegedly practises same occult magic which later sends thousands to stake for similar activities. Unverified. Cheetham and Milman say nothing of this.

1143-4 Celestine II Celestine II (1143-4) is described as "brutal sadist" after having one Count Jordan strapped naked to scalding iron chair and ordering red-hot crown to be nailed to his head. Unlikely. He reigned only six months and (see here) "added to great learning the reputation of a grave and upright priest." Milman [242/4] says his only act was "one of gentleness and peace" when he gave a benediction to France. This claim is repeated only in this list. (Yes, it is also out of chronological order in the list.)

c1049 Odo of Cluny Odo (1030-97), Bishop of Bayeux, claims that "to embrace a woman is to embrace a sack of manure". Pope Leo again? This quote appears in several places without attribution to an original work of Odo. One site credits Joan Smith, Misogynies (New York: Fawcett Columbine, 1989) 61; this happened to be in a library a few blocks from me so I checked it. Smith references not an original source, but Karen Armstrong's Gospel According to Woman, p. 23. I checked that too; a later edition has it on page 26, but with no citation at all. Punkish has some more info for us; he found this quote on one site: "Since the tenth century, monks aspiring to unsullied communion with God, grew increasingly alarmed at the danger posed by women. The Cluniac reform, beginning in the tenth century, was momentous for several reasons. “The Cluny reformers resolved to free the clergy from both kings and 'wives,' to create an independent and chaste clergy. Thus, the distinctive western separation of Church and state and the celibacy of the Catholic clergy . . . had their distinctive origins in the Cluny reform movement.” [S. Ozment] Cluny did not entail a similar spiritual renewal for women — quite the contrary. Odo (d. 942), an abbot of Cluny, upbraided his fellow monks to flee the snares of the flesh (read women): “Since we are loath to touch spittle or dung even with our fingertips, how can we desire to embrace such a sack of dung?” " Ozment, S (1980) The Age of Reform 1250-1550, New Haven: Yale University Press is the likely source. It appears (though no reference yet) that it is not speaking of women themselves, but of celibate monks being told to flee intimacy with unregenerate women. We'll keep looking. Meanwhile Punkish adds as well: 1) Odo of Cluny lived in the 10th century, 2) Odo, Bishop of Bayeux was somebody else (a "bloody and unscrupulous fighter", History of Medieval Christianity, 86) 3) Odilo, 5th abbot of Cluny is the best fit for the date given, (d. Dec 31 1048 Cath. Enc) but again is someone else. (canonized a saint by the Roman church) All three appear in Russell's index as different entries. Makes it kinda hard to track the source of the quote!

1054 Church split Split between Eastern and Western churches formalise; Western Church becomes Catholic Church; Eastern Church becomes Orthodox Church. Marker. Even if true, hardly constitites a "crime".

c1054 Orthodox condemned Catholics consider Orthodox Christians affront to papal authority and condemn them as "Satan's henchmen". Undocumented.

1073-85 Gregory VII Gregory VII (1073-85) establishes reputation as "a brand of Hell" and "filthy fornicator"; allegedly poisons predecessor Alexander II and 6 bishops. Unlikely. See here where he is rather described as, "One of the greatest of the Roman pontiffs and one of the most remarkable men of all times..." Cheetham knows nothing of this; the closest we get is someone who called him a "holy Satan" -- because of his forceful personality which was "equally capable of attracting or repelling." Naturally there is no verification of poisoning or fornication; Cheetham also says his enemies faulted him for pride and ruthlessness, but "were unable to find fault in his piety and the monastic simplicity of his personal life." [98] Milman reads no differently. Punklish adds: This comes mostly from Nigel Cawthorne's Sex Lives of the Popes. re: fornicator, we find this in Joseph McCabe: "Gregory 'deposed' Henry IV — a new power of the Papacy, which Gregory partly uses forgeries to establish (Epp. viii, 21) — and Henry retorted by charging the Pope with various misdeeds, including suspicious intercourse with the Countess Mathilda! The Catholic writer tells that Gregory won; that the spiritual had a great triumph over the material; that the proud monarch knelt as a penitent in the snow outside the gates of the Castle of Cannossa and begged absolution. This picture is taken from the monkish chronicle of Lambert of Hersfeld, which has been heavily discredit