accordingly he did not know what to inquire about, or how far to inquire
and punish. This proves that it was not a new thing to examine into a
man's profession of Christianity and to punish him for it.[A]

[A] Orosius (vii. 12) speaks of Trajan's persecution of the
Christians, and of Pliny's application to him having led the
emperor to mitigate his severity. The punishment by the Mosaic
law for those who attempted to seduce the Jews to follow new
gods was death. If a man was secretly enticed to such new
worship, he must kill the seducer, even if the seducer were
brother, son, daughter, wife, or friend. (Deut. xiii.)

Trajan's rescript is extant. He approved of the governor's judgment in
the matter, but he said that no search must be made after the
Christians; if a man was charged with the new religion and convicted, he
must not be punished if he affirmed that he was not a Christian, and
confirmed his denial by showing his reverence to the heathen gods. He
added that no notice must be taken of anonymous informations, for such
things were of bad example. Trajan was a mild and sensible man; and both
motives of mercy and policy probably also induced him to take as little
notice of the Christians as he could, to let them live in quiet if it
were possible. Trajan's rescript is the first legislative act of the
head of the Roman state with reference to Christianity, which is known
to us. It does not appear that the Christians were further disturbed
under his reign. The martyrdom of Ignatius by the order of Trajan
himself is not universally admitted to be an historical fact.[A]

[A] The Martyrium Ignatii, first published in Latin by
Archbishop Usher, is the chief evidence for the circumstances
of Ignatius' death.