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.

In the time of Hadrian it was no longer possible for the Roman government
to overlook the great increase of the Christians and the hostility of the
common sort to them. If the governors in the provinces were willing to
let them alone, they could not resist the fanaticism of the heathen
community, who looked on the Christians as atheists. The Jews too, who
were settled all over the Roman Empire, were as hostile to the Christians
as the Gentiles were. With the time of Hadrian begin the Christian
Apologies, which show plainly what the popular feeling towards the
Christians then was. A rescript of Hadrian to Minucius Fundanus, the
Proconsul of Asia, which stands at the end of Justin's first Apology,
instructs the governor that innocent people must not be troubled, and
false accusers must not be allowed to extort money from them; the charges
against the Christians must be made in due form, and no attention must be
paid to popular clamors; when Christians were regularly prosecuted and
convicted of illegal acts, they must be punished according to their
deserts; and false accusers also must be punished. Antoninus Pius is said
to have published rescripts to the same effect. The terms of Hadrian's
rescript seem very favorable to the Christians; but if we understand it
in this sense, that they were only to be punished like other people for
illegal acts, it would have had no meaning, for that could have been done