https://factsandreasons.squarespace.com/home daily 1.0 2025-11-11 https://factsandreasons.squarespace.com/my-vision daily 0.75 2025-11-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/f4da3d86-7d1a-458f-868a-095f1a04c0b3/Bloch-SermonOnTheMount.jpg My Vision - My Vision My passion is that all peoples of every nationality, ethnicity, race, color, and creed hear the Good News of Jesus Christ and receive Him as their personal Lord and Savior. My goal is to contend for biblical truth with facts and reasons. I hope to reach and engage both open-minded skeptics as well as believers in Jesus. I hope skeptics will be persuaded to explore the Bible with an open mind and eventually come to saving faith in Jesus. I hope believers in Jesus will be edified by facts and reasons for faith, and be emboldened in their Christian witness. I pray daily that God would usher in a great worldwide spiritual awakening and revival, with a harvest of no less than a billion Jewish and gentile souls to the ends of the earth, with tens of millions of my fellow Americans among them, along with major transformation and reformation of the nations. I also have a special passion for the Jewish people. I am a committed supporter of the worldwide Messianic Jewish movement and the restoration of Israel. I pray daily that millions of Jews, both inside and outside of Israel, will be led to saving faith in Yeshua (Jesus). Gadol Elohai. https://factsandreasons.squarespace.com/about-arturo-r-ortiz-team daily 0.75 2025-11-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/6c2cdb8a-6230-498c-91a5-28c8328aa0a0/Picture3.png About Arturo R. Ortiz - About Arturo R. Ortiz Arturo is a retired physicist and aerospace engineer, with thirty-three years of active duty Air Force and civilian service, mainly in the space and missiles field, and some aircraft flight testing. Those were his “tentmaking” years. Since retirement, Arturo pursued a higher calling in service to the Great Commission. He is committed to the study of Christian apologetics and to teaching in local churches that he has attended. Arturo’s theological orientation is conservative, Bible-believing, and leaning toward a Wesleyan tradition. He believes most ardently that Jesus Christ is the divine Son of God and Savior who came for all, died for all, and lives and reigns today. He also believes that God gives us all a choice to respond to Him with saving faith or to continue down a path that leads to eternal ruin. Gadol Elohai. https://factsandreasons.squarespace.com/the-existence-of-god daily 0.75 2025-12-05 https://factsandreasons.squarespace.com/astronomy-and-the-bible daily 0.75 2025-11-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/71de7ff8-123a-4483-a9b8-3e1f084fa09e/%282.1%29.jpg Astronomy and the Bible - Make it stand out Figure 1. Astronomical data show the universe has been stretching since the moment of its birth. The galaxies are moving away from each other, as indicated by spectroscopic measurements of the Doppler red shift of extragalactic light. Licensed by Shutterstock. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/8464ecaf-cf57-48f5-a63e-f82b5b7d1ddb/%282.4%29.jpg Astronomy and the Bible - Make it stand out Figure 2. Astronomical measurements confirm the temperature of the cosmic microwave background has been falling from the moment of its appearance. Licensed by Shutterstock. https://factsandreasons.squarespace.com/intelligent-design-and-fine-tuning daily 0.75 2025-11-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/950b43cb-3583-4989-9943-742e5954c13f/DNA_orbit_animated.gif Intelligent Design and Fine Tuning - Make it stand out Figure 1. The DNA molecule exhibits specified complexity, which is indicative of intelligent design. Image provided by Zephyris. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/6203aa5a-05e3-4084-bbea-f93d50798b59/%283.2%29.jpg Intelligent Design and Fine Tuning - Make it stand out Figure 2. Habitable zone for the earth in orbit around the sun. (Note the scales are not linear.) Licensed by Shutterstock. https://factsandreasons.squarespace.com/jesus-the-messiah daily 0.75 2025-11-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/2a502a85-04c7-4fc7-9818-fcba937c0663/Bloch-SermonOnTheMount.jpg Jesus the Messiah - Make it stand out Jesus preaching His Sermon on the Mount, which many consider to be the greatest ethical discourse ever. Painting by Carl Bloch, 1877. Public domain. https://factsandreasons.squarespace.com/the-resurrection-of-jesus-christ daily 0.75 2025-11-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/fcbc8baa-80e6-4605-881f-36814e9f6377/Alexander_Ivanov_-_Christ%27s_Appearance_to_Mary_Magdalene_after_the_Resurrection_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/96673ff8-884b-47c7-be35-c86a785cc318/TheResurrectionOfChrist.jpg The Resurrection of Jesus Christ - Make it stand out The Resurrection of Christ. Painting by Carl Bloch, 1875. Public domain. https://factsandreasons.squarespace.com/site-updates daily 0.75 2026-04-18 https://factsandreasons.squarespace.com/the-deity-of-jesus-christ daily 0.75 2025-11-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/20fb9089-96f6-4791-a5ae-1b860686c056/Transfigurationbloch.jpg The Deity of Jesus Christ - The Deity of Jesus Christ Transfiguration of Jesus. Painting by Carl Bloch (1834–1890). Public domain. https://factsandreasons.squarespace.com/recommended-reading daily 0.75 2026-04-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/6d3e0314-c75f-4307-af10-9d8a01c1928d/A+Protestant+Reformer+diligently+reads+an+intellectual.png Recommended Reading - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://factsandreasons.squarespace.com/canaanite-religion daily 0.75 2025-11-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/d00c45d8-176d-467b-b956-728269830f33/%286.1%29.jpg Canaanite Religion - Canaanite Religion Part 1. The Cult of Ashtoreth Figure 1. The High Place of Gezer, where a Canaanite civilization practiced extensive child sacrifice. The taller pillars are about nine feet tall. Licensed by Shutterstock. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/fb7432ee-bd80-493e-8b19-a13aacb248a2/II+3+A.png Canaanite Religion - Make it stand out Figure 2. A foundation sacrifice from location II3A of the excavation site, showing the skeleton of a female victim. Note the bowl and cistern. Sacrificial victims were buried with food and beverage. (The Excavation of Gezer, Volume II, page 427) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/b5f39e68-edea-4a6e-8537-0ee6d2f0ceef/II+2+B.png Canaanite Religion - Make it stand out Figure 3. Foundation sacrifices buried in cistern III2B with spearheads and other objects. Skeletons 1 and 3 through 15 are adult males. Skeleton 2 is a girl estimated to be of age 16. Her body was cut in two, apparently as part of an exceptionally barbarous ritual. Note only her upper half was buried. (The Excavation of Gezer, Volume II, page 430) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/150ff162-9821-4b30-a2af-100b70df66e4/III+30.png Canaanite Religion - Make it stand out Figure 4. Foundation sacrifices buried at location III30 of the excavation site. Note the bowls and cisterns. (The Excavation of Gezer, Volume II, page 428) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/d3cbc1ef-628e-4f82-b796-dfc9a2e0a7b6/%286.2%29.jpg Canaanite Religion - Canaanite Religion Part 2. The Cult of Ba’al Figure 1. The tophet of Carthage in modern day Tunisia. Archaeologists found thousands of urns containing the burned remains of infants and animals that were sacrificed to Ba’al. Licensed by Shutterstock. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/71daea62-0869-446d-ae72-9faf8d6b0907/Tunisise_Carthage_Tophet_Salambo_03.jfif Canaanite Religion - Make it stand out Figure 2. The sign of Tanit at the tophet of Carthage. The bottom image shows Tanit with outstretched arms in the horizontal position. Scholars believe the outstretched arms represent an invitation to offer children to Ba’al and Tanit for sacrifice. Licensed by GIRAUD Patrick, CC BY-SA 2.5 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5>, via Wikimedia Commons. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/020f0229-fa63-4442-a094-2534ab26b902/Tophet+Strata.png Canaanite Religion - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/a6cf889c-49f1-435b-a11e-c4c893755fe7/Tophet+Urn.png Canaanite Religion - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/3e2378b7-d045-4a62-a35f-8727cc4ee5ec/W7EDJM.jpg Canaanite Religion - Make it stand out Figure 5. A stele recovered from the tophet of Carthage. The stele shows a priest of Ba’al holding a child to be sacrificed. Note the child appears upright and alive in the left arm of the priest. Carthaginian art in the Bardo National Museum, Tunis, Tunisia. Licensed by Alamy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/6eb1dbe1-4569-46ea-9ae9-843b714d8145/Figure+1.png Canaanite Religion - Canaanite Religion Part 3. The Cult of Molek Figure 1. Aerial view of the ruins of a Late Bronze Age Canaanite temple discovered during expansion of the Amman Civil Airport in Jordan. Some scholars believe it is a temple of the Ammonite god Molek. Image copyrighted by Taylor & Francis Ltd, http://www.tandfonline.com, used under license. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/3774e7ac-d738-478b-a3ca-11db09db2c61/Figure+2.png Canaanite Religion - Make it stand out Figure 2. Layout of the main temple structure. The top image indicates the size of the structure. The square at the center of the bottom image is the inner sanctum. At the very center is an altar. Note the entrance indicated by the arrow at the lower left hand corner. A simple maze leads to the inner sanctum. Image copyrighted by Taylor & Francis Ltd, http://www.tandfonline.com, used under license. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/6df505ea-e34a-4984-8dd7-89ad4af16f61/Figure+3.png Canaanite Religion - Make it stand out Figure 3. The altar located at the very center of the inner sanctum. Archaeologists confirmed incense was burned on the altar. Image copyrighted by Taylor & Francis Ltd, http://www.tandfonline.com, used under license. https://factsandreasons.squarespace.com/ancient-monuments daily 0.75 2025-11-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/a148bb26-d6be-4771-91dc-9b766a9579ce/Gustav_Jaeger_Bileam_Engel.jpg Ancient Monuments - A Shrine with Evidence that Balaam Son of Beor was a Real Person in History The illustration shows Balaam son of Beor as he encounters an angel of God while riding a donkey on the way to cursing the Israelites (Numbers 22:21-31). Painting by Gustav Jaeger (1808-1871). Public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/9d30d394-a3fa-45b0-a978-f0e62d6456ef/Picture1.png Ancient Monuments - A Statue that Helps Us Understand the Book of Jonah The illustration shows the ancient Assyrian statue that has the Tell el Fakhariya bilingual inscription. An Akkadian text is inscribed on the front and an Aramaic translation is inscribed on the back. The bilingual inscription provides insight regarding the king of Nineveh in the book of Jonah. This statue is on display at the National Museum of Damascus in Syria. Public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/9aa1d817-9fcf-4462-a6f3-940b905c0094/high+res+Black+Obelisk+WHBB8W.jpg Ancient Monuments - The Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III The illustration shows some scenes from the Black Obelisk of the Assyrian king Shalmaneser III. Foreign kings are bowing to Shalmaneser as they bring tribute to him. The obelisk is on display at the British Museum in London. Licensed by Alamy. https://factsandreasons.squarespace.com/blog daily 0.75 2025-12-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/2532ffa1-926b-4b4a-b583-68d30eeefa04/Scribe.png Blog - Blog Welcome to my blog. Please visit here frequently. From time to time, I will add short articles on matters of faith, biblical history, Christian history, and science. Visit the Site Updates page in the navigation bar on top to see if any updates were posted. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/26ef66b2-726b-4efc-bc62-16321a314364/%284.3%29.jpg Blog - Make it stand out The Assyrian king Sargon II (right) and his son and crown prince Sennacherib (left). Public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/57447a2d-5a35-4afe-9492-509e2b6611a7/Map_of_Assyria.png Blog - Make it stand out Credit: Ningyou, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/9e5c52b4-8d17-4311-9397-e87b3002c610/AustenHenryLayard.jpg Blog - Make it stand out Sir Austen Henry Layard (Public Domain) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/c395c516-728e-434c-8c51-99b3dfe6b70c/Lamassu_al_British_Museum_1852.png Blog - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/de817c59-f6c3-4f08-bccf-fb80214e58f0/shutterstock_1300424224.jpg Blog - Make it stand out A lamassu recovered from the ruins of ancient Assyria. Licensed by Shutterstock. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/18d1ad25-0214-4a60-9689-e856f06165a1/Palace+%28cropped%29.jpg Blog - Make it stand out An artist’s concept of an Assyrian king’s palace. Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/a81d6846-f16f-4596-aed0-c33d04b71306/8d612efb-c2cd-4080-afd7-c5dcf9ef4e3a.png Blog - Make it stand out Artist’s concept of Nimrud around 705 BC, based on sketches drawn by Layard. Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/a1e60ecb-4957-4918-80ef-933d9e0c9a9a/high+res+Black+Obelisk+WHBB8W.jpg Blog - Make it stand out King Jehu of Israel brings tribute to Shalmaneser. Licensed by Alamy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/cf5a016a-01c8-464c-9c24-5f63723cbb04/The_Assyrian_king_Shalmaneser_III_receives_tribute_from_Sua%2C_king_of_Gilzanu%2C_The_Black_Obelisk.+%281%29.jpg Blog - Make it stand out A pagan king submits to Shalmaneser for judgment and apparently kisses his feet. Licensed by Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/b209b28e-43ec-47cc-ac59-08862ce6eed0/Stele_of_Adad-nirari_III.jpg Blog - Make it stand out The Tell al-Rimah Stele. Credit: Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin. Licensed by Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/d8ea02c4-11bc-4e3b-ba4e-b1c28bcc0908/Sennacherib%27s_Prism_in_the_Israel_Museum_%282%29.jpg Blog - Make it stand out Figure 1. The Jeursalem prism on display at the Israel Museum. Credit: Hanay. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/07ce7ce3-5040-4a1e-8faa-a98cdf778488/%284.4%29.jpg Blog - Make it stand out Figure 2. A battle scene from the Lachish reliefs. Photo by Oren Rozen. Licensed under the Creative Commons Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/6aa94978-17fb-4f0b-801c-fa1a3eb22b0b/%284.5%29.jpg Blog - Make it stand out Figure 3. The partially excavated ruins of Lachish. Photo by Mark A. Wilson. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/c88606aa-b4e3-4283-8abd-4fd99ab4f280/%284.6%29.jpg Blog - Make it stand out Figure 4. The siege ramp the Assyrians built against a wall of Lachish. Photo by Mark A. Wilson. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/260d29c8-66a1-4353-bf42-15e0fbb93332/Hezekiah+and+Isaiah.png Blog - Make it stand out Figure 5. The prophet Isaiah (right) assures King Hezekiah that Sennacherib will not capture Jerusalem. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/39ddd5ce-8251-44ce-ae13-d95c6cc12b11/Monogram_ARO.png Blog - Make it stand out ARO https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/fe34ac4b-154a-4a42-8e59-5621cb041c7a/arena.jpg Blog - Make it stand out The Christian Martyrs’ Last Prayer, by Jean-Leon Gerome, 19th Century. Credit William T. Walters, 1883. Licensed by Wikimedia Commons. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/297fc44a-0303-41ac-b444-2c2751e0f2de/alex1.png Blog - Make it stand out The illustrations show the Alexamenos graffito, inscribed on plaster, discovered during excavation of the Palatine Hill in Rome in 1856, near the site of the Roman imperial palace. The left image shows the actual graffito. The right image shows the graffito captured on paper. The words say Alexamenos worships (his) God. The crucified man with the head of an ass is supposed to be Jesus, according to Roman anti-Christian propaganda. Public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/9cca6625-a4d8-4a60-a8f3-a1edf8ea3550/Siemiradski_Fackeln.jpg Blog - Make it stand out The emperor Nero had Christians tied to stakes and coated with flammable liquid. They were set on fire at night to light up the imperial gardens as human torches. Painting by Henryk Siemiradzki (1876), on display at the National Museum in Krakow, Poland. Public domain in the United States via Wikimedia Commons. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/2181a601-9608-47d2-8d29-d4a9c610dd11/Nero-black.png Blog - Make it stand out Bust of Nero at Musei Capitolini, Rome. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/6bcd6dcc-4a7b-42c4-bff2-f8bd73b70e2c/Giovanni_Francesco_Barbieri_-_Saint_Paul.jpg Blog - Make it stand out Saint Paul, by Guercino. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/00d571c0-977a-4bc8-a3d1-81acba427c26/Pope-peter_pprubens.jpg Blog - Make it stand out Saint Peter, by Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640). Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/14884b7a-65e9-4bcd-a341-25931f49772c/Vespasianus01_pushkin.jpg Blog - Make it stand out Bust of Vespasian. Copyright Shakko. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/c17cf828-74c6-4992-b461-3751d59390c4/Domitian.jfif Blog - Make it stand out Bust of Domitian on display at the Louvre Museum in Paris. Copyright Sailko. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/cbcbfca5-568e-4c57-a486-2b8e2530dce0/Nerva_Tivoli_Massimo+%281%29.jpg Blog - Make it stand out The emperor Nerva, who ended the persecution launched by Domitian, and gave amnesty to imprisoned and exiled Christians. Public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/1dc1fc77-2405-4d27-94fd-00c012b9af2b/Traianus_Glyptothek_Munich_72.jpg Blog - Make it stand out The emperor Trajan, who started an empire-wide persecution of the saints. Public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/85c1ef58-1a31-45cb-8382-f71cbb9c675b/Statue_of_Hadrian%2C_2nd_cent._A.D._%28PAM_1197_%26_1199._1-6-2020%29.jpg Blog - Make it stand out The emperor Hadrian, who relented of persecuting the church, and ushered in a brief period of peace for the saints. Copyright George E. Koronaios. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 international license. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/a8e6045a-50bb-49be-b9d2-c7fa28f2c5ee/Antoninus_Pius_%28Museo_del_Prado%29_01.jpg Blog - Make it stand out The emperor Antoninus, remembered by history as a good emperor, but whose devotion to Roman pagan religion led him to launch a new round of persecution. Image provided by Luis Garcia. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/0d95c966-fa73-44d9-9555-b6df830dce50/Marcus_Aurelius_Metropolitan_Museum.png Blog - Make it stand out The emperor Marcus Aurelius, remembered as an illustrious ruler during the golden age of imperial Rome, but who also intensified the persecution of the saints. Public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/37674a77-417e-438b-995a-85da83d15ad0/Commodus_Musei_Capitolini_MC1120.jpg Blog - Make it stand out The emperor Commodus, who though insane, cruel, and murderous, actually stopped the persecution of the saints. He also ushered in a long period of irreversible decline of the Roman Empire. Public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/57ec5f7c-822f-4dd6-a9e2-895b8bc38c68/Septimius_Severus_Glyptothek_Munich_357_cropped.jpg Blog - Make it stand out The emperor Septimius Severus, who ushered in a new imperial dynasty and a new round of persecution. Public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/f04cbf00-4d11-4be4-9b0c-90d6798ba28a/Alexander_Severus_Musei_Capitolini_MC471.jpg Blog - Make it stand out The emperor Alexander Severus, the last Severan emperor. He was tolerant of several faiths, including Christianity. His mother was tutored by the Christian scholar and apologist Origen. Public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/fd3bdc12-925f-47a6-8377-35d0bcae0fc6/Maximinus_Thrax_Musei_Capitolini_MC473.jpg Blog - Make it stand out The emperor Maximinus Thrax, who launched another round of persecution. His rule was cut short by assassination. Public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/866349c6-6e72-45d7-a75b-4516277fd62e/Bust_of_Decius_%28loan_from_Capitoline_Museums%29_-_Glyptothek_-_Munich_-_Germany_2017.jpg Blog - Make it stand out The emperor Decius, who launched an intense persecution of the church. His rule was cut short by his death in battle. Copyright Jose Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution - Share Alike 4.0 International license. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/439a42f1-0f94-4166-84cf-f0c1f262c02a/Libellus.jpg Blog - Make it stand out Libellus from the days of Decius, certifying that a woman and her daughter sacrificed to the gods of Rome. Discovered among papyri from an excavation in Egypt. Public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/2ecb1ccc-957c-4b53-8397-a5eda6d25c33/Ritratto_di_gallieno_dalla_casa_delle_vestali.jpg Blog - Make it stand out The emperor Gallienus, who issued the first official edict of toleration of Christians, and ordered the return of confiscated church property. Image provided by Sailko. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/4eb855d0-8786-460f-a7ce-aa68880bd1fc/Romuliana_Galerius_head_%28cropped%29.jpg Blog - Make it stand out The emperor Galerius, who was very anti-Christian and prodded Diocletian to launch The Great Persecution. Just before dying, he issued an edict of toleration of Christians. Copyright Shinjirod. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/439a31d1-9c4c-4de0-9855-23e5908e0c9d/Diocletian_bust.png Blog - Make it stand out The emperor Diocletian, who launched The Great Persecution after prodding from Galerius. Copyright Giovanni Dall’Orto. Published under license. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/909da04b-baf8-4356-928d-c37b295115ed/Galerius_Edict_Sofia_Plaque_03.jfif Blog - Make it stand out Copies of the Edict of Serdica, on display at Saint Sofia Church, in Sofia, Bulgaria, in three languages: Latin, Bulgarian, and Greek. Copyright Мико. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution - Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/dacba29c-3af0-4d27-bead-94a3b64a38c4/Rome-Capitole-StatueConstantin.jpg Blog - Make it stand out The emperor Constantine, who together with his co-emperor Licinius, issued the Edict of Milan, which affirmed freedom of religion throughout the empire, and declared Christians had the same rights as other legal religions throughout the empire. Later, Licinius turned against the Christians and launched another round of persecution. Constantine defeated Licinius in the civil war that followed. Image courtesy Jean-Christophe Benoist. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution - Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/0876275f-2097-41e5-9282-219e313999a5/Jacopo_vignali%2C_san_giovanni_evangelista_a_patmos.jpg Blog - Make it stand out The apostle John is visited by an angel of the Lord at Patmos. Painting by Jacopo Vignali (1592-1664). Public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce1de02e0572782ff58b0/e9cfa5c7-dfb3-4367-bcbc-a3debf824408/Richard_Wurmbrand_mugshot.jpg Blog - Make it stand out Pastor Richard Wurmbrand, who was imprisoned and tortured in Communist Romania for fourteen years because of his Christian faith. After release from prison, he moved to the West and cofounded Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) with his wife Sabina, who also endured imprisonment in Communist Romania for her faith. VOM monitors persecution of Christians worldwide and supports frontline Christian workers in hostile lands. 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