Editing Persecution of Christians (section)

==== Decian persecution ====
{{Main|Decian persecution}}
In the reign of the emperor [[Decius]] ({{Reign|249|251}}), a decree was issued requiring that all residents of the empire should perform sacrifices, to be enforced by the issuing of each person with a ''[[libellus]]'' certifying that they had performed the necessary ritual.<ref name=":0" /> It is not known what motivated Decius's decree, or whether it was intended to target Christians, though it is possible the emperor was seeking divine favors in the forthcoming wars with the [[Carpi (people)|Carpi]] and the [[Goths]].<ref name=":0" /> Christians that refused to publicly offer sacrifices or burn incense to Roman gods were accused of impiety and punished by arrest, imprisonment, torture or execution.<ref name="Scarre170"/> According to Eusebius, bishops [[Alexander of Jerusalem]], [[Babylas of Antioch]], and [[Pope Fabian|Fabian of Rome]] were all imprisoned and killed.<ref name=":0" /> The patriarch [[Pope Dionysius of Alexandria|Dionysius of Alexandria]] escaped captivity, while the bishop [[Cyprian of Carthage]] fled his [[episcopal see]] to the countryside.<ref name=":0" /> The Christian church, despite no indication in the surviving texts that the edict targeted any specific group, never forgot the reign of Decius whom they labelled as that "fierce tyrant".<ref name="Scarre170">Scarre 1995, p. 170</ref> After Decius died, [[Trebonianus Gallus]] ({{Reign|251|253}}) succeeded him and continued the Decian persecution for the duration of his reign.<ref name=":0" />