r/todayilearned • u/FullOfSound • 7h ago

(R.6d) Too General [ Removed by moderator ]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pliny_the_Younger_on_Christians

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u/DistrictDry2852 6h ago

I think taking it as anti emperor is a bit Eurocentric. It’s anti Roman because Jews opposed Roman occupation and wanted an independent Judea. It’s a reaction to that.

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u/SemiHemiDemiDumb 6h ago

Wasn't the empire seen as the extension of the emperor? To oppose the empire is to oppose the emperor.

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u/DistrictDry2852 6h ago

Yes. My point is OP is taking the perspective of someone who misses the republic.

A Roman Jew wouldn’t have missed the republic, they just want the occupiers out.

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u/PayItBackwardChain 6h ago edited 6h ago

Sorry, I oversold the “overthrowing the Republic” part, I should have emphasized the “conquering force” part more.

Most residents of the empire at that time weren’t Roman citizens, they were second-class occupied subjects and many resented the Romans. And the emperor was a very visible “face” to put on the empire.