Motives for Becoming a Christian in the Second and Third Centuries: Survey and Analysis of Primary and Secondary Testimonies

Initially a valedictory lecture, this essay discusses the question for which motives people joined the Christians in the second and third centuries. It analyzes the conversion accounts of Justin Martyr, Tatian the Assyrian, Clement of Alexandria, Gregory the Wonderworker, Cyprian of Carthage, and the story about Thecla of Iconium. Next, it pays attention to the role of simple preachers, the Roman persecutions, and especially the love and care that Christians displayed to both fellow-believers and non-Christian friends and neighbors during plagues. With reference to Cyprian of Carthage and Dionysius of Alexandria and in agreement with Rodney Stark it is argued that someone who was supported was more likely to survive the pandemic than those who were abandoned by their relatives and friends. It is likely that therefore such non-Christians have converted thanks to their experiences with Christians.