# Ancient/Medieval slurs for Christians? (Used by Romans, specifically) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 24, 2004, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancient-medieval-slurs-for-christians-used-by-romans-specifically/261236 "2004-08-24T06:17:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancient-medieval-slurs-for-christians-used-by-romans-specifically/261236/1 "2004-08-24T06:17:36Z")
Well, we all know that christianity wasn’t thought too highly of in the Roman Empire for quite awhile. (What with all the lion-feeding, and whatnot. 😉 ) My question is…Did the Romans have any common slurs or insults that were applied to christians, or Jesus himself, that we know of? I think I remember hearing that “The Nazarine” was used in the miniseries _I, Claudius_, to refer to Jesus…but I haven’t seen the series myself, so I don’t know for certain. (Or even that it was _intended_ to be a slur by the characters using it.) That’s…it, I think. Can anyone help me out? Ranchoth ---
**Author:** ![Atticus\_Finch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ec9cab/32.png) [@Atticus\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atticus_Finch)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancient-medieval-slurs-for-christians-used-by-romans-specifically/261236/2 "2004-08-24T06:26:20Z")
OTOH, the “body and blood” rite of Communion led to stories among Romans that Christians were cannibals. I can’t find a reliable cite for this with a quick google, though. ---
**Author:** ![FordPrefect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@FordPrefect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordPrefect)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancient-medieval-slurs-for-christians-used-by-romans-specifically/261236/3 "2004-08-24T13:11:54Z")
I may be rembering this wrong, but I think the name ‘Christian’ was intended to be derogatory, but became “their word”. It puts a whole new spin on the c-word concept,doesn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancient-medieval-slurs-for-christians-used-by-romans-specifically/261236/4 "2004-08-24T13:25:03Z")
> [@FordPrefect](#): > > I may be rembering this wrong, but I think the name ‘Christian’ was intended to be derogatory I can’t tell you that you’re wrong cause I don’t know where you got your info, and I don’t have any cites to refute it, but this seems unlikely to me. If “Christos” (sorry I don’t know how to make my keyboard write Greek letters) is Greek for “Anointed one” than the “Chistians” would be the People “of the Anointed one”. I can’t see this being a slur. ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancient-medieval-slurs-for-christians-used-by-romans-specifically/261236/5 "2004-08-24T14:59:05Z")
From the _Annals of Rome_, by Tacitus: > [@](#): > > Nero looked around for a scapegoat, and inflicted the most fiendish tortures on a group of persons already hated by the people for their crimes. This was the sect known as Christians. Their founder, one Christus, had been put to death by the procurator Pontius Pilate in the reign of Tiberius. This checked the abominable superstition for a while, but it broke out again and spread, not merely through Judaea, where it originated, but even to Rome itself, the great reservoir and collecting ground for every kind of depravity and filth. Those who confessed to being Christians were at once arrested, but on their testimony a great crowd of people were convicted, not so much on the charge of arson, but of hatred of the entire human race. ---
**Author:** ![FordPrefect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@FordPrefect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordPrefect)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancient-medieval-slurs-for-christians-used-by-romans-specifically/261236/6 "2004-08-24T15:48:46Z")
**bienville** I am suspecting that this may be something I learned in Sunday School as a child, which may have been erroneous, or misremembered. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancient-medieval-slurs-for-christians-used-by-romans-specifically/261236/7 "2004-08-24T15:59:23Z")
I’ve seen pictures of a second-century graffito of a crucified donkey with the words, “Alexamenos Worships His God,” obviously to rag someone for being Christian. Link [here](http://faculty.bbc.edu/rdecker/alex_graffito.htm). According to the link, it was believed by many that Christians worshipped an ass, so that could have given rise to all sorts of slurs. ---
**Author:** ![Abbie\_Carmichael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@Abbie\_Carmichael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abbie_Carmichael)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancient-medieval-slurs-for-christians-used-by-romans-specifically/261236/8 "2004-08-24T16:31:06Z")
Lion Chow? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![redtail23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3e96dc/32.png) [@redtail23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/redtail23)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancient-medieval-slurs-for-christians-used-by-romans-specifically/261236/9 "2004-08-24T17:30:53Z")
The one I’ve seen referred to most often was “atheist” (because they refused to worship the Roman/Greek pantheon). I’m frequently tempted to start using it again. 😉