Melito of Sardis (ca. d-180) was both tough and tender. He had the audacity to make a bold request of the Roman Emperor yet did so nicely. Melito sent his Apology for Christianity (apology means defense) to Emperor Marcus Aurelius in AD 170. His cordial manner in writing stood in marked contrast to the combative tone of most correspondence of his day. He began by honoring the emperor as a leader wanting to do right for his people. He then pivoted to his purpose in writing: to appeal to the emperor to end the persecution of Christians. There has been considerable debate among historians as to whether Aurelius was responsible for persecuting Christians. The tone of Melito’s letter identified Aurelius as a sympathetic protector more than a persecutor. Likely, the persecution was being orchestrated by regional governors who found Christians convenient scapegoats for their leadership challenges. Melito urged Aurelius to stop confiscating Christians’ property, ease exorbitant taxes levied against them, and cease imprisoning them without cause.
While there’s much about Melito’s life and ministry unknown to us, we have a copy of his Easter homily discovered in 1932. He preached it sometime between AD 160-170 to his church in Sardis (modern Turkey), one of the seven churches addressed in Revelation 2-3. An archaeologist was rummaging through old manuscripts in an Egyptian monastery when he came upon Melito’s sermon wrapped in a fifth century manuscript scroll. It’s the oldest Easter sermon on record! We moderns have nothing on our early Christian forebears. His sermon is artfully prepared and profoundly theological. While we don’t know Aurelius’ reaction to the letter, his successors, most notably Diocletian, was ruthless in persecuting Christians. Melito likely died during Diocletian’s reign, perhaps a victim of the persecution he was trying to curtail. His Easter sermon leads us into prayer: