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The Antonine Plague: The Killer Disease That Devastated The Roman Empire

Exposing the vulnerabilities of the Roman state, the Antonine Plague struck across an approximate 15-year period, from AD 165 to 180. Outbreaks decimated the Roman population, economy, and military, marking the disease as one of the most significant pandemics in ancient history. Some historians have it that the plague may have even sowed the seeds of the empire's decline and eventual collapse.

What was this disease that wreaked so much havoc, and where did it come from? Here, with expertise from Professor Colin Elliott, we track the plague's path of destruction through the Roman world…

What was the Antonine Plague?

The Antonine Plague was a deadly epidemic that devastated the Roman empire. It takes its name from Antoninus, the imperial family name of Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus, who ruled as co-emperors at the time of the first outbreak.

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Although referred to as a plague, this was not bubonic plague (a disease better known as the Black Death, which ravaged medieval Europe a millennium later). In fact, the identity of the disease remains unknown, despite numerous theories and speculations.

"We don't know what disease it was," says Professor Colin Elliott, author of Pox Romana: The Plague that Shook the Roman World (Princeton University Press, 2024).

Smallpox and measles are common culprits blamed for the Antonine Plague, but without conclusive evidence. "We don't have the DNA evidence to confirm a smallpox diagnosis or a smallpox-like disease diagnosis," Elliott explains on an episode of the HistoryExtra podcast. "In fact, if anything, the genetic evidence suggests that it was not."

Whatever specific disease it was, stresses Elliott, "it was contagious and obviously very deadly".

A timeline of the Antonine Plague: when did it start?

The Antonine Plague first emerged around AD 165 within the ranks of the Roman army, before spreading across the empire. The epidemic reached its peak by AD 166–168 and was followed by further waves over the next decade, eventually receding around AD 180.

The initial outbreak occurred during the military campaign against the Parthians, in modern-day southwestern Asia.

"Emperor Lucius Verus took tens of thousands of soldiers and marched them down the Euphrates [river] into Persian territory," says Elliott. "We're told in several literary accounts that they encounter some kind of new diseases."

After securing victory in the Roman-Parthian War, Lucius Verus's soldiers returned home, bringing the new disease with them.

By AD 166, the epidemic had reached the heart of the empire, Rome itself. "The soldiers that were in Parthia came back to their European bases and some were selected to participate in a triumphal parade," says Elliott. "There would have been thousands of troops invited into the city of Rome."

They marched through the streets, taking a circuitous route that hit all the major sites and temples, and were watched by large crowds all the way. As Elliott points out, "Rome's population at this time is probably over a million people; if 10 per cent showed up to watch this parade, that's 100,000 people."

That, Elliott adds, is what we would in modern parlance call a "super-spreader event". Following the triumphal parade, the outbreak worsened immediately.

How far did the Antonine Plague spread?

Facilitated by the empire's extensive trade networks and movement of troops, the Antonine Plague spread rapidly. It affected the entire Mediterranean Basin, reaching Egypt, Greece and Gaul.

While the most severe impact was felt in the early years between AD 166–168, accounts indicate that waves continued to flare up sporadically until AD 180.

By the time that Emperor Marcus Aurelius died in AD 180 (his co-emperor, Lucius Verus had perished in AD 169, perhaps from the Antonine Plague) the outbreaks had gradually subsided.

The end of the disease's prevalence wasn't marked by a specific event, but rather a slow reduction in mortality and infection rates. As Elliott explains, the Antonine Plague "vanished because enough immunity built within the population so that the disease could no longer latch on to large populations and have these epidemic bursts".

What were the symptoms of the Antonine Plague?

The symptoms of the Antonine Plague included: high fever, vomiting, inflammation of the throat, severe skin rashes that scabbed and scarred or formed pustules, and ulcerations inside the body. Diarrhoea was also common: bowel movements would be red or even black, suggesting gastrointestinal bleeding.

This information primarily came from the accounts of the physician Galen, who worked practiced medicine during the epidemic. As such, it is sometimes referred to as the Plague of Galen.

The symptoms lasted two weeks, but not everyone who contracted the disease would die. The fatality rate has been estimated to as high as 35 per cent.

Statue of Marcus Aurelius. (Photo by Heritage Art/Heritage Images via Getty Images)

What was the Antonine Plague's death toll?

Estimates suggest that the death toll from the Antonine Plague is likely to be between 5 and 10 million people, accounting for roughly a fifth to a quarter of the population of the Roman empire. However, this remains difficult to precisely quantify.

Soldiers of the Roman legion were particularly hard-hit, due to their movements from region to region and living in such close proximity to one another. Some reports indicate that entire units were rocked by casualties, weakening the military's ability to defend the empire.

Cassius Dio, a Roman historian writing after the epidemic had receded, claimed that 2,000 people were dying every day.

What was the impact of the Antonine Plague on the Roman empire?

The Antonine Plague impacted every aspect of Roman empire, destabilising the military and economy.

Moving from region to region and living in such close proximity to one another, soldiers of the Roman legions were particularly hard-hit, with reports indicating that entire units were rocked by casualties, weakening the military's ability to defend the empire.

When the disease first appeared, the army was engaged in multiple campaigns; ironically, maintaining Pax Romana was achieved through war, more importantly victory. As soldiers perished from the disease, however, the army could no longer defend the empire or suppress rebellions as effectively. The result was a general decline in the invincible aura of the Roman army.

The Antonine Plague did not itself destroy the Pax Romana, as Elliott explains, but certainly had a noticeable impact. "It accelerated soldier deaths, which prolonged the wars, which then created an unstable situation on the borders. This contributes, in a way, to the fall of the Roman empire."

On an economic level, the Antonine Plague was equally catastrophic. There were fewer farmers, labourers, craftsmen and traders, so agricultural production suffered, leading to severe food shortages.

Other shortages included stone, timber and metal. The epidemic brings about a decline in the commissioning of grand architectural and infrastructure projects, as well as tax revenues. Inflation sets in, trade networks were disrupted, and the economy stagnated.

The prosperity that had characterised the Roman empire for centuries was hit hard.

"The effects of the disease mixed with other things – war, currency debasement, migrations, and civil war – to create a whole cocktail of crisis that ended the Pax Romana," concludes Elliott.

Professor Colin Elliott is professor of history at Indiana University and the host of the Pax Romana Podcast. He is author of Pox Romana: The Plague that Shook the Roman World (Princeton University Press, 2024). He was speaking to James Osborne on the HistoryExtra podcast.

The Black Death

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The 25 Best Medieval Movies Of All Time, Ranked

Medieval movies occupy a special place in cinema. It's a time for which none of us were present and precious little hard evidence of daily life exists, stoking our curiosity about the era and allowing for filmmakers' furtive imaginations to take hold, creating worlds as diverse as Sam Raimi's Army of Darkness and Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon.

There are almost too many medieval movies to count, and watching all of them would probably last you until the next Dark Age. Despite covering the same era, these works exist across many disparate genres, tones, and executions. There are, of course, a fair share of bloody battle pictures, but the period is also host to horror films and comedies. To parse down the myriad choices, we've selected the most unmissable medieval movies ever made. 

Join Entertainment Weekly as we count down the 25 best medieval movies of all time, ranked.

25. Black Death (2010) Everett Christopher Smith's devious plague thriller stars Eddie Redmayne as a monk recruited by a knight (Sean Bean) to lead a group of soldiers to a village where rumor has it, someone is using witchcraft to raise plague victims from their graves. Part pandemic horror story, part road movie, and part medieval adventure, this blood-and-pus-soaked epic makes gorgeous use of its limited color palette and its dirty, muddy authenticity. Smith is a director highly adept at switching genres, sometimes multiple times within a scene, and Black Death finds him performing at the height of those abilities. It's an unexpected, stylishly rendered entry into the genre that delights in wrong-footing viewers. Where to watch Black Death: Tubi 24. Doomsday (2008) Rogue Pictures/ Everett  Set in the near future decades after a zombie virus has decimated the U.K., a one-eyed military official (Rhona Mitra) leads a team of operatives into "the Hot Zone" (a.K.A. London) to find a cure for the virus. If you're wondering what, exactly, is medieval about that premise — hoo boy, just wait and see. It's one of the greatest surprises in a movie filled with jaw-droppers. Doomsday is a terrifically authentic callback to the grindhouse genre, combining everything from zombies to punks to car chases to medieval swordsmen and pursuits on horseback. It's a wild, untethered time at the movies, one which operates entirely on a streamlined internal logic that you either agree to instantly or spend 108 minutes butting relentlessly up against. Where to watch Doomsday: Max 23. Kingdom of Heaven (2005) Everett Ridley Scott's Crusades epic stars Orlando Bloom as a bereaved blacksmith who teams up with his specially skilled father (Liam Neeson) on the road to Jerusalem. After arriving, he finds himself in the court of King Baldwin IV (Edward Norton) and at the center of a war with the Muslims. Scott's film has several versions, all of which are worth watching in some capacity, though the Director's Cut fleshes the story out best. Though not Scott's finest historical epic (hey, it's tough to top Gladiator), Norton is particularly fine here, and Bloom gives what is perhaps his best leading-man performance. Where to watch Kingdom of Heaven: Hulu 22. The Northman (2022) Aidan Monaghan / Focus Features, LLC Robert Eggers's brutal adventure basically boils down to "Hamlet, with Vikings!" It follows Alexander Skarsgård's Amleth (get it?), a former prince and current plunderer, as he makes his way across an arid wasteland seeking to save his long-lost love mother (​​Nicole Kidman​​​​​​) and get revenge against the uncle (Claes Bang) who murdered his father (Ethan Hawke). Egger's film is an impeccably mounted, occasionally humorous, brutal folk fairy tale. It feels like the sort of movie that in the old days would have been called "an old-fashioned epic," except here there are added dashes of ludicrous perversity and outrageous splatter. Where to watch The Northman: Starz 21. Masque of the Red Death (1964) Everett Vincent Price stars in this Roger Corman riff on Edgar Allen Poe's proto-slasher melodrama about a Satan-worshiping prince (Price) who engages in various perversions high atop his eerie castle whilst the Red Death fells his kingdom. Corman's film is lush and packed with delightful, era-appropriate details that nicely offset the modern anachronisms. This is one of the director's most complete works, one which often plays as a genuinely sprawling and well-designed period piece adorned with a few sequences of shocking violence and genuine, macabre suspense. Where to watch Masque of the Red Death: Pluto TV 20. Beowulf (2007) Everett The best of Robert Zemeckis's mo-cap experimentation/wilderness period, this epic — loosely based on the classic fable — follows Ray Winstone as the titular warrior, who seeks to rid a village of terror wrought by an evil demon known as Grendel (Crispin Glover, brilliantly). After defeating the beast, he incurs the wrath of its seductive, deadly mother (Angelina Jolie). Horny and harrowing in equal measure, Zemeckis' film is enchanting, ravishing, and occasionally puzzling. Indeed, Beowulf plays as if a sword-and-sorcery-obsessed 12-year-old got their hands on $150 million and their first issue of Playboy. It's a complete blast featuring arresting visuals that still impress today. Where to watch Beowulf: Max 19. Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993) Everett Robin Hood (Cary Elwes) escapes prison and returns to Nottingham to battle the nefarious Prince John (the late Richard Lewis) and woo the gorgeous Maid Marion (Amy Yasbeck). Mel Brooks' parody of Prince of Thieves, released just two years before this, smartly casts Elwes in a subversion of his famous role in The Princess Bride (1987). It's one of Brooks' last classic send-ups, with the legendary comedian providing a sharp script and a righteous supporting performance. Also on hand are Brooks mainstays Gene Wilder and Dom DeLuise in well-timed cameo appearances. Where to watch Robin Hood: Men in Tights: Hulu 18. Shrek (2001) DreamWorks/courtesy Everett An ogre (Mike Myers) and a sassy donkey (Eddie Murphy) venture across the postmodern fairy tale landscape of Far Far Away to rescue a princess with a secret (Cameron Diaz) from the evil Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow).  This amiable Dreamworks parody, directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, kicked off the trend of self-referential, adult-skewing animated movies, for better or for worse. Three sequels and numerous straight-to-video specials have been largely unable to recapture the magic of the original Shrek. Its prime attributes are a deviously well-written screenplay and top-shelf vocal performances from the entire cast. Where to watch Shrek: Peacock 17. Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023) Aidan Monaghan/Paramount Pictures and eOne A roguish thief (Chris Pine) leads a group of ne'er-do-wells (including Michelle Rodriguez and Sophia Lillis) on an expedition to retrieve an ancient relic from a smarmy ruler (Hugh Grant, reliably brilliant). Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley had the essential idea to take the long-gestating IP of the massively successful role-playing game and turn it into a crowd-satisfying heist comedy that, while remaining inextricably and loyally tied to the source material, doesn't bog down unfamiliar viewers with nonsensical plot points. Honor Among Thieves is one of the better recent blockbusters, effortlessly evoking the halcyon days of summer popcorn movies when the heroes had an edge, the stakes were relatable, and the action set pieces focused on character arcs rather than errant spectacle. Where to watch Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves: Paramount+ 16. The Black Cauldron (1985) Everett Collection When the dastardly Horn King (John Hurt) makes off with a soothsaying pig, herder Taran (Grant Bardsley) embarks on a rescue mission while entertaining his dream of becoming a fabled knight in shining armor. Joining him on his quest are Princess Eilonwy (Susan Sheridan) and man-beast Gurgi (John Byner). A nearly-forgotten classic, The Black Cauldron represents all of the best signatures from Disney's hand-drawn era. It features the warm and often compelling character the studio is known for, along with the requisite doses of humor and pathos, but the film especially excels as a sword-and-sorcery adventure that pays honor to the genre's most reliable tropes, offering a gateway into the genre for younger viewers without softening its edges or dulling the story's impact.  Where to watch The Black Cauldron: Disney+ 15. A Knight's Tale (2001) Everett Collection Brian Helgeland's cheeky actioner follows a young peasant (Heath Ledger) who enters the competitive jousting field to woo a fair maiden (a note-perfect Shannyn Sossamon) but also to stick it to the stuck-up royals. If you were to describe A Knight's Tale, it would sound like a mess. A medieval romance that is, at its heart, a slobs-versus-snobs comedy with an anachronistic hard-rock soundtrack that gives it the feeling of a Bollywood epic. Yet, the movie unabashedly works as supreme entertainment. The cast is unmatched and the pace jocular, but its greatest trick is managing to maintain an element of uncertainty and suspense. Where to watch A Knight's Tale: Paramount+ 14. The Last Duel (2021) Patrick Redmond/20th Century Studios Ridley Scott's hard-edged, brainy-and-brawny action-adventure is a lot better than its reputation belies. Matt Damon and Adam Driver star as longtime friends who are torn apart when the former's wife (Jodie Comer) accuses the latter of assault. In a particularly medieval flourish, the authenticity of the woman's statement — and indeed her fate — is to be determined by a duel between the two men.  Adopting a Rashomon-style device that plays the events from each of the three leads' perspectives, Scott creates a tense drama with a lot to say about the medieval woman's plight. As the movie moves into its central duel, Scott does nice work balancing the punishing violence on display with compelling character development.  Where to watch The Last Duel: Hulu 13. The Green Knight (2021) A24 David Lowery's perfectly pitched mythological fairy tale, based on the ancient poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, stars Dev Patel as Gawain, a wastrel nobleman who fells the Green Knight (Ralph Ineson) with a fatal sword blow and then must repeat the deed one year later. This sends the young man on a journey across the countryside, where he encounters various characters including a scavenger of dead bodies (Barry Keoghan).  Lowery uses the classic text to craft a rich and lyrical folk story that is at once a callback to early cinematic adventures and a completely modern spin on an old fable. Alicia Vikander is particularly good as Gawain's put-upon love, and Sarita Choudhury stuns as sorceress Morgan le Fay. Where to watch The Green Knight: Max 12. Braveheart (1995) Everett Collection Director/star Mel Gibson's masculine, blood-drenched passion project is a biopic following Scottish patriot William Wallace leading an assault against the British after his family is murdered.  Braveheart revived the medieval swashbuckling genre in a particularly brutal form with this rigorously detailed, if historically patchy, yarn. It heralded Gibson as an urgent filmmaker with a flair for spectacle and, most especially, carnage. As the lead, he also gives one of his finest performances as Wallace, modulating beautifully between portraying a real-life person who is also a folk hero. Where to watch Braveheart: Paramount+ 11. Throne of Blood (1957) Everett Akira Kurosawa's riveting take on Macbeth set in feudal Japan stars Toshirô Mifune as a samurai who is cajoled by his wife (Isuzu Yamada) to usurp the throne through murder and deceit. Throne of Blood is one of Kurosawa's most celebrated films and, to date, one of the most imaginative and fulfilled reimaginings of Shakespeare's text. At the time of its release, this was one of the most expensive Japanese films. Every penny seemingly ended up on the screen in sumptuous detail, being a masterwork of technical artistry and perfectly calibrated performances. Where to watch Throne of Blood: Max 10. Sleeping Beauty (1959) Everett Collection Disney's seminal feature finds Princess Aurora (Mary Costa) cursed by the evil witch Maleficent (Eleanor Audley) to die on her 16th birthday. When the plan fails and Aurora only falls into a deep slumber, it's up to the dashing Prince Phillip (Bill Shirley) and a trio of fairies to wake her and break the spell. One of the most enduring animated films of all time, Sleeping Beauty is a sterling example of the genre in every fashion. With resplendent hand-painted scenery and a tight screenplay that incorporates dashes of horror and comedy into the romance with aplomb, Disney's final animated effort of the 1950s closed out the decade with grace. Where to watch Sleeping Beauty: Disney+ 9. Henry V (1989) Everett Collection Kenneth Branagh's feature directorial debut is a lush, grandiose adaptation of Shakespeare's play about the tormented king of England attempting to claim France's land, culminating in the fateful battle of Agincourt. Branagh came out of the gate swinging with this brawny film, a smart and gritty resurrection of one of Shakespeare's darkest works. He stuns in the lead role, well-aided by a murderer's row of British talent including Judi Dench, Derek Jacobi, and Emma Thompson, who speak Elizabethan prose as if born to do so. Where to watch Henry V: Tubi 8. Macbeth (1971) Everett Roman Polanski's savage Shakespeare adaptation stars Jon Finch in the title role and Francesca Annis as his scheming bride, who encourages Macbeth to turn against his friends and court in a ruthless ascent to the throne. Macbeth's themes of deceit and dishonor sit squarely within the director's filmography while also crafting one of the most atmospheric and affecting Shakespeare works to date. In casting primarily younger actors in the roles and upping the story's perversion and brutality, Polanski set the mold for Baz Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet and other, more post-modern adaptations like 10 Things I Hate About You and O. Where to watch Macbeth: Amazon Prime Video (to rent) 7. Army of Darkness (1992) Everett Collection Sam Raimi's unexpected and supremely delightful Evil Dead third-quel finds Ash (Bruce Campbell) exiled to medieval times, where he must break out from under the thumb of sniveling Lord Arthur (Marcus Gilbert) to recover the Book of the Dead and return home. Embeth Davidtz, playing a Maid Marian type, makes easy work of her status as the most resourceful, and memorable, final girl in the Evil Dead franchise. Having essentially remade the first Evil Dead with Evil Dead 2, Raimi decided to do the farthest-flung, most unanticipated finale to round out the trilogy. The result is a gripping horror adventure that reminds us of the unfortunately low number of movies like this in existence. Where to watch Army of Darkness: Amazon Prime Video 6. The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928) Henry Guttmann Collection/Hulton Archive/Getty Carl Theodor Dreyer's seminal silent film chronicles the persecution of the eponymous 15-year-old warrior (Renée Jeanne Falconetti) who claimed to have spoken to God and ultimately died at the hands of overzealous religious leaders (here embodied by André Berley and Eugène Silvain) for her beliefs. Dreyer's extraordinary picture, with a script informed by the actual court records in Jeanne d'Arc's case, remains one of the earliest examples of flawless visual storytelling. So emphatic are the images that the interstitial dialogue cards are hardly necessary. Dreyer shoots his film in claustrophobic closeups, effectively trapping the audience within Joan's plight. The result is one of the most suspenseful and haunting silent films ever made. Where to watch The Passion of Joan of Arc: Max 5. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) Everett Graham Chapman stars as King Arthur in this merry send-up of medieval misfortunes. Along with his servant, Patsy (Terry Gilliam), horseman Lancelot (John Cleese), and Sir Robin (Eric Idle), the men embark on a quest to obtain the Holy Grail, facing giants, murderous shrubbery, and mincing sirens along the way. Arguably the best Python content ever produced, this positively hysterical feature finds each actor at the height of their side-splitting powers. Many of this movie's most famous sequences have been repeated ad nauseam, but they're such sharply accomplished pieces of comedy that they still land solidly decades later. Where to watch Monty Python and the Holy Grail: Netflix 4. Rashomon (1950) Courtesy Everett Collection Kurosawa's seminal work birthed an entire genre of imitators. Locals (Takashi Shimura, Minoru Chiaki, Kichijiro Ueda) investigate a ghastly crime in their village, leaving a samurai (Masayuki Mori) dead and his wife (Machiko Kyō) assaulted. In speaking to the men involved, the villagers find that each has a drastically different version of events. Kurosawa's searing drama is at once a multi-layered investigation of social dynamics in feudal Japan and an exploration of the era's common belief in the paranormal. It's a haunting film that manages to feel both expansive in ideas and terrifically claustrophobic in presentation, with the small budget and few locations lending the movie a feeling of a constantly looping nightmare. Where to watch Rashomon: Tubi 3. Robin Hood (1938) Everett William Keighley and Michael Curtiz's seminal swashbuckler stars Errol Flynn, in perhaps his best-remembered role, as the eponymous hero of Sherwood Forest. With his merry gentlemen (including Claude Rains and Basil Rathbone), Robin Hood sets out to liberate the imprisoned King Richard (Ian Hunter) and win the hand of lovely Maid Marian (Olivia de Havilland). This is one of the first, and most successful, blockbusters ever made. Filmmakers continue to mine the tropes and signatures Keighley and Curtiz established here, with the assortment of well-known literary characters playing like something of a Marvel mash-up for 1938. The set pieces are wonderfully accomplished, with soaring practical effects and attention to detail that many current popcorn movies wish they possessed. Where to watch Robin Hood: Tubi 2. The Princess Bride (1987) Everett Collection Rob Reiner's masterpiece is a majestic and heartfelt homage to fairy tales and their villains, monsters, heroes, and romance. A grandfather (Peter Falk) reads his sick grandson (Fred Savage) a story the young boy fears will be all about kissing but is instead a swashbuckling adventure through medieval times (with just a little kissing along the way). Cary Elwes has never been better than he is here in three distinct roles, but most memorably as heroic prince Westley sent to rescue Princess Buttercup (Robin Wright) from her captivity and avenge his father's death at the hands of Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin). The Princess Bride is nothing short of a classic, the type that's so objectively brilliant it's a waste of time to decorate it with superlatives. Dazzling adult viewers and children in equal measure, it's scary, exciting, romantic, and silly in spades. Where to watch The Princess Bride: Disney+ 1. The Seventh Seal (1957) Everett Ingmar Bergman's landmark feature stars Max von Sydow as a soldier who, upon returning home from the battlefields of the Crusades to find his village in the throes of the bubonic plague, sets out on a journey to evade death personified and, in one of cinema's most famous sequences, try beating the entity in a chess match. Certainly one of the most impactful films ever made, The Seventh Seal is a potent exploration of medieval ideology and man's commitment to country and service. Bergman reportedly took cues from Akira Kurosawa's medieval and samurai filmography to craft this opus; the relationships to the supernatural and questions regarding the usefulness of military endeavor are reminiscent of Rashomon and the director's other notable post-World War II works. As with any great creative worth their salt, Bergman takes those homages and winking nods and turns them into something entirely his own. The influences are visible, but how Bergman spins and twists them is specific to the Swedish auteur's vision. Nearly 70 years after its release, The Seventh Seal remains one of the most thrilling additions to cinema's canon. Where to watch The Seventh Seal: Max

Why Drama, Controversy And Backstabbing Plague This Historic Black Harlem Church's Leadership Search

Easter Sunday Mass with Reverend Dr. Calvin O. Butts III at the Abyssinian Baptist Church at 132 Odell Clark Place on 138th Street and Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard in Harlem - Image: Enid Alvarez (Getty Images)

Perhaps the only brand of politics more polarizing than a presidential election is church politics. While Texas' Gateway Megachurch strangely ran through several pastors in only two months, now a controversial election continues to divide members of one of Harlem's historic Black churches.

Founded in 1808, Abyssinian Baptist Church remains one of the oldest Black Baptist churches in the nation with more than 215 years of history and impact in the New York community, according to the church's website.

But everything changed when the church's beloved pastor, Rev. Dr. Calvin O Butts III died in 2022, kickstarting a two-year long process to select his replacement. For some of the church's oldest members, however, this election was nothing short of confusing and disheartening.

In the end, Rev. Kevin Johnson was elected as Rev. Butts III's replacement this year, and longtime church members are calling the whole process "shocking" and "nasty."

Timeline of the election process

According to Abyssinian's Pastoral Search timeline, Rev. Butts III selected a Pastoral Search Committee five months before his October passing. After the reverend's death, the committee began to fall apart as deacons and other church leaders voiced their concerns about the "flawed" process.

White argued the committee rushed the election to replace Rev. Butts despite growing concerns from its members. "We never grieved," White said. She continued suggesting church members were "so fatigued by not having a pastor," so when it came time to vote for Butts' replacement, "they were like 'you know what? Let's just get a pastor in.'"

A formal election named Rev. Johnson as the new pastor in May 2024, but Dr. Kevin McGruder, a historian and member of Abyssinian since 1987, argued Johnson didn't even get enough votes despite the church "pretending like he did."

"This is a church that taught one thing... But with their own institution they allowed this [corruption] to happen," McGruder told The Root, adding that the church's bylaws require a pastor to earn majority of the votes from all members in good standing, totaling 2,655. Instead, Johnson only received 672 out of the 1,208 votes casted in a formal election.

Apparently, election ballots were even sent out to deceased church members, including Rev. Butts, which furthers growing accusations of corruption against Abyssinian.

The church's response

In response to claims of corruption, the church's spokesperson, LaToya Evans told The Root, "It's not unusual for a voting minority to be vocal and combative of election results, which has been the case here."

She continued, "accusations by this very small, isolated group who simply wanted a different electoral outcome hold no merit and have been repeatedly proved false in church meetings, memos and other communications both publicly and privately."

Disagreers argue their concern is less about Rev. Johnson becoming the new pastor but more so about the election process, which McGruder said "blatantly ignore the rules of the church."

The impact

In a formal email to church members, Gilda Squire wrote "...We are left with more questions than answers, and it's getting more difficult to trust a process that is obviously curated and programmed towards a particular outcome."

More than two dozens members joined the church since Rev. Johnson's election; however, several have left amid these controversies, including one family who told Squire they are now forced to rethink who will funeralize them after leaving Abyssinian after decades.

At this point, the church said the election will not be overturned. Dr. Rev. Johnson's formal installation will take place in September.

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