When faced with the need to deflect responsibility for the devastation caused by the Great Fire of Rome, the Roman Emperor Nero delivered a calculated and politically expedient response. He chose to target a segment of the Roman population that was virtually defenseless and ill-equipped to fight against a false accusation of arson. That group was the first-century Christian community.
The raging fire caused extensive damage, immense pain, and utter destruction, thus demanding a proportional response against those who were deemed responsible. That led to what has come to be known as the “Neronian Persecutions,” the first large-scale governmental action ever taken against the church. The ancient Roman historian Tacitus described the horrific consequences of that decision from the position of a secular observer…
“To suppress this rumour, Nero fabricated scapegoats – and punished with every refinement the notoriously depraved Christians (as they were popularly called). Their originator, Christ, had been executed in Tiberius’ reign by the governor of Judaea, Pontius Pilatus. But in spite of this temporary setback the deadly superstition had broken out afresh, not only in Judaea (where the mischief had started) but even in Rome…
First, Nero had self-acknowledged Christians arrested. Then, on their information, large numbers of others were condemned – not so much for incendiarism as for their anti-social tendencies. Their deaths were made farcical. Dressed in wild animals’ skins, they were torn to pieces by dogs, or crucified, or made into torches to be ignited after dark as substitutes for daylight. Nero provided his Gardens for the spectacle, and exhibited displays in the Circus, at which he mingled with the crowd – or stood in a chariot, dressed as a charioteer.
Despite their guilt as Christians, and the ruthless punishment it deserved, the victims were pitied. For it was felt that they were being sacrificed to one man’s brutality rather than to the national interest.” (1)
As we might expect, the impact of this action upon the Christian community was catastrophic. It is impossible to number those who were murdered in the Neronian persecutions, except to say that untold multitudes perished during that period.
Tradition holds that Peter the Apostle was also executed during that era. The customary belief regarding Peter’s death states that he was crucified upside down at his own request. His rationale for that request stemmed from an attitude of deep humility, for he is said to have proclaimed, “I am not worthy to be crucified after the same form and manner as the Lord.“
But what became of Paul the Apostle? We’ll seek to answer that question next.
Image Attribution: Jean-Léon Gérôme, The Christian Martyrs’ Last Prayer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
(1) Grant, Michael (translator), Tacitus, The Annals of Imperial Rome, (1989)