19
July 64 A.D. Nero
Unleashed First Wave of Terror
Graves,
Dan. “Nero Unleased First Wave of Terror.” Christianity.com.
Jun 2007. http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1-300/nero-unleashed-first-wave-of-terror-11629580.html. Accessed 11 May 2014.
The first state-sponsored terror
against Christians in the Roman Empire
came at the order of one of the most debased of all emperors: Nero. Tacitus,
the Roman historian, in Book XV of his Annals, gives a lengthy account of
Nero's debaucheries and cruelties. These led the Romans to distrust him.
So despised was Nero that when Rome caught fire, on
this day, July 19, 64, popular
opinion attributed the catastrophe to him. Many citizens perished in the
flames. The fire was aggravated by rowdies who threw firebrands into untouched
houses, claiming they had been ordered to do so. In the public mind, those
orders came from Nero. A rumor spread that Nero had appeared on a stage during
the catastrophe and sung a song "comparing present misfortunes with the
calamities of antiquity," especially Troy.
Nero tried to counter this downturn in his
"public approval ratings" by throwing open his own resources to the
homeless. He sponsored a number of religious activities designed to show
himself innocent. Nothing worked. And so he determined to find scapegoats. He
fastened upon the Christians as most suitable for his diabolical purpose.
A few who admitted their faith were tortured until
they revealed the names of others. Beginning a few weeks after the fire, the
city was the scene of every imaginable torment. And not Rome only, for
persecution spread throughout the empire. But in the capital Nero held nightly
spectacles in which every torture was applied to the suffering saints.
Some were burned alive. Others were sewn into the
skins of wild animals and given to dogs to tear. Still others were crucified.
Martyrs were exhibited in the circus with Nero presiding, dressed as a
charioteer. The wicked emperor threw open his own gardens to more such
spectacles. So many Christians died so brutally that public sympathy swung in
their favor.
The people realized that Christians were being put
to death not for starting the fire but to cover Nero's crimes and to sate his
appetite for cruelty. Compassion for the meek followers of Jesus, whose
blameless conduct was apparent to many, led to a new wave of conversions.
Among those who almost certainly perished in Nero's
fury in Rome was the apostle Peter. Paul is thought to have been executed a few
years later. Others who were martyred elsewhere in the empire were the Bishop
of Damascus and a man mentioned in scripture: Joseph called Barsabas. Paul's
fellow minister, Trophimus, is also said to have perished in this outpouring of
hostility as did many others whose names we do not know. Christ had taught that
as men persecuted him so they would persecute his followers. A servant is not
above his master.
Bibliography:
1. Durant, Will. Caesar and Christ.
New York: Simon and Schuster, 1944, 274ff.
2. Frend , W. H. C. The Early
Church. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1982.
3. "The Great Fire of
Rome." Secrets of the Dead. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/case_rome/
4. Tacitus. The Annals. (in book
XV). Great Books of the Western World, volume 15. Chicago: Encyclopedia
Britannica.
5. Various encyclopedia and internet
articles.
Last updated June, 2007
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