A nine day fire destroyed much of Rome in 64 A.D. The people suspected the Emperor Nero of starting the fire so he could rebuild Rome according to his fancy. An area of the city with a high proportion of unpopular Christians did not burn. Therefore, the Emperor blamed the Christians.
Roman historian Tacitus states, “Before killing the Christians, Nero used them to amuse the people. Some were dressed in furs, to be killed by dogs. Others were crucified. Still others were set on fire early in the night to illuminate it.” The ensuing centuries would see an increase in persecution and increase in slander. Tertullian writes, “If the Tiber floods the city, or if the Nile refuses to rise, or if the sky withholds its rain, if there is an earthquake, a famine, a pestilence, at once the cry is raised: Christians to the lion.”
How did they respond? They divorced themselves from the political and social life of this world and remained uncompromisingly true to their Lord. They evangelized on the streets and marketplaces while their meetings became places for known believers where they would glorify God and get built up in the faith. Most importantly, they conquered “by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death” (Revelation 12:11).
Roman historian Tacitus states, “Before killing the Christians, Nero used them to amuse the people. Some were dressed in furs, to be killed by dogs. Others were crucified. Still others were set on fire early in the night to illuminate it.” The ensuing centuries would see an increase in persecution and increase in slander. Tertullian writes, “If the Tiber floods the city, or if the Nile refuses to rise, or if the sky withholds its rain, if there is an earthquake, a famine, a pestilence, at once the cry is raised: Christians to the lion.”
How did they respond? They divorced themselves from the political and social life of this world and remained uncompromisingly true to their Lord. They evangelized on the streets and marketplaces while their meetings became places for known believers where they would glorify God and get built up in the faith. Most importantly, they conquered “by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death” (Revelation 12:11).
