When Claudius ruled the Roman Empire from AD 41 to 54, the Christian movement was still young. His reign, while not free from hostility, created an unusual window in which the church could grow rapidly across the empire. Claudius’ policies toward Jews — and Christians who were still seen as part of Judaism — meant the faith could spread along the empire’s roads, through its cities, and into its synagogues with relatively less interference from the imperial government.
But this didn’t mean the first Christians were safe. In Judea, Herod Agrippa I executed James the son of Zebedee and imprisoned Peter. Claudius himself expelled Jews from Rome — an act that affected Jewish Christians as well. Persecution was still real, but it was often local and sporadic.
Under Nero, who reigned from AD 54 to 68, everything changed. In the aftermath of the Great Fire of Rome in AD 64, Christians were no longer treated as just another branch of Judaism. For the first time, they were publicly named, legally separated from the Jewish community, and branded as a dangerous new superstition.
During Nero’s reign, Paul wrote several of his most significant letters — 2 Corinthians, Romans, Philippians, and Philemon. In them, he repeatedly testifies to Christian suffering, urging endurance and faithfulness in the face of mounting hostility. These were not abstract warnings. Paul himself was on the road to Rome, knowing he would one day stand before the emperor’s judgment seat — and, by all early accounts, be executed for the gospel he preached.
The Great Fire of Rome and the First Imperial Persecution (AD 64)
In July AD 64, a massive fire swept through Rome. Ancient sources disagree on whether Nero was responsible, but the rumor persisted. To end it, he found a scapegoat.
Tacitus, Annals 15.44 (Loeb Translation)
“To suppress the rumor, 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 procurator of Judea, Pontius Pilatus.
Checked for a moment, this pernicious superstition again broke out—not only in Judea, the home of the disease, but even in Rome, where all things horrible or shameful in the world collect and find a vogue.
First, those who confessed were arrested; then, on their information, a vast multitude was convicted, not so much on the charge of arson as for hatred of the human race.
Their deaths were made farcical. Dressed in wild animal 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—dressed as a charioteer or mounted on a chariot.
Hence, in spite of a guilt which had earned the most exemplary punishment, there arose a sentiment of pity, due to the impression that they were being sacrificed not for the welfare of the state but to the ferocity of a single man.”
—Tacitus, Annals 15.44, Loeb Classical Library
What Did “Hatred of the Human Race” Mean?
To Roman ears, this charge meant Christians refused the social glue of Roman life.
- They would not sacrifice to the gods for the welfare of the empire.
- They avoided festivals, temples, and gladiatorial games.
- They proclaimed divine judgment on the world, which Romans heard as contempt for humanity itself.
Christians believed they were called to love their neighbors, but their refusal to share in Rome’s civic religion was taken as proof that they despised mankind.
Suetonius, Life of Nero 16.2 (Loeb Translation)
“Punishments were also inflicted on the Christians, a sect professing a new and mischievous religious belief.”
Cassius Dio (via Zonaras, Loeb-based paraphrase)
“Nero was the first to punish the Christians, though they were guilty of no crime. Some were torn by dogs, others crucified, and others burned alive to serve as lamps at night.
The spectacle was held in Nero’s gardens. He mingled with the crowd in a charioteer’s garb. Pity arose, for it was evident they were being put to death not for the public good, but to gratify the cruelty of a single man.”
Why Christians, Not Jews, Were Targeted
Until Nero, Christians often shared in the legal protection Rome afforded to Judaism — a tolerated “ancient superstition.” But after the fire, Nero treated Christianity as a separate, unauthorized cult.
“Punishments were also inflicted on the Christians, a sect professing a new and mischievous religious belief.”
—Suetonius, Nero 16.2
“Checked for a moment, this pernicious superstition again broke out — not only in Judea, the home of the disease, but even in Rome…”
—Tacitus, Annals 15.44
Rome’s Respect for Ancient Religions but Suspicion of New Ones
“Whatever is novel in religion is forbidden; but whatever is ancient is respected — even if it be based on error.”
—Tacitus, Histories 5.5, Loeb
“Religious belief exerts enormous power over the minds of men… Ancient religions win tolerance through their antiquity; new ones are looked on with suspicion, particularly when they refuse to worship the Roman gods.”
—Pliny the Elder, Natural History 30.11, Loeb
| Group | Roman View | Legal Status |
|---|---|---|
| Jews | Ancient superstition | Tolerated (licita) |
| Christians | New superstition | Unlawful (illicita) |
Modern Skepticism vs. Ancient Testimony
Candida Moss, The Myth of Persecution (2013):
“The earliest Christians were not targeted for being Christians… They were targeted for their refusal to obey the laws of the land.”
Bart Ehrman, The Triumph of Christianity (2018):
“Christians were persecuted not because of their religion per se, but because they were perceived to be antisocial and subversive to Roman unity.”
But the Roman historians describe something different.
- Tacitus: a pernicious superstition spreading from Judea to Rome.
- Suetonius: a new and mischievous religious belief.
- Cassius Dio: Christians guilty of “no crime,” yet publicly humiliated and killed.
- Pliny the Elder: Rome tolerated ancient faiths, but new ones were inherently suspicious.
This was not simply scapegoating. It was the classification of Christianity as an unlawful religion — a precedent that would echo for decades.
Nero’s Persecution Compared with the Stoics
It is true that Nero also executed Stoic philosophers like Seneca and Thrasea Paetus. But there is a difference. The Stoics were influential individuals silenced for their independence. The Christians were rounded up in “a vast multitude” and condemned as a whole movement.
Nero’s persecution was not just the removal of a few dissidents. It was the criminalization of a religion.
The Precedent That Shaped the Next Half-Century
By defining Christians as a separate, new superstition, Nero set a precedent every emperor from Nero to Trajan would inherit:
- Christians could no longer claim Jewish exemptions.
- As a superstitio nova, Christianity was inherently unlawful.
- Governors had freedom to punish Christians whenever accusations arose.
This principle explains why, fifty years later, the governor Pliny the Younger could interrogate and execute Christians simply for the name — and why Emperor Trajan confirmed that policy. What began in Nero’s gardens would be codified in imperial correspondence.
The Martyrdom of Peter and Paul
Early Christian sources agree that Peter and Paul died in Nero’s persecution.
- Dionysius of Corinth: “Peter and Paul… were martyred at the same time.”
- Tertullian: “After having cruelly put to death Peter and Paul…”
- Eusebius: “Paul was beheaded in Rome itself, and Peter likewise was crucified under Nero.”
- Acts of Paul (late 2nd c.): Paul told Nero, “You will stand before the judgment seat of God,” before being beheaded outside the city.
Other Traditional Martyrs Under Nero
- Linus – Peter’s successor; said to be martyred in Rome (Liber Pontificalis).
- Mark the Evangelist – tradition places his death in Alexandria during Nero’s reign.
- Trophimus and Eutychus – companions of Paul; later traditions connect them to Nero’s persecution.
- Processus and Martinian – Roman guards who converted and were executed (Acts of Peter and Paul).
Conclusion
Under Nero (AD 54–68), Christianity became an illegal religion — not because it was violent, but because it was new, exclusive, and refused Rome’s gods.
- Roman historians confirm the scale and cruelty of the persecution.
- Christian writers affirm that Peter and Paul were among the victims.
- Roman law explains why Christians were targeted apart from Jews.
The precedent Nero set would outlive him. For the next half-century, Christians lived under the same vulnerability — a reality spelled out with chilling clarity in the letters of Pliny and Trajan, which we will explore in a future post.
Living the Bible 