Nero Persecution Research Paper

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The first major persecution of Christians officially sanctioned by a roman emperor began during the reign of Nero in 64 AD. At this time Rome had almost been completely destroyed by a fire and the people of Rome were placing the blame on Nero. In order to attempt to shift the blame away from himself Nero accused the Christians of starting the fire. This began the first large scale persecution of the Christians. Not only did Nero hunt Christians down for execution, but he also tortured them for his enjoyment. According to the Roman historian Tacitus “Besides being put to death they [the Christians] were made to serve as objects of amusement; they were clad in the hides of beast and torn to death by dogs; others were crucified, others set on

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