During this emperor's reign, in the year 64, fire broke out in Rome and for six days and nights the fire burned. To turn hatred away from himself, Nero accused the Christians of having set the fire. Terrible persecution followed, and Nero drove around in his chariot enjoying the horrible spectacle to the full.

[tags]BlogRodent, church-history, ChurchRodent, history, Nero[/tags]

Other than Jesus, perhaps the most influential man to shape the course of Christianity that has ever lived. Had been educated in the strictest Jewish tradition and had studied under the famous rabbi Gamaliel in Jerusalem, Paul spoke Greek fluently and was familiar with Greek thought and literature. He could express the doctrines and teachings of Jesus, foreign to the Gentiles, in ways that the pagan mind could grasp. He was a Roman citizen, which gave him special freedom of movement, protection in his travels, and access to the higher levels of society. Catholic Christianity may be seen as a development of Jesus' plans and Paul's efforts. It was probably during the persecution of Nero that Paul was finally martyred.

[tags]BlogRodent, church-history, ChurchRodent, Gamaliel, history, Jesus, Nero, Paul-the-Apostle, martyr[/tags]

Nero — In A.D. 64, fire ravaged Rome under the leadership of Emperor Nero. To direct the hatred of the people away from him, Nero blamed the fire on the Christians, thus sparking an intense, bloody persecution, probably resulting in the martyrdom of Peter and Paul.

Decius — In A.D. 250, the most violent persecution the church had yet faced was instigated by the emperor Decius (249-251). A general from the Danubian frontier, Decius was determined to have no nonsense from Christians. In his eyes, they were enemies of the empire. Their atheism was responsible for the many troubles in the realm. Thus, Decius commanded all citizens of the empire to sacrifice to the traditional Roman gods. Those who did so were given certificates (libelli) as evidence that they had obeyed the order. Those who refused to obey and were unable (or unwilling) to obtain false libelli faced death. An unknown

A Jew, one of Jesus' twelve disciples, preached to multitudes on the Day of Pentecost, when the Baptism of the Spirit was given, and thousands were saved. Peter was arrested shortly afterwards. It is possible that he was martyred at the hands of Nero, in Rome.

[tags]BlogRodent, church-history, ChurchRodent, history, Jesus, Nero, Pentecost, Peter, martyr[/tags]