Home
> Christian Bible Studies
> Questions from Bible Readers
> Theology
Why were Christians suffering in the early church?
1 Peter 1:6
6In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.
In the Roman empire, Christians were often considered anti-social and a threat to the unity of the empire. Like today, they did not live by the culture's values. They refused to worship the Roman gods, participate in temple rites or pledge unquestioning allegiance to the emperor by honoring him as a god.
The most well-known persecutor of Christians was the infamous emperor Nero, who probably attacked them to deflect public criticism against himself. A fire had devastated Rome in July, A.D. 64. Word on the street was that Nero had ordered his servants to start the fire to clear the way for his ambitious building projects. The citizens of Rome were outraged. Even if he hadn't started the fire, they believed he wasn't appropriately concerned by it. A rumor spread that Nero played music while Rome burned.
Nero couldn't squelch the criticism. So the Christians, already a misunderstood minority, became his scapegoat. He made it a crime to believe in Christ, denouncing believers as atheists (because they renounced Roman religion). He fueled rumors about their private (seemingly secret) meetings, going so far as to say that the Lord's Supper was cannibalism.
Nero tortured Christians in barbaric spectacles. Some were crucified. Others were sewn into animal skins and torn apart by wild dogs. Still others were covered with tar, suspended on poles and set on fire as lights for Nero's evening festivities.
Christians were in peril. Nero had set the precedent, and Christians could expect further persecution. Resentment continued to grow against Christians for their opposition to Roman culture (see 1 Peter 4:3-4; Acts 19:23-27). In time, one Roman governor executed Christians merely for refusing to burn incense to pagan gods.
A sample from the best-selling Quest Study Bible. Copyright © Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. www.Zondervan.com. To order, click here.
| 
