Question:
I have heard that the city of Rome burned during the reign of Nero and that the Christians were blamed for it. Can you provide any information about this?
Answer:
Although this is not a Biblical question, it does touch on history during Bible times.
On July 19, in the year a.d. 64, history records that a catastrophic fire broke out in Rome. Fanned by the wind, it swept through much of the city. When the fire started, the Emperor Nero fled to his villa in Antium, 33 miles away, to direct the fire fighting. But in spite of the efforts put forth, the fire continued to burn for nine days, destroying much of the city.
One of the rumors which spread was that Nero himself had ordered the fire set in order to provide space in Rome for some of his ambitious building projects. Indeed, after the fire, Nero began to build for himself a grandiose palace on some 200 acres of prime city land, much of it expropriated from the fire-devastated area. Nero’s notorious ambition, coupled with his monstrous cruelty, made such rumors credible.
We do know that Nero did make scapegoats of the Christians. When the first of the Christians were questioned, they, for fear, implicated other Christians. Many were put to death in bizarre ways. Some were dressed in animal skins, and savage dogs were set upon them; others were crucified; still others were made into human torches in Nero’s own garden. Some accounts have been passed down that it was during this period of time when Peter and Paul were put to death.
We do not know just how large the Christian community was at the time of Nero’s reign (a.d. 54–68), but some time after Nero became emperor, Paul wrote his letter to what was then a flourishing community of Christians in Rome.
Rome was not the only place where the early Christians were persecuted, nor was Nero the only public official who persecuted them. There is abundant evidence in the New Testament and other sources that Christians suffered for their faith throughout the Roman world. History has a nasty way of repeating itself when we do not learn the lessons the first time. We know from Scripture that, before Jesus comes again, a time of trouble such as never was will break out upon the Christian community. (Daniel 12:1.)
In the aftermath of the persecution under Nero that followed the burning of Rome, the Christian community was badly shaken. Scholars believe that some of the New Testament books were written to encourage and support the fledgling church. The stage was set for the more systematic and widespread persecution of Christians that followed in the next centuries as the church grew. If such an instance as the burning of Rome brought persecution and blame upon the Christians in Paul’s day, persecution could come in our day as the result of something again being blamed upon God’s people. Our only hope is to be firmly grounded in Christ Jesus, our Lord and Saviour.
Pastor Mike Baugher is a retired minister of the gospel. If you have a question you would like Pastor Mike to answer, e-mail it to: landmarks@stepstolife.org, or mail it to: LandMarks, Steps to Life, P. O. Box 782828, Wichita, KS 67278.