Emperor Nero.
Christians were first-and horribly-persecuted by the emperor Nero. Christians were first-and horribly-persecuted by the emperor Nero. Christians were first, and horribly, targeted for persecution as a group by the emperor Nero in 64 AD. A colossal fire broke out at Rome, and destroyed much of the city. The article that follows explores the history of persecution of the early church, some of the reasons behind it, and two important Christian responses to persecution: the glorification of martyrdom and the writings of the apologists. Rick Wade provides a succinct summary of the persecution suffered by the early church in the first three centuries and how the church grew stronger as a result of this attention. He suggests that we should be prepared to face similar trials as our culture becomes less tolerant of true Christian faith. The persecution of the early Church may be viewed as two distinct periods. The first period being from Nero in 64 to the end of the reign of Maximinus in 238. The second period extending from the Decian persecution of 249 through to the signing of the 'Edict of Milan' in 313. {5} It has been calculated that between the first persecution under Nero in 64 to the Edict of Milan in 313, Christians experienced 129 years of persecution and 120 years of toleration and peace. Christian Persecution: Many of the Early Disciples Died for their Faith. Christian persecution was a dramatic part of early church history. For anyone who holds that the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ was a man-made hoax conspired by a group of disciples should check out the legacy of martyrdom. Reasons for Persecution. There are several important and interrelated reasons for the persecution of the early church. First was the problem of identity. Christianity was identified at first with Judaism, but people quickly came to see it as a different religion. The persecution of the early Christians started with Jesus Himself when He was crucified. Soon after, the Apostles and Disciples that were spread throughout the world were persecuted by Paul (then known as Saul) and other members of the Jewish community, as recorded in the first few chapters of Acts.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/christianityromanempire_article_01.shtml http://www.religionfacts.com/persecution-of-early-church https://www.probe.org/persecution-in-the-early-church/ http://www.earlychurch.org.uk/persecution-russell.html http://www.religionfacts.com/persecution-of-early-church http://www.allaboutfollowingjesus.org/christian-persecution.htm https://www.probe.org/persecution-in-the-early-church/ https://www.scribd.com/doc/93745/Why-Were-the-Early-Christians-Persecuted-and-What-Were-the-Effects-of-This-Persecution
who did the early christian persecution