'The Blood of the Martyrs is the Seed of the Church' - Father Tertullian in the 2nd Century
Top ten in chronological order
1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 |
Nero
Domitian Trajan Marcus Aurelius Septimius Severus Decius Valerian Gallienus Diocletian Galerius |
54-68
81-96 112-117 161-180 193-211 249-251 253-260 257-268 284-304 304-311 |
Top ten in top ten order (1=worst, 10=best)
1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 |
Nero
Septimius Severus Galerius Decius Domitian Trajan Gallienus Valerian Diocletian Marcus Aurelius |
Why the Persecutions Happened
The Christians had a strong following that was growing and the Romans were threatened by them. The Christian religion focussed around piety and poverty, but the Roman religion focussed around greediness and over the top ideas of gods and worshipping.