How did Augustus Caesar persecute the Christians?

Answer 1

Claudius was Roman Emperor between 41 and 54 CE. The historian, Suetonius, says, "Since the Jews were constantly causing disturbances at the instigation of Christ, he (Claudius) expelled them from the city (Rome)." It is likely that the expulsion was not total, and perhaps limited to those Christians seen as troublemakers, as Paul's Epistle to the Romans is generally dated shortly after this time, and seems to have been written to a settled religious community. Apart from this, there is no real evidence of any systematic persecution of Christians during the reign of Claudius.

Answer 2

Edward Gibbon (The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire) says that in the time of Emperor Decius it was the opinion of the magistrates that the Christian Church of Rome possessed very considerable wealth, that vessels of gold and silver were used in their religious worship, and that many among their proselytes had sold their lands and houses to increase the public riches of the sect, at the expense of their unfortunate children who found themselves beggars because their parents had been 'saints'. Decius himself condemned Christianity as a recent and criminal superstition.

Answer 3

Augustus Caesar never persecuted the Christians. The Christian religion was nonexistant during his rule. However, Jesus was born during his reign,and future emperors did the persecuting.

Answer 4

Marcus Aurelius was one of the emperors listed as persecutors of Christians in the early Christian tradition. However, there is no information about what he did.