Emperor Nero of the Julian-Claudian Reign started a fire in Rome and blamed it on the Christians. He used them as scapegoats in order to persecute them because The Patricians, or wealthy class, were atracted to Christianity and if they became Christian they would not "worship" or respect the Emperor because Christians only worship the one true God, and Patricians were the Emperor's power source.
Rome burned in 64 AD during the reign of Emperor Nero. The consequences of this catastrophic event included widespread destruction of buildings, loss of life, and economic hardship for the city. The fire also led to rumors that Nero himself had started the fire, which damaged his reputation and led to increased persecution of Christians in Rome.
The event that sparked the writing of "City of God" was the sack of Rome by the Visigoths in 410 AD. This event shocked the Roman Empire and led Augustine to address the question of how Christians should respond to the fall of Rome and the suffering it caused. "City of God" was written as a response to those who blamed Christianity for the empire's woes.
In ancient Rome, Christians were often used as scapegoats for various societal issues, including political unrest and natural disasters. They faced persecution and were frequently blamed for the decline of traditional Roman values, which led to widespread martyrdom. Additionally, during certain periods, Christians were exploited for entertainment, such as being thrown to wild animals in the arena. Despite this, their steadfastness in faith eventually contributed to the spread and establishment of Christianity throughout the empire.
The problems the Romans faced with the Christians was one of treason, at least in Roman eyes. The Romans had a belief that in order to keep their good fortune they had to honor their state gods, as it was because of them that Rome grew so powerful. The Christians refused this basic obligation. There were other reasons that the Romans disliked and distrusted the Christians, among them a misconception of their beliefs, their clannishness and secretiveness, and most of all their aggressiveness which led to civil unrest.The problems the Romans faced with the Christians was one of treason, at least in Roman eyes. The Romans had a belief that in order to keep their good fortune they had to honor their state gods, as it was because of them that Rome grew so powerful. The Christians refused this basic obligation. There were other reasons that the Romans disliked and distrusted the Christians, among them a misconception of their beliefs, their clannishness and secretiveness, and most of all their aggressiveness which led to civil unrest.The problems the Romans faced with the Christians was one of treason, at least in Roman eyes. The Romans had a belief that in order to keep their good fortune they had to honor their state gods, as it was because of them that Rome grew so powerful. The Christians refused this basic obligation. There were other reasons that the Romans disliked and distrusted the Christians, among them a misconception of their beliefs, their clannishness and secretiveness, and most of all their aggressiveness which led to civil unrest.The problems the Romans faced with the Christians was one of treason, at least in Roman eyes. The Romans had a belief that in order to keep their good fortune they had to honor their state gods, as it was because of them that Rome grew so powerful. The Christians refused this basic obligation. There were other reasons that the Romans disliked and distrusted the Christians, among them a misconception of their beliefs, their clannishness and secretiveness, and most of all their aggressiveness which led to civil unrest.The problems the Romans faced with the Christians was one of treason, at least in Roman eyes. The Romans had a belief that in order to keep their good fortune they had to honor their state gods, as it was because of them that Rome grew so powerful. The Christians refused this basic obligation. There were other reasons that the Romans disliked and distrusted the Christians, among them a misconception of their beliefs, their clannishness and secretiveness, and most of all their aggressiveness which led to civil unrest.The problems the Romans faced with the Christians was one of treason, at least in Roman eyes. The Romans had a belief that in order to keep their good fortune they had to honor their state gods, as it was because of them that Rome grew so powerful. The Christians refused this basic obligation. There were other reasons that the Romans disliked and distrusted the Christians, among them a misconception of their beliefs, their clannishness and secretiveness, and most of all their aggressiveness which led to civil unrest.The problems the Romans faced with the Christians was one of treason, at least in Roman eyes. The Romans had a belief that in order to keep their good fortune they had to honor their state gods, as it was because of them that Rome grew so powerful. The Christians refused this basic obligation. There were other reasons that the Romans disliked and distrusted the Christians, among them a misconception of their beliefs, their clannishness and secretiveness, and most of all their aggressiveness which led to civil unrest.The problems the Romans faced with the Christians was one of treason, at least in Roman eyes. The Romans had a belief that in order to keep their good fortune they had to honor their state gods, as it was because of them that Rome grew so powerful. The Christians refused this basic obligation. There were other reasons that the Romans disliked and distrusted the Christians, among them a misconception of their beliefs, their clannishness and secretiveness, and most of all their aggressiveness which led to civil unrest.The problems the Romans faced with the Christians was one of treason, at least in Roman eyes. The Romans had a belief that in order to keep their good fortune they had to honor their state gods, as it was because of them that Rome grew so powerful. The Christians refused this basic obligation. There were other reasons that the Romans disliked and distrusted the Christians, among them a misconception of their beliefs, their clannishness and secretiveness, and most of all their aggressiveness which led to civil unrest.
Christians were hated and persecuted in ancient Rome primarily because they refused to worship the Roman gods and the emperor, which was seen as a challenge to the traditional social order and civic duty. Their exclusive monotheism and secretive practices led to suspicions of subversion and disloyalty. Additionally, Christians were often scapegoated for societal problems, such as plagues or economic troubles, leading to further hostility and brutal persecution.
Nero blamed Christians for the Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD, which devastated much of the city. He used them as scapegoats to divert attention from suspicions that he himself had started the fire to clear land for his own projects. This accusation led to widespread persecution, with many Christians subjected to brutal punishments and executions. Nero's actions marked one of the first formal persecutions of Christians in the Roman Empire.
Persecution of early Christians helped spread their message by creating fervent believers willing to face persecution for their faith, inspiring others to join the movement. The resilience of persecuted Christians also demonstrated the strength of their beliefs, making Christianity more attractive to outsiders. Additionally, persecution often led to the scattering of believers, resulting in the spread of Christianity to new regions.
The Crusades brought knowledge of Muslim culture to Europe. As a result, those who did not participate in the Crusades grew more intolerant and began to view all non-Christians as their enemies. This led to the increase in the persecution of Jew in Europe.
The persecution of Christians was effectively ended by Emperor Constantine the Great when he seized power in 306 AD. He issued the Edict of Milan in 313 AD, which granted religious tolerance throughout the Roman Empire and made Christianity legal. This marked a significant turning point for Christians, allowing them to practice their faith openly and without fear of persecution. Constantine's support for Christianity also led to its eventual establishment as the dominant religion in the empire.
Although the evidence is not conclusive, it is likely that persecution followed an increase in the number of Christians, rather than persecution increasing the number of Christians. It was certainly the case that an increase in the number of Christians was followed by persecution. This happened from the very earliest days of the Church, when it was growing quite rapidly, and met with opposition from the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem. Similarly, when Paul was in Ephesus, it was said that nearly the whole of the province of Asia had heard the message of Jesus. This province covered the western coast region of Anatolia (modern Turkey), and went for a couple of hundred kilometers inland (not all of modern Asia - it is a naming issue). There was some hyperbole here, but at least we can accept that many people in the entire province of Asia had heard the Christian message. The result was that Demetrius the silversmith saw that his business was likely to fall off, so he tried to have something done to stop Paul from spreading the message. This can be understood to indicate that it was the identifiable measure of success in spreading the Christian message that led to persecution. The next reported period of persecution was in Rome, when it was reported that Nero blamed the Christians in Rome for starting the fire of Rome. This charge against the Christians wasn't believed by Tacitus, but nevertheless, it indicates that there were sufficient Christians in Rome to be targeted in this way. Early in the second century, in Bithynia (north-western Anatolia) Pliny reported that the traditional cults were being deserted, and the people were attending Christian worship instead. By torture, execution and threats Pliny said that he was able to stop the spread of Christianity, and to bring people back to the old gods. The best known examples of persecution following the successful spread of Christianity relate to the empire-wide persecution of Emperor Decius, starting in 250, and the empire-wide persecution started by Emperor Diocletian, starting in 303. Both of these persecutions started after extended periods of peace for the Church, during which the numbers of Christians, especially in the eastern half of the Roman Empire, had grown virtually exponentially. It is likely that the Church lost members during each period of persecution. As far as we can tell, the persecutions by the Roman state were quite effective in forcing Christians to recant. However, after the persecution ended, the Church was very open to receive the failed members back, even though it required significant periods of penitence before full readmittance. The failure of each period of persecution to totally crush the Church appears to have meant that it resumed with more confidence than before. Even if the Church was faced with an immediately reduced membership, there is evidence that after these persecutions it emerged stronger than before, although one would be hard pressed to say that persecution increased the number of Christians: they represented a bitter blow at the time. Although we do not have the evidence to be dogmatic, it is more likely that the persecutions only temporarily slowed down the spread of Christianity. To judge this for yourself, read the letter written by the Christians of Lyon and Vienne, on Rhone River (in modern France), after a particularly fierce period of persecution in AD 177 (listed in the related links below). You will be able to assess for yourself how they felt about this event.
The best event that qualifies is they wanted Pompey to control Rome alone. Caesar refused, instead he led his troops back towards Rome for a confrontation
The event that almost ended the history of Rome in 390 BC was the Gallic invasion of the city. The Gauls, led by their leader Brennus, sacked and burned Rome, causing significant destruction and casualties. However, Rome managed to recover and rebuild, ensuring the continuation of its history.