The Persecution of Christians Today Essay examples

The persecutions of the martyrs strengthened Christianity because the martyrs if they were willing to be killed for their faith then it must be very significant to them. The martyr’s suffering mirrored Jesus’ suffering and reinforced faith among Christians. “They looking upon her in her conflict, beheld with their eyes, through their sister, Him who had suffered for them in order to persuade those who trust in Him

In the early Church, martyrdom was considered a "baptism in blood," similar in itself to the baptism in water. The baptism of martyrdom was at the origin of the conversion of many. To be a true disciple is to die as a martyr. The rationale of costly discipleship is witnessing to non-Christians. This shows that martyrdom can communicate much more deeply than any other discourse. It is difficult to evaluate the intensity and scale of persecution against Christians of the first three centuries; nevertheless what we have are some documents that shed light on the frequency of these afflictions. During the first century, there were occasional persecutions under Nero’s reign, especially the fire of Rome in 64 CE, which Christians were accused of having

prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior.

Rome was one of the biggest and most powerful cities in the Europe and ruled by many good and bad rulers. Nero was considered to be a bad leader for many reasons, mostly bad. Although Nero did many bad things he also did some good for Rome and did not intentionally destroy Rome.

Nero, even today, is renowned for allegedly setting fire to his own kingdom (for his

* Believed to be gods, these men acted cruelly and thoughtlessly toward their subjects. Luke describes a few of these actions in his letters, like when Domitian forces his people to stand out in the cold and rain and watch a performance while he stays warm and dry. Also Emperor Nero’s many radical actions, like burning down half his city then blaming the Christians. These men believed they were above reproach although they acted like malicious children in the treatment of their people.

Nero was declared a public enmy and exiled to the island of Pontia committed suicide in AD 31

Christian life during the third century was a constant mix of small local persecution and continually being held as the scapegoats for any problem that occurred within the society.

which he did when he died by burning to death in the bell tower. This relates to Matthew 27:35

three of Rome’s district were on fire, starting off with Circus Maximus and spreading out with seven districts severely damaged. At the time Nero was accused of playing the fiddle and singing the Greek epic “The Sack of Ilium” and rumors were passed around that that the emperor had set the city ablaze. When he was confronted about it, he “pointed the finger at the Christians, still a new and underground religion. With this accusation, persecution and torture of the Christians began in Rome” (Bio.com). This event was the decline and fall of the infamous Nero as he tried to rebuild Rome that was burnt down. Soon, there was an assassination plot about him and when he found out it, he executed many senators and officers. Even his closest friends were plotting against him, including Seneca, who committed suicide after being caught. Nero decided to take an extended tour of Greece, so he would not be troubled by all the events happening at home. After taking a tour of Greece, he was a public enemy of his people because of several higher raining officers trying be allies and overthrow him. He tried to escape and find friends and family, but he had none in the end, eventually committing suicide. With the help of a senate to kill him on June 9, 68 A.D., his last words were “What an artist dies in me!” He was the last emperor of the Julio-Claudian

Nero and Tiberius were two leaders who were liked by the public. Both starting their reigns young, Nero and Tiberius accomplished many things. Gaining the public’s eye, Nero gave Claudius a lavish funeral and personally delivered the oration in person. He founded a colony at Antium consisting of praetorian veterans, he gave the public an immense variety of entertainments, and even introduced his own style of architecture. These accomplishments all played a role in how the public adored him. Giving the public positive ideas will gain their trust, but unfortunately, he does not keep their trust. As Nero became older, his accomplishments became less and less, he began turning into someone who was in it for the money. His turning point was when he bankrupted Rome, once this happened Nero was neither trusted or liked.

Imperial persecution became wholesale throughout the Empire. Initially the Jewish community was the instigators of this persecution of Christians. The book of Acts outlines several incidents involving such persecution. During the decade of 60 A.D., periods of Roman persecution occurred, however this persecution was sporadic. For example, Nero was ruler of the Roman Empire, under his reign Rome was set on fire and burnt to the ground. Christians became the scapegoat for this cowardly act. Tasitus wrote that perhaps Nero himself started the blaze, as an excuse to persecute the Christians. Nero’s acts of persecution were contained within the confines of Rome.

And this was an influential theme during his ruling years. He had this urge to live through art. Nero did not like the aesthetics of the city. This is the reason why he wanted to build a new city, with new artistically designed buildings. This was important for him. He consider himself an artistic. When he was attempting suicide, he grieved for the people’s loss even more than his own loss of life. His final words indicate this when he said, “Qualis artifex pereo!” or, “What an artisan I am in my dying” (Suetonius, Nero 49.1).Evidence showed that the new Rome that Nero built, exhibited the high artistic goals that characterized his artistic mind. History recalls that his palace was named the Domus Aurea, meaning that it was almost completely overlaid with gold. He designed a new palace for himself, more sumptuous and expansive than any Roman structure built before. Another example is a large area, close to where the fire started, between Portico of Livia to the Circus Maximus, which the emperor turned into beautiful gardens that included an artificial lake in the center. A temple that was constructed to deified Claudious, was demolished because it was completed and more importantly in was in the way of Nero’s design plan. Art critics agree that this style revolutioned architecture and was an inspiration to Leonardo DaVinci and even Michaelangelo. This is clearly supporting the fact that the Nero’s distorted mind schemed a plan to construct all these places. He needed the foundation, he needed a new Rome, he decided to burn the old

Emperor Nero, infamously known as one of the most malevolent, oppressive, and tyrannical leader throughout history, was the last ruler of the Julio-Claudian Dynasty. He was born outside Rome in Antium and his mother married his great uncle, Emperor Claudius, in order for her son to be the next Emperor of Rome. It wasn’t apparent that her son was to become one of the most feared and cruel leaders in Roman history from 54 CE to 68 CE. By examining his achievements and failures as an emperor, his influences and changes over the entire economic, political and social spectrum are revealed.

Most of the Christians then were persecuted because of their faith. However, an advancement over the years led to the persecution of Christians by the Muslims. Muslim persecution began long ago and is widespread. Some of the Muslims often defect to Christianity, a violation which is punishable by death according to Islamic laws. According to Islamic laws, Christians are not allowed to have any authority over the Muslims or to build new churches or even repair the old ones. In general, the Christians who live in the regions dominated by the Muslims are often subjected to various rules and regulations which if not followed often comes with a great price and