Throughout history there have been many men and women who have had a positive influence on development and spread of Christianity. Many essays and works have been written about these great and wise individuals, many of whom devoted their entire lives to their faith. To be fair, at times it’s necessary to note the less glorious and superb individuals. Nero is a great example of an individual who (arguably) set Christianity back a few centuries. This paper will be a brief synopsis of who Nero was, what he accomplished in his lifetime, and most importantly how his actions affected Christianity.
It is difficult for a modern person to understand how contemporary people and society work and function in a different country across the globe. The task becomes even more complex when trying to consider how people lived and interacted two thousand years ago, even in a well developed and document place such as the Roman Empire. Consequently it is difficult for us to look at a person from such a long time ago and label them as either good or bad. To our credit, our society, government, and laws do carry a great resemblance to the Roman Empire. In other words, this paper is meant to be as unbiased as possible, a difficult task considering that nearly every historical source available is hostile to Nero.
Nero was the Emperor of Rome from 54 to 68 AD. (Ferrero, 104), Most historians accredit Nero with a laundry list of atrocities. Nero, who’s real name was Nero Claudius Caesar, is said to have done everything from murdering his way to the throne, ignoring his governmental duties, setting Rome on fire, to launching perhaps the fiercest and long lasting persecution of Christians. In Nero’s defense, most of his life was document by his rivals; therefore most of what is known about him today is likely to be biased information.
Perhaps the most notable crime Nero is accused off is setting Rome on fire in the year 64. Rome burned for a period of six days and seven nights, destroying majority of the city. (Wikipedia) The confused population searched for an answer for the Fire and soon Nero was held responsible. Rumors circulated that Nero set the city ablaze in order to be credited for rebuilding Rome on a greater scale. The following is a written account from the Roman historian Tacitus who lived through the events, supporting the claim:
“Therefore, to stop the rumor [that he had set Rome on fire], he [Emperor Nero] falsely charged with guilt, and punished with the most fearful tortures, the persons commonly called Christians, who were [generally] hated for their enormities. Christus, the founder of that name, was put to death as a criminal by Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea…” (Annals)
On the contrary, another account states that when Nero received news of the fire, he rushed to Rome from his palace in Antium and spent the entire night directing efforts to stop the fire from the very front. (Ferrero, 130) After the fire, Nero opened up his palaces to shelter the homeless, and arranged for foood supplies to be delivered to prevent starvation amongst the survivors. (Wikipedia, Nero) Regardless of Nero’s actions that particular night, it doesn’t make much sense to accuse him of starting the fire. Nero was a criminal, but he was not a fool to the point of provoking the wrath of the entire Roman population for such a light motive. Nero was guilty of many criminal acts, but the Great Fire of Rome wasn’t necessarily one of them. Nonetheless the people blamed Nero, and in order to take the heat off himself, the Emperor shifted blame upon the Roman Christians.
To this day it is not entirely clear as to why the Christians were chosen to be the scapegoat for the fire. At this time Christian Community of Rome was a very small and peaceful congregation of pious idealists (Ferrero, 133) The emperor ordered arrests of a few key members of the Christian community who, under torture, accused others in the deed. Eventually the entire Christian community was guilty by implication, Nero’s plan had worked. Roman Christians were executed on a grand scale, and the executions were made public for the amusement of Roman citizens. Among the Christian casualties of Nero’s persecutions was St Paul, originally Saul of Tarsus, an important early Christian Theologian.
Although Nero was never too popular with his people, it wasn’t after the Great Fire that Emperor began to drastically lose grip on his Empire, and on himself. Nero was overthrown by the Senate in 68, and committed suicide shortly thereafter. Ironically Nero was missed more after his death. The Empire fell into a state of Civil War. The Civil War made the people long for peace and prosperity during Nero’s 13 year reign. Nonetheless Nero was remembered as the Emperor who “fiddled while Rome burned.” To his credit, Nero’s couldn’t have played an actual fiddle, since the violin wasn’t invented until the 16th century, he might have player a lyre. (Who2)
As stated earlier, it is impossible for us to psycho-analyze a complicated man who lived two thousand years ago no matter how smart we think we are. Most historians agree that Nero was a corrupt and cruel ruler. He is known for his self-indulgence, and spending of the Empire’s treasury.
Nero
Throughout history there have been many men and women who have had a positive influence on development and spread of Christianity. Many essays and works have been written about these great and wise individuals, many of whom devoted their entire lives to their faith. To be fair, at times it’s necessary to note the less glorious and superb individuals. Nero is a great example of an individual who (arguably) set Christianity back a few centuries. This paper will be a brief synopsis of who Nero was, what he accomplished in his lifetime, and most importantly how his actions affected Christianity.
It is difficult for a modern person to understand how contemporary people and society work and function in a different country across the globe. The task becomes even more complex when trying to consider how people lived and interacted two thousand years ago, even in a well developed and document place such as the Roman Empire. Consequently it is difficult for us to look at a person from such a long time ago and label them as either good or bad. To our credit, our society, government, and laws do carry a great resemblance to the Roman Empire. In other words, this paper is meant to be as unbiased as possible, a difficult task considering that nearly every historical source available is hostile to Nero.
Nero was the Emperor of Rome from 54 to 68 AD. (Ferrero, 104), Most historians accredit Nero with a laundry list of atrocities. Nero, who’s real name was Nero Claudius Caesar, is said to have done everything from murdering his way to the throne, ignoring his governmental duties, setting Rome on fire, to launching perhaps the fiercest and long lasting persecution of Christians. In Nero’s defense, most of his life was document by his rivals; therefore most of what is known about him today is likely to be biased information.
Perhaps the most notable crime Nero is accused off is setting Rome on fire in the year 64. Rome burned for a period of six days and seven nights, destroying majority of the city. (Wikipedia) The confused population searched for an answer for the Fire and soon Nero was held responsible. Rumors circulated that Nero set the city ablaze in order to be credited for rebuilding Rome on a greater scale. The following is a written account from the Roman historian Tacitus who lived through the events, supporting the claim:
“Therefore, to stop the rumor [that he had set Rome on fire], he [Emperor Nero] falsely charged with guilt, and punished with the most fearful tortures, the persons commonly called Christians, who were [generally] hated for their enormities. Christus, the founder of that name, was put to death as a criminal by Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea…” (Annals)
On the contrary, another account states that when Nero received news of the fire, he rushed to Rome from his palace in Antium and spent the entire night directing efforts to stop the fire from the very front. (Ferrero, 130) After the fire, Nero opened up his palaces to shelter the homeless, and arranged for foood supplies to be delivered to prevent starvation amongst the survivors. (Wikipedia, Nero) Regardless of Nero’s actions that particular night, it doesn’t make much sense to accuse him of starting the fire. Nero was a criminal, but he was not a fool to the point of provoking the wrath of the entire Roman population for such a light motive. Nero was guilty of many criminal acts, but the Great Fire of Rome wasn’t necessarily one of them. Nonetheless the people blamed Nero, and in order to take the heat off himself, the Emperor shifted blame upon the Roman Christians.
To this day it is not entirely clear as to why the Christians were chosen to be the scapegoat for the fire. At this time Christian Community of Rome was a very small and peaceful congregation of pious idealists (Ferrero, 133) The emperor ordered arrests of a few key members of the Christian community who, under torture, accused others in the deed. Eventually the entire Christian community was guilty by implication, Nero’s plan had worked. Roman Christians were executed on a grand scale, and the executions were made public for the amusement of Roman citizens. Among the Christian casualties of Nero’s persecutions was St Paul, originally Saul of Tarsus, an important early Christian Theologian.
Although Nero was never too popular with his people, it wasn’t after the Great Fire that Emperor began to drastically lose grip on his Empire, and on himself. Nero was overthrown by the Senate in 68, and committed suicide shortly thereafter. Ironically Nero was missed more after his death. The Empire fell into a state of Civil War. The Civil War made the people long for peace and prosperity during Nero’s 13 year reign. Nonetheless Nero was remembered as the Emperor who “fiddled while Rome burned.” To his credit, Nero’s couldn’t have played an actual fiddle, since the violin wasn’t invented until the 16th century, he might have player a lyre. (Who2)
As stated earlier, it is impossible for us to psycho-analyze a complicated man who lived two thousand years ago no matter how smart we think we are. Most historians agree that Nero was a corrupt and cruel ruler. He is known for his self-indulgence, and spending of the Empire’s treasury.
Who2. http://www.who2.com/nero.html
“Nero.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 13 Nov 2006, 22:11 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 14 Nov 2006 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nero&oldid=87624277>.
Guglielmo Ferrero. Characters and Events of Roman History, from Caesar to Nero: The Lowell Lectures of 1908.
Duruy, Victor, History of Rome and the Roman People, vol V (1883). (http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/rome.htm)