Testimonies in Text of the Persecutions

How we know what happened in the past is a puzzle without all the pieces. When reconstructing what happened to Christians, historians generally draw on both Christian and non-Christians sources, as well as material history. Below are some links to the pieces most often used in the reconstruction of early Christian persecution and martyrdom.

Roman Edicts & Historians

Christians are mentioned sporadically in non-Christian Roman documents and historians. In the midst of other descriptions of wars, sacrifices, and persecutions, Christians or people associated with Christianity will make an appearance. Click below to read those and a bit about their context in the wider document.

Material History

Through inscriptions, mosaics, cemeteries, and reliquaries (where relics of the martyrs were kept), we can see how these martyrdom were observed in the moment, and more often, how they were commemorated well after.

Fourth-Century Historians

Much of early Church History is told through two theologians who also wrote historical narratives - Eusebius (Greek) & Lactantius (Latin). Their texts read like a mix of a history book and a story, though many nineteenth-century, now free translations make them sound like Victorian Englishmen. For their descriptions of Nero, see below.