The records of antiquity contain evidence that allows us to know whether events that took place in the historical record are true. What we know about these past events can only be understood through the writings of those who saw and heard the things they are preserving for us. Everything that has taken place during recorded history is validated in precisely the same manner. It is by the testimony of witnesses that were there and saw what happened, that we can know what has taken place and have confidence that these records are reliable narratives.

Concerning historical events, there is no higher or more reliable evidence, than those who saw and heard what they write.

203 Eyewitness Statements About Jesus In The New Testament

Critics of the Bible often say the events which took place in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus are not historical, but mere myths. The basis of this assertion is the belief that miracles are not possible: The idea that a man could come back from the dead after being brutally crucified is preposterous to some and doubtful to others.

Imagine what it would be like to see such an event and try to convince people of that time it had really happened—even more—to convince people two thousand years later that Jesus had risen from the dead. The facts of the historical record reveal that men have written they did see Jesus dead on a Roman cross, and then alive three days later. These men also state that Jesus opened the eyes of the blind, caused the crippled to walk, turned water into wine, and walked on the surface of the sea.

We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. ~1 John 1:1

For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes. ~2 Peter 1:16

Were The Gospels Written By Eyewitnesses?

There are 203 eyewitness statements in the 260 chapters of the New Testament that declare that the writers saw and heard Jesus. There are 396 citations in the New Testament where His crucifixion and resurrection three days later are recorded. These citations are in my book, “You Are My Witnesses: The Men Who Saw Jesus.”

The miracles that are ascribed to Jesus in the New Testament become an insurmountable barrier for the atheist and other critics of the Bible, simply because they do not believe these events could have happened.

Many people who read the New Testament for themselves, see sufficient evidence in the text to believe the events that are described really happened. The New Testament was not written as a novel or story, but as personal letters between real persons that are instructive, corrective, and encouraging. The New Testament is understood today as scripture, equal to the scriptures of the Old Testament (1 Thessalonians 2:13).

Is The New Testament A Valid Historical Narrative?

When we team what is written in the New Testament with the records of secular history, we find that non-interested parties that did not believe in Jesus, nor were they sympathetic to His cause, also have written in their records that Jesus had risen from the dead.

136 Non-Biblical Sources For Jesus in the Historical Record

The Persecution of Early Christians by the Romans

One of the most compelling pieces of evidence from secular history that serves to validate the presence of Jesus on earth, dying on the cross and resurrecting from the dead, is the persecution of the early followers of Jesus by the Roman government.

The Romans were very tolerant of every religion, except Christianity. The Roman Emperors determined that Christianity was a terrible superstition, in which its followers believed in the impossible: their leader had risen from the dead.[1]

“The Roman Empire was generally quite tolerant in its treatment of other religions. The imperial policy was generally one of incorporation – the local gods of a newly conquered area were simply added to the Roman pantheon and often given Roman names. Even the Jews, with their one god, were generally tolerated. So why the persecution of Christians?”

“To understand the Roman distrust of Christianity, one must understand the Roman view of religion. For the Romans, religion was first and foremost a social activity that promoted unity and loyalty to the state – a religious attitude the Romans called pietas, or piety. Cicero wrote that if piety in the Roman sense were to disappear, social unity and justice would perish along with it.”

“The early Roman writers viewed Christianity not as another kind of piety, but as a “superstition.” Pliny, a Roman governor writing circa 110 AD, called Christianity a “superstition taken to extravagant lengths.” Similarly, the Roman historian Tacitus called it “a deadly superstition,” and the historian Suetonius called Christians “a class of persons given to a new and mischievous superstition.[2] —Persecution in the early church

The mischievous superstition that Tacitus, Pliny, and Suetonius refer to was the firm belief by the followers of Jesus that He had risen from the dead. This fact of Christianity made it impossible for the Roman Emperors to accept Christianity as a conventional religion. No other leader amongst any other religion had ever claimed to rise from the dead. We should understand, at the onset, that Christianity is far different from all other religions. The central and most crucial part of Christianity is the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Without the Resurrection, Christianity would have ceased to exist before it began.

Recorded Secular Records Of Jesus’ Resurrection

Roman authors who describe the reasons that Christianity was deemed so dangerous to Roman society, characterized the belief that Christians would not deny the resurrection of Jesus, as “Superstitio.”[3] Tacitus called their trust in the resurrection, exitabilis (detestable).[4] Suetonius referred to the Christian stance of Jesus’ resurrection as Superstitio nova ac malefica (Mischievous Superstition).[5] Pliny wrote to Emperor Trajan that the Christian superstitious belief in the resurrection was a contagio (disease).[6]

Christianity was not seen as most religions, a bizarre set of beliefs. It was defined by the Roman Emperors as a dangerous superstition that threatened the very fabric of Roman society.

Take A Look Inside The Book

In Roman thinking, superstition was not regarded in the same way that it was in most other cultures. The superstition of Christianity was viewed by the Romans as corrosive to society. In the minds of Roman leaders, the idea that a man could have risen from the dead was so disturbing to the mind that a person would likely go insane. This would result in a loss of his humanity, and the entire structure of Roman life would erode into chaos.[7]

Only when Romans encountered Christians who insisted that Jesus had been raised from the dead, did they find it impossible to tolerate their strange and dangerous religion. In the minds of the Romans, anyone who could believe such things were already insane and worthy of death. To allow people to populate nations for whom they ruled, with these intolerable views, the entire Roman Empire could be jeopardized.

It was because the Romans viewed a religion based upon a resurrected Savior as extremely dangerous, that they vigorously sought to stamp out every trace of Christianity. History records that during the reign of ten Emperors, over five million Christians were persecuted and killed by the Roman government for 250 years.⁠[8] Beginning with Nero in 54 A.D., and ending with Diocletian  in 313 A.D.⁠[9a]

John Foxe, in his book, “Foxe’s Book of Martyrs,” intimates that there were over 5 million Christians killed during the reign of the first ten Roman Emperors (see the documentation at the end of this essay)

Sociologist Rodney Stark, in his book “The Rise of Christianity,” describes the Christian church as growing by 40 percent in just the first century alone.[9b] This exponential expansion is largely attributable to the facts of Jesus’ resurrection being viewed as authentic due to the testimony of eyewitnesses who documented these facts immediately after Jesus was risen from the dead.

According to Peter Rogers, in 1 A.D. the population of the Roman Empire was about 200 million people.[9c] By 300 A.D., the population had grown to over 250 million. Rodney Clark wrote that the explosive growth of the Christian church, by 350 A.D., places the number of followers of Jesus Christ at over 33 million, or 56.5 percent of the total population of 60 million, in the Roman Empire.[9d]

During the first 250 years of the Roman Empire, over 5 million Christians were executed by ten Roman Emperors

In 250 A.D., the number of Christians in the Roman Empire was 1,171,356, which was just 1.9 percent of the population of the world.[9e]

In 300 A.D., the number of Christians in the Roman Empire was 6,299,832, or 10.5 percent of the Roman Empire’s population.[9f] There should have been well over 11 million Christians, but the 5 million living under the treachery of the ten Emperors, suffered the loss of their life for simply believing that Jesus had risen from the dead.

By 350 A.D., the population of the Roman Empire was nearly 60 million, and the number of Christians had grown exponentially to 33,882,208, or 56.5 percent of the population of the Roman Empire.[9g] Distinguished professor of sociology and comparative religion at the University of Washington, Rodney Stark wrote:

“By the time Constantine legalized the practice of Christianity in 313, the empire was already heavily Christianized. By the year 300 perhaps 10 percent of the people were Christians, and by the middle of the century, Christians may well have been a majority of the citizens, 33 million Christians in an empire of 60 million people. So Constantine did not so much ensure Christianity’s success as acknowledge it. These were not 33 million “nominal” Christians. In the decade before Constantine’s edict, the Church had suffered its most ruthless and systematic persecution ever under the emperor Diocletian and his successors.” [A1]

Chart [9h]

If the resurrection did not take place as the four gospels describe, then how do we explain the explosive growth of the Christian church to over 33 million believers and 56 percent of the Roman Empire’s population, just 300 years after the resurrection was first reported?

These facts of secular history, preserved today in the records of the Roman Senate, are compelling and empirical evidence that the resurrection of Jesus Christ was well-known by the Romans. It is irrelevant that the Romans didn’t believe the resurrection had taken place. What we should pay attention to is the fact that Roman Leaders understood that Christians believed this doctrine so fervently that they would rather die than deny it had taken place.

While it is possible that a person could die for a lie, in the case of Christianity, those who believed Jesus had risen from the dead, had credible evidence to support their fervent belief. Christians of that time had something in their possession that others who died for their beliefs did not have; a written record from eyewitnesses who stated they had seen Jesus crucified and then alive three days later.

“I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him.” ~1 Corinthians 15:3-8

The New Testament Is A Historical Narrative Of Jesus’ Resurrection

What many miss and quickly pass over in seeking to prove the resurrection of Jesus, is the fact of the testimony in the New Testament by the men and women who saw Jesus dead, then alive three days later. If a person begins to read the New Testament with the forethought that the narratives are not true, then the resurrection will not be believed. If a person begins with the idea that the narratives are likely true, then the testimony of the men and women who say that Jesus rose from the dead, becomes a real possibility.

We must not forget we are reading a historical narrative written by men who intended that we receive it as true events that they saw and heard. Contrary to atheist and progressive scholars, there has never been any evidence the New Testament is not true, only opinions of people who don’t believe in God or the Bible in the first place.

143 times in the New Testament, the resurrection of Jesus is referenced and described as a real and historical event.

• There are 59 citations in the New Testament for, “Resurrection.”
• There are 69 citations in the New Testament for, “Raised.”
• There are 14 citations in the New Testament for, “Rise,” about a resurrection.
• There is 1 citation by Jesus in the New Testament that He will be, “Lifted Up.”

The testimony about the resurrection from the men who write and describe it in the New Testament is honest. They tell us on several occasions that they didn’t believe Jesus when He said He would rise from the dead. These men didn’t believe He was the Messiah, or God in the body of a man, until after He had been raised from the dead.

The Written Testimony By The Eyewitnesses Became A Firm Reason To Die For Jesus

There is no possibility that 5 million Christians would willingly go to their death if they were not convinced that Jesus had risen.

It was this written and disseminated eyewitness testimony that every Christian knew, believed, and lived to their death, that proves Jesus had risen from the dead. Even without scientific evidence that many demand for the resurrection, there is even greater and more compelling evidence that proves many events of antiquity: How people lived their lives after an event is said to have taken place. Five million Christians who would rather die than deny Jesus’ resurrection, is extraordinary evidence that it really happened.

This record also contains the testimony of the most astute Pharisee in Israel, Saul of Tarsus, who stated in 14 letters that He had seen the resurrected Jesus with his own eyes: “Am I not as free as anyone else? Am I not an apostle? Haven’t I seen Jesus our Lord with my own eyes?” ~1 Corinthians 9:1.

Paul would never have given up his prestigious position as a leading Pharisee and respected teacher of the law, for a myth. The drastic change that Paul experienced can only be rationally explained by a risen Jesus—whom Paul said He saw, in 1 Corinthians 9:1 and eight other places in the New Testament.

The Christians of that time knew well that Saul had persecuted Christians and sought their death. Immediately after Saul saw Jesus on the road to Damascus, he became a completely different man. Now known as Paul, he became the chief architect of the true facts of Jesus’ resurrection and the certain truth that He is the true Messiah. It was these written records that caused the early believers in Jesus to not deny His resurrection and make them willing to die with confidence that Jesus had risen from the dead.

We see evidence of these facts in that when the Romans gave Christians the opportunity to deny Jesus, and worship their Roman gods, they refused. Christians were so certain that Jesus had risen, they were willing to die because they believe He would also raise them.

It is certain that Roman leaders did not believe in the resurrection, but they certainly accepted that Christians believed that Jesus had risen from the dead. It is this record that remains in the Roman Senate today that is compelling evidence of Jesus’ resurrection.[3,4,5,6]

These facts were established by the writings of Roman Historians, Tacitus and Suetonius, as they described the resurrection as a terrible superstition that would endanger the Roman Empire. It was for this reason that we have an incredible record that Jesus had risen from the dead because history records that over five million Christians went to their death during a 250-year period of history under ten Roman Emperors, rather than recant and deny Jesus’ resurrection had taken place.

“The early Roman writers viewed Christianity not as another kind of piety, but as a “superstition.” Pliny, a Roman governor writing circa 110 AD, called Christianity a “superstition taken to extravagant lengths.” Similarly, the Roman historian Tacitus called it “a deadly superstition,” and the historian Suetonius called Christians “a class of persons given to a new and mischievous superstition.”⁠[10] ~Persecution in the early church

To assert that Romans did not execute Christians during the reign of ten Emperors, because they believed the resurrection of Jesus had happened, is an unsupportable, based upon the evidence of history.

People may carry a myth to a certain point, but let their life be in jeopardy for believing such things, they will immediately recant in order to save their life. ~RCR

Myths and legends which claim that a person had risen from the dead cannot survive 2,000 years of scrutiny if they are not true. This has never happened during man’s history, and for good reason. People want to know the truth, and they will invest themselves in seeking to discover whether events are genuine or not.

It was because Christians believed in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, that ten Roman Emperors gave their orders to execute any Christian who would not repent of their Christianity and worship a Roman god.[11] Since Christians maintained such a firm belief that Jesus had risen from the dead because it is firmly established in their scriptures, they would not deny Jesus.

For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,  ~1 Corinthians 15:3-4

And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. ~1 Corinthians 15:14

History records that early Christians were persecuted and killed by the Roman government for a period of 250 years.[12] Beginning with Nero in 54 A.D. and ending with Diocletian  in 313 A.D.[13]

• Nero (54-68): Paul was beheaded; Peter was crucified upside down.
• Domitian (95-96): John was exiled to Patmos, and wrote the Book of Revelation.
• Trajan (104-117): Ignatius was burned at the stake.
• Marcus Aurelius (161-180): Polycarp was martyred.
• Septimus Severus (200-211): He executed Irenaeus.
• Maximinus (235-237): He killed Ursula and Hippolytus.
• Decius (249-251)
• Valerian (257-260)
• Aurelian (270-275)
• Diocletian (303-313): He killed more Christians than all before him.

The most reliable source for the true facts of this persecution of Christians is from Foxe’s Book of Martyrs. During this period of history, John Foxe estimated that five million Christians were killed for simply believing in Jesus as their Savior.[14]

Documentation For The Reliable Testimony of John Foxe

Warren Wooden wrote in 1983:

“Foxe’s reputation as a careful and accurate, albeit partisan, historian especially of the events of his own day, has been cleansed and restored with the result that modern historians no longer feel constrained to apologize automatically for evidence and examples drawn from the ‘’Acts and Monuments’’⁠

Noted English Historian, Patrick Collinson, acknowledged Foxe’s work as a valid historian, and said:

“John Foxe was the greatest [English] historian of his age….and the greatest revisionist ever.”⁠

J. F. Mozley stated that John Foxe “preserved a high standard of honesty… and proclaims the honest man, sincere seeker after truth.”⁠

Mozley quotes the words of John Foxe on page 168 of his book “Actes and Monuments”:

“What the intent and custom is of the papists to do, I cannot tell: for mine own I will say, although many other vices I have, yet from this one I have always of nature abhorred, wittingly to deceive any man or child, so near as I could, much less the church of God, whom I with all my heart do reverence, and with fear obey.”⁠

The 2009 edition of Encyclopedia Britannica describes the work of John Foxe’s Book of Martyrs as:

“Factually detailed and preserves much firsthand material on the English Reformation unobtainable elsewhere.”

The false charges that John Foxe did not accurately record the actual deaths of the early believers of Jesus is further impeached by those who have investigated this early Christian author.

Dr. Herbert Samworth writes:

“There is probably no other book that accomplished the repudiation of the Roman Church in England as did the Acts and Monuments. However, I believe that a strong case can be made that this was not the original intent of the work. Certainly it possesses an anti-Roman bias but this was because of the intolerance and cruelty imposed on those who disagreed with its teachings. However, Foxe did not limit his disagreement against temporal forms of punishing heresy to the Roman Church. He was totally opposed to any form of temporal punishment against false teaching whether it was practiced by the Roman Church or the Protestant Church.

However, if we are to understand this we must know something of the man himself. Foxe matriculated in 1534 and graduated from Oxford University around four years later because he became master in 1539. There was always one consistent thing about John Foxe and it was his pronounced Protestantism. Indeed, his faithfulness to its teaching cost him his fellowship because it required ordination to hold it. However, to be ordained meant to take the vow of celibacy and Foxe remained unconvinced that this was what the Word of God taught even though the Church had made it a sacrament.

Not only was Foxe a person of integrity he was also known for his unwillingness to seek preferment in the church for the sake of material gain. The case of those who used the religious changes in England under Henry VIII and Edward VI to enrich themselves is not pleasant to read.”⁠

Jesus Predicted Ten Periods of Christian Persecution

It is interesting that Jesus spoke to the church at Smyrna, in the Book of Revelation Chapter 2, and told them that they would suffer through ten days of persecution and to be faithful even in their death…

And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write, “These things says the First and the Last, who was dead, and came to life: ‘I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich); and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.’”~ Revelation 2:8-10

These “ten days” appear to be a prophetic prediction by Jesus of the ten Roman Emperors who killed such a great number of Christians.

All ten of these Roman Emperors recorded their view of Christianity in the records of the Roman Senate Archives.[15] Under Emperor Decius, Christians arrested could purchase a libelous that proved they had converted from Christianity without actually denying Jesus and worshipping a Roman god. This was accomplished by paying a fee to a Roman official, to obtain the certificate.

From the massive records of the Romans, which are extant to the present day, any person of diligence can discover that Jesus is a genuine person of history. His early followers were brutally executed for simply believing that He had risen from the dead. The only reason why the Roman government viewed Christianity as such a great threat, when all other religions were not regarded as dangerous, is due to the primary claim of its leader and the belief of its followers that Jesus Christ had not only died on a Roman cross—He had risen from the dead.

This stunning reality is recorded in the pages of Roman antiquity, and is undeniable, empirical evidence of His existence in history. Jesus’ crucifixion is recorded in the Roman archives, and the fact of His resurrection is evidenced by the strong stance His followers took when confronted with death rather than deny Him. There is no doubt that John’s letter to the seven churches, from the Book of Revelation Chapter 2:8-10, was read to those suffering under persecution. The letter that was written to the church at Smyrna was specifically intended for those who would suffer under these brutal Roman Emperors.

…you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. Revelation 2:8-10

The early christians were encouraged to stand fast in their commitment to Jesus, and not fear death, because they had confidence that Jesus would also raise them from the dead.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26

A Letter From Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus to Emperor Trajan

In the year 112 A.D., Pliny the Younger—governor of the Roman province of Bithynia (Turkey)—wrote a letter to the Roman Emperor Trajan, requesting clarification on his orders to execute those who were Christians.[16]

The following are a few of the excerpts from this letter:[17]

“It is my constant method to apply myself to you for the resolution of all my doubts; for who can better govern my dilatory way of proceeding or instruct my ignorance? I have never been present at the examination of the Christians [by others], on which account I am unacquainted with what uses to be inquired into, and what, and how far they used to be punished; nor are my doubts small, whether there be not a distinction to be made between the ages [of the accused]? and whether tender youth ought to have the same punishment with strong men?”

“Whether there be not room for pardon upon repentance?” or whether it may not be an advantage to one that had been a Christian, that he has forsaken Christianity? Whether the bare name, without any crimes besides, or the crimes adhering to that name, be to be punished?”

“In the meantime, I have taken this course about those who have been brought before me as Christians. I asked them whether they were Christians or not? If they confessed that they were Christians, I asked them again, and a third time, intermixing threatenings with the questions. If they persevered in their confession, I ordered them to be executed; for I did not doubt but, let their confession be of any sort whatsoever, this positiveness and inflexible obstinacy deserved to be punished.”

“However, they assured me that the main of their fault, or of their mistake was this:-That they were wont, on a stated day, to meet together before it was light, and to sing a hymn to Christ, as to a god, alternately; and to oblige themselves by a sacrament [or oath], not to do anything that was ill: but that they would commit no theft, or pilfering, or adultery; that they would not break their promises, or deny what was deposited with them, when it was required back again; after which it was their custom to depart, and to meet again at a common but innocent meal, which they had left off upon that edict which I published at your command, and wherein I had forbidden any such conventicles.”

“These examinations made me think it necessary to inquire by torments what the truth was…”

Emperor Trajan’s reply:

“My Pliny,

You have taken the method which you ought in examining the causes of those that had been accused as Christians, for indeed no certain and general form of judging can be ordained in this case. These people are not to be sought for; but if they be accused and convicted, they are to be punished; but with this caution, that he who denies himself to be a Christian, and makes it plain that he is not so by supplicating to our gods, although he had been so formerly, may be allowed pardon, upon his repentance. As for libels sent without an author, they ought to have no place in any accusation whatsoever, for that would be a thing of very ill example, and not agreeable to my reign.”

This letter exchange between two Roman officials, which are kept in the Archives of the Roman Senate and originating from a secular source, verifies that many thousands of Christians were executed for simply believing in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Remember that the resurrection and a belief in Jesus Christ are inseparable. Without the resurrection, there is no Christianity.

Both Pliny and the Roman Emperor state that any person who had previously claimed to be a Christian, upon the recantation of their belief, could be spared execution. The fact is that a majority of those who believed in Jesus’ death and resurrection would not deny Him, even to save their own life. This is verified by a Roman source that was not sympathetic to Christ or His followers.

Today because such a great deal of evidence for Jesus Christ has been discovered and is readily available on the internet and by many, many other books—the critics of Jesus, Christianity, and the Bible have vigorously disputed every piece of evidence that validates Jesus as a real person of history. As you can see from the brief information in this chapter, the world has many sources for verification of the facts concerning Jesus of Nazareth. Even if someone is not inclined to believe the Bible, it is impossible to deny the record of secular history that also fully validates the presence of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem, crucified under Pontius Pilate, and resurrected from the dead. These facts remain to the present day in the Annals of the Roman Senate and declare the massive efforts of at least ten emperors to eliminate Christianity from the face of the earth. Two thousand years have passed; the Roman government and all those who tried to eliminate Jesus’ influence upon history have all died. He is still alive today, and remains as the greatest single influence upon every aspect of human life.

• 136 Non Biblical Sources For Jesus in the Historical Record
• Is The New Testament A Valid Historical Narrative?
• Historical, Evidentiary Proof Of New Testament Reliability
• The Primary Issues Of New Testament Criticism
• The Old Testament Predicted The Crucifixion And Resurrection Of The Messiah

NOTES:

[A1] An Essay: “The Growth of Christianity in the Roman Empire,” by Mike Aquilina and Rodney Stark, at the University of Washington.
[1] Robert L. Wilkin, “The Piety of the Persecutors.” Christian History, Issue 27 (Vol. XI, No. 3), p. 18, 19
[2] 1.Everett Ferguson, “Did You Know?” Christian History, Issue 27 (Vol. XI, No. 3), inside cover.
2.Robert L. Wilkin, “The Piety of the Persecutors.” Christian History, Issue 27 (Vol. XI, No. 3), p. 18.
[3] ‘ Superstitio’ and the Persecution of the Christians, L. F. Janssen, Vigiliae Christianae, Vol. 33, No. 2 (Jun., 1979), pp. 131-159
[4]  Tacitus Annals, 15.44.4
[5] Seutonius, Nero, 16,2
[6] Ibid, L. F. Janssen, Vigiliae Christianae, Vol. 33,
[7] 1.Everett Ferguson, “Did You Know?” Christian History, Issue 27 (Vol. XI, No. 3), inside cover.
2.Robert L. Wilkin, “The Piety of the Persecutors.” Christian History, Issue 27 (Vol. XI, No. 3), p. 18.
3. Persecution in the Early Church, religion facts.com, March 17, 2015
[8] 1.Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, Publisher: ReadHowYouWant, December 19, 2011, ISBN: 1459633199, Kindle Edition, “The Ten Primitive Persecutions.”
2. John Foxe obtained his evidence for the accounts of the Apostles’ deaths from trusted earlier Christian leaders and secular writers—Eusebius, Bede, Matthew Paris, Tertullian, Clement, and Tacitus. Many of the sources for the detailed descriptions of Foxe’s descriptions came from the Episcopal registers of the early Christian church, as well as trial reports and the testimonies of eyewitnesses recorded by the early church.
3.Warren Wooden wrote in 1983: “Foxe’s reputation as a careful and accurate, albeit partisan, historian especially of the events of his own day, has been cleansed and restored with the result that modern historians no longer feel constrained to apologize automatically for evidence and examples drawn from the ‘’Acts and Monuments’’⁠
4. Noted English Historian, Patrick Collinson, acknowledged Foxe’s work as a valid historian, and said: “John Foxe was the greatest [English] historian of his age….and the greatest revisionist ever.”⁠
5. J. F. Mozley stated that John Foxe “preserved a high standard of honesty… and proclaims the honest man, sincere seeker after truth.”⁠ Mozley quotes the words of John Foxe on page 168 of his book “Actes and Monuments”: “What the intent and custom is of the papists to do, I cannot tell: for mine own I will say, although many other vices I have, yet from this one I have always of nature abhorred, wittingly to deceive any man or child, so near as I could, much less the church of God, whom I with all my heart do reverence, and with fear obey.”⁠6
6. The 2009 edition of Encyclopedia Britannica describes the work of John Foxe’s Book of Martyrs as: “Factually detailed and preserves much firsthand material on the English Reformation unobtainable elsewhere.”The false charges that John Foxe did not accurately record the actual deaths of the early believers of Jesus is further impeached by those who have investigated this early Christian author.
7. Dr. Herbert Samworth writes: “There is probably no other book that accomplished the repudiation of the Roman Church in England as did the Acts and Monuments. However, I believe that a strong case can be made that this was not the original intent of the work. Certainly it possesses an anti-Roman bias but this was because of the intolerance and cruelty imposed on those who disagreed with its teachings. However, Foxe did not limit his disagreement against temporal forms of punishing heresy to the Roman Church. He was totally opposed to any form of temporal punishment against false teaching whether it was practiced by the Roman Church or the Protestant Church. However, if we are to understand this we must know something of the man himself. Foxe matriculated in 1534 and graduated from Oxford University around four years later because he became master in 1539. There was always one consistent thing about John Foxe and it was his pronounced Protestantism. Indeed, his faithfulness to its teaching cost him his fellowship because it required ordination to hold it. However, to be ordained meant to take the vow of celibacy and Foxe remained unconvinced that this was what the Word of God taught even though the Church had made it a sacrament. Not only was Foxe a person of integrity he was also known for his unwillingness to seek preferment in the church for the sake of material gain. The case of those who used the religious changes in England under Henry VIII and Edward VI to enrich themselves is not pleasant to read.”⁠
8.Chuck Smith, “The Tribulation and the Church,” The Word For Today, Publishers, August 5, 2011, Kindle Edition.
9. Maurice M. Hassatt, “Martyr.” The Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. IX, Robert Appleton Company, 1910
[9a] 1. Mark Galli, “The Persecuting Emperors.” Christian History, Issue 27 (Vol. XI, No. 3), p. 20.
2. https://library.puc.edu/heritage/bib-earlycpm.html
3. http://www.mylakelandchurch.com/articles/2020/02/24/church-history-4-persecution-against-the-church
9b] Stark, Rodney (9 May 1997). The Rise of Christianity. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-067701-5.
[9c] Peter P. Rogers, Kazi F. Jalal and John A. Boyd (2008). An Introduction To Sustainable Development. Earthscan. p.53.
[9d] Stark, Rodney (9 May 1997). cited in: “The Rise of Christianity.” HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-067701-5.  page 6.
[9e] The Rise of Christianity. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-067701-5.  page 7 chart by Rodney Stark.
[9f] Ibid, chart by Rodney Stark
[9g] Ibid, chart by Rodney Stark
[9h] Chart by Stark, Rodney (9 May 1997). The Rise of Christianity. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-067701-5.  page 6.
[10] 1.Everett Ferguson, “Did You Know?” Christian History, Issue 27 (Vol. XI, No. 3), inside cover. 3.
2.Persecution in the Early Church, religion facts.com, March 17, 2015
[11] 1.Persecution in the Early Church, religion facts.com, March 17, 2015
2.“The Roman Empire was generally quite tolerant in its treatment of other religions. The imperial policy was generally one of incorporation – the local gods of a newly conquered area were simply added to the Roman pantheon and often given Roman names. Even the Jews, with their one god, were generally tolerated. So why the persecution of Christians?

In order to understand the Roman distrust of Christianity, one must understand the Roman view of religion. For the Romans, religion was first and foremost a social activity that promoted unity and loyalty to the state – a religious attitude the Romans called pietas, or piety. Cicero wrote that if piety in the Roman sense were to disappear, social unity and justice would perish along with it.

The early Roman writers viewed Christianity not as another kind of pietas, piety, but as a superstition, “superstition.” Pliny, a Roman governor writing circa 110 AD, called Christianity a “superstition taken to extravagant lengths.” Similarly, the Roman historian Tacitus called it “a deadly superstition,” and the historian Suetonius called Christians “a class of persons given to a new and mischievous superstition.” {9} In this context, the word “superstition” has a slightly different connotation than it has today: for the Romans, it designated something foreign and different – in a negative sense. Religious beliefs were valid only in so far as it could be shown to be old and in line with ancient customs; new and innovative teachings were regarded with distrust.”
[12]  Maurice M. Hassatt, “Martyr.” The Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. IX, Robert Appleton Company, 1910
[13] Mark Galli, “The Persecuting Emperors.” Christian History, Issue 27 (Vol. XI, No. 3), p. 20.
[14] 1.Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, Publisher: ReadHowYouWant, December 19, 2011, ISBN: 1459633199, Kindle Edition
2.Chuck Smith, “The Tribulation and the Church,” The Word For Today, Publishers, August 5, 2011, Kindle Edition
3. Chuck Smith in his commentary on the Book of Revelation, chapter 2: “Foxe in his Book of Martyrs intimates that there were five million Christians who suffered martyrdom for their faith in Jesus Christ.”
[15] 1.The Annals: The Reigns of Tiberius, Claudius, and Nero by Cornelius Tacitus and J. C. Yardley ISBN 0-19-282421-X Oxford pages 2-27.
2.”Tacitus and the Writing of History,” by Ronald H. Martin 1981 ISBN 0-520-04427-4, pages 104–105.
[16] Letters of Pliny the Younger and the Emperor Trajan, Translated by William Whiston, From The Works of Josephus, Hendrickson Publishers, 1987.
[17] Ibid

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