Eusebius’ quotes Tertullian*® to the same general effect: “ Domitian, a semi-Nero in cruelty, attempted to condemn the Christians ; but, being also a man, he readily stopped the course of action he had begun, and even recalled those whom he had banished ”.
But Nero was the first to persecute the Christians * and something is known of his procedure from Tacitus,‘ who represents his per- secution as a final effort to divert from himself the suspicion of having given orders for the fire of Rome. Human assistance, public largesses, services of expiation, all failed to banish the calumny. So to put an end to the rumour, Nero made the Christians, as they were commonly called by the vulgar who hated them for their crimes, scape-goats in his place and visited them with the most elaborate penalties. Christ from whom their name was derived was executed by the procurator Pontius Pilate in the reign of Tiberius. For a time this fatal superstition was suppressed, but it broke out after- wards not only in Judaea, the birthplace of the mischief, but also in Rome... Accordingly, in the first instance those who confessed were arrested ; and afterwards on their information a huge multitude were sent to join them not so much on the charge of arson as on that of hatred of the human race.
Tacitus emphasises the fact that the Christians were guilty and deserved to suffer the last penalty of the law. Public feeling con- demned them as enemies of civilised society; but the outrageous mockery with which Nero had them executed, and the common sus- picion that the alleged arson was a mere pretence produced a revul-
1 Historiae ecclesiasticae, iii. 20.
2 Apology v.: ‘‘ Temptaverat et Domitianus, portio Neronis de crudelitate ; sed qua et homo (ἀλλ᾽ οἶμαι ἅτε ἔχωντι συνέσεως, Eusebius) facile coeptum repressit, restitutis etiam quos relegaverat.
3 Tertullian, Apology, v.: ‘‘Consulite commentarios vestros; illic reperietis primum Neronem in hanc sectam cum maxime Romae orientem Caecsariano gladio ferocisse. Sed tali dedicatore damnationis nostrae etiam gloriamur. Qui enim scit illum, intelligere potest non nisi grande aliquod bonum a Nerone damnatum.”
4 Annals, xv. 44: ‘‘Sed non ope humana, non largitionibus principis aut deum placamentis decedebat infamia, quin iussum incendium crederetur. Ergo abolendo rumori Nero subdidit reos, et quaesitissimis poenis affecit, quos per flagitia invisos vul- gus Chrestianos (sic) appellabat. Auctor nominis eius Christus, Tiberio imperitante, per procuratorem Pontium Pilatum supplicio affectus erat. Repressaque in praesens exitiabilis superstitio rursus erumpebat, non modo per Judaeam originem eius mali sed per urbem etiam. . . . Igitur primo correpti qui fatebantur, deinde indicio eorum multitudo ingens, haud perinde in crimine incendii quam odio humani generis coniuncti sunt.” ,
5 Ibid.: ‘*sontes et novissima exempla meritos”’.