Their number, far from substantiating any general or sustained persecution of the early Christians, is no more than we would expect of a fraternity that, by the time of Constantine's coup, amounted to some tens of thousands and was drawn disproportionately from criminal and marginal classes. The general persecution of Christians occurred only when the Christian Empire turned its ferocity upon the heretics.
Ang kanilang bilang, sa halip na patotohanan ang isang diumano’y malawakan at pirmihang panliligalig sa mga unang Cristiano, ay hindi hihigit sa inaasahan lamang na natural na magkakaroon sa isang kapatirang may bilang na ilang dosenang libo noong panahon ni Constantine, at binubuo pa man din ng mga pusakal at mga minorya ng lipunan.