page_title: Persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire / History
caption_attribution_description: English: St. Blaise confronting the Roman governor: Scene from the life of St. Blaise, bishop of Sebaste (Armenia), martyr under the Roman emperor Licinius (4th century). Stained glass window from the area of Soissons (Picardy, France), early 13th century. Français&#160;: Saint Blaise devant le gouverneur romain&#160;: scène de la vie de saint Blaise, évêque de Sébaste en Arménie, martyr sous le règne de l'empereur Licinius (IVe siècle). Vitrail de la région de Soissons (Picardie, France), début du XIVe siècle. Versement de l'Office des biens privés, 1951.
context_page_description: The persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire occurred intermittently over a period of over two centuries between the Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD under Nero and the Edict of Milan in 313 AD. Following the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, Constantine the Great and his co-Augustus Licinius issued the Edict of Milan which granted religious toleration to all faiths, not just the Christian faith.
  Persecution was carried out by the Roman state and by local authorities on a sporadic, ad hoc basis, often at the whims of local communities. In 250 AD, an empire-wide persecution took place as an indirect consequence of an edict by the emperor Decius. This edict was in force for eighteen months, during which time some Christians were killed while others apostatised to escape execution. W.H.C. Frend estimates that 3,000–3,500 Christians were killed in the persecution.
caption: Saint Blaise on trial before the Roman governor, Louvre
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