Why were they persecuted? At first the Romans saw Christianity as just another branch of Judaism. As such, they were content to leave Christians alone. However once the Romans realised that Christianity was a new and separate religion, Christians were no longer protected by the law that had freed the Jews from having to worship Rome’s gods. So, when the Roman emperors began to claim that they too were gods who had to be worshipped, Christians were told that they had to offer sacrifices to them. When they refused, Christians were viewed as disloyal and dangerous (see: Revelations 2: 10 and 13).
Despite terrible periods of persecution and martyrdom, the Christian faith not only survived but thrived within the Roman Empire. Then, in 312 CE, a man called Constantine defeated his rivals and became emperor. The following year he granted freedom of worship to Christians. Finally, after almost three centuries of persecution, Christians could build their own meeting places (i.e. churches) and openly practise their religious faith without fear of persecution.
