The Neronian persecution of Christians after the fire of Rome (Tacitus, Annals, XV)

Abstract

The text of Tacitus on the fire of Rome and the Neronian persecution is one of the oldest texts of Roman historians about Christians and has been the subject of innumerable hypotheses because of its controversial text. B. Shaw, recently, has considered the Neronian persecution of Christians as a myth without historical basis. This article analyzes the data of Tacitus, as well as the impact that the fire and the persecution of this emperor left in the memory of the Christian sources. Likewise, the thesis of B. Shaw and the criticisms that have been made to him are exposed.