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The following are helpful resources from Christian History magazine on Christian persecution and martyrdom:

Persecution in the Early Church: Recommended Resources
Recommendations provided by Kenneth R. Calvert, Th,M. candidate in patristics at Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The “Edict of Milan”
Selections from an agreement, made in 313, that changed the course of history

Nero’s Cruelties
An account from Roman historian Tacitus (C. 115)

Emperor Hadrians moderate policies
This rescript, c. 124, protected Christians

Persecution in Early Church: Did You Know?
by EVERETT FERGUSON — Dr. Everett Ferguson is professor of Bible at Abilene Christian University and author of Backgrounds of Early Christianity

Tomb of the Unknown Christians
KEVIN A. MILLER

Persecution in the Early Church: Did You Know?
Beginning as a despised, illicit religious sect, Christianity endured 300 years of hostility to emerge as the dominant force in the Roman Empire.
by Dr. Everett Ferguson

When Christianity Triumphed
The achievement brought new difficulties.
Dr. William H. C. Frend, clerk in holy orders for the Diocese of Peterborough (U.K.), is professor emeritus of ecclesiastical history at Glasgow University and author of Martyrdom and Persecution in the Early Church

Perpetua & Polycarp: Two Heroic Martyrs

The Piety of the Persecutors
In the Roman mind, there were valid religious reasons to halt the spread of Christianity.
Dr. Robert L. Wilken is the William R. Kenan, Jr., Professor of the History of Christianity at the University of Virginia. He is author of The Christians as the Romans Saw Them

Rome’s Religious Ferment
The first-century Empire swirled with an exotic mix of religions.
by Dr. Herbert Schlossberg, Project Director, Fieldstead Institute.

Persecution in the Early Church: A Gallery of the Persecuting Emperors
by Mark Galli, associate editor of Leadership Journal.

Controversial Constantine
The famous emperor ended the persecution of Christians. But was he a true believer, or merely a superstitious political opportunist?
by David F. Wright, Dean of the Faculty of Divinity at the University of Edinburgh.

Constantine’s Famous Emblem
The chi-rho symbol he adopted is now displayed in churches throughout the world.
David F. Wright

Persecution in the Early Church: A Christian History Timeline

How the Early Church Viewed Martyrs
Christians held a theology of martyrdom that gave them courage to endure.
by William G. Bixler

The Gallery: Martyrs and Confessors
by Dr. John 0. Gooch, editor of youth/adult curriculum for The United Methodist Publishing House in Nashville, Tennessee.

Cowards Among the Christians
by JOHN O. GOOCH

From the Archives: Cyprian’s Letter to Banished Christians
Encouragement for believers sentenced to the Roman mines.

Persecuted Christians Today
by JAMES REAPSOME , Evangelical Mission Information Service

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