In the AD111 Nithynia the governor Pliny the Younger wrote to Trajan seeking guidance because he claimed that the Christians had given him a lot of trouble. Pliny expressed those troubles and admitted that the killings that had been done was to render him unpopular. Trajan in his wisdom he wrote back to Pliny as follows:

‘The actions you have taken, my dear Pliny, in investigating the cases of those brought before you as Christians, are correct. It is impossible to lay down a general rule which can apply to particular cases. Do not go looking for Christians. If they are brought before you and the charge is proven, they must be punished, provided that if someone denies that they are Christian and gives proof of it, by offering reverence to our gods, they shall be acquitted on the grounds of repentance even if they have previously incurred suspicion. Anonymous written accusations shall be disregarded as evidence. They set a bad example which is contrary to the spirit of our times.’

Hadrian, who was the king of Rome at that time, continued with his policy of persecuting the Christians. But the fact was that the romans had been drawn between the two religions that are the jews is and the Judaism.

In AD 165-180 under Marcus Aurelius, there was a massive persecution of the Christians worse than that of Nero. Christianity was figured as the religion of the poor and slaves because even the royal family was worshiping the gods that they made to themselves. Later it emerged the concept of sacrifice as in the Christian wanted to die intentionally by worshiping a new faith. During this era of martyrdom, Christian was separated from those who worship the gods with the king.

However, this never shaken the Christians instead they were charged to remain faithful in God. They built the churches and commenced their mission of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. Martyrdom reappeared again when the church began to rise again spiced by differing opinions about the church and the congregation. Christians were urged to practice piety of faithfulness as God commanded and what Jesus Christ was doing in this world. Jesus thought his disciple love and faith in the last super and commanded them to continue with the same after he had gone to heaven. They were also aware of the problems they were going through that time because it was the long time prophesied. Scriptures and testimonies by those who saw Jesus Christ ascending to heaven also gave them hope that one day in the second coming of Jesus Christ they will inherit the kingdom of heaven.

There was a movement comprising of the Jewish community whose main focus was on the scriptures. They criticized the scriptures claiming that they were devoid of truth and was not practical. They especially questioned and ignored that Jesus was the son of God, and yet he was born in the world. They termed Judaism as a blind truth and the Judaic community as hostile to Christianity. There was also “forthright critical comment on the life of Christ, with the claim that he was rightly condemned as a deceiver” (Deuteronomy 13:1-5).