Because of Rome's strictness in following the laws and rules, they were very tradition bound. Many of the Pharisees were determined that the Old Testament was the only acceptable basis of religious law that the people of Rome should follow. The believed that Elijah was the Messiah, and they were waiting for his return. They also didn't expect a "Messiah" to act the way that Christ did, having anything to do with sinners was looked down upon. However, after Christ's death and resurrection, the disciples were told to go out into the world and spread the good news of their salvation. Thi

s didn't appeal to the Pharisees at all, and they immediately set out to stop this message of freedom. The religious officials continuously put Simon and Peter in jail, Stephen was stoned to death, and there have been accounts of John's attempted murder in boiling hot oil. Many Christians were flogged, stoned to death, skinned alive, fed to lions, and many more gruesome things. Nero burne!

Many of the later martyrs suffered persecution under the Roman Empire also. These men and women were inspired by heavenly influence and by the sacrifices of the early martyrs such as the apostles. Tertullian believed that the Pharisees and Sadducees were wrong in their rulings. He states, "If the Lord Christ Jesus sent the apostles to preach, no one should be received as preachers except in accordance with Christ's institution". When Terullian states this, it can be perceived that he is agreeing with the message that Christ gave the apostles should be continued. So basically he is saying that we should use the original apostles as a role model for our witness. One reason for persecution i

Some common words found in the essay are:
Simon Peter, Roman Empire, Christ Messiah, Christ Jesus, Peter Apostles, Elijah Messiah, Greeks Romans, Justin Martyr, Peter James, Persecution Throughout, christian faith, stoned death, roman empire,
Approximate Word count = 735
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)