Nero
Nero became the emperor of Rome in AD 54 at 17 years old after his mother poisoned her husband, the emperor Claudius. Nero loved receiving attention. He was known for his immoral behavior and wasteful spending. During the early years of his rule, he had two advisers who managed the empire well:
Burrus was the Prefect of the Praetorian Guard (commander of the emperor’s elite soldiers).
Seneca was a famous philosopher who followed Stoicism, a philosophy that emphasizes reason, self-control, and virtue.
By the time Paul wrote to the Romans around AD 57, urging them to "submit himself to the governing authorities" as being "appointed by God" (Romans 13:1), Nero's immoral character was widely known.
Nero's worst actions occurred after he arranged his mother's murder in AD 59 (the same year Paul appealed to Caesar, Acts 25:11). In AD 62, he banished and then executed his wife, married his lover, and forced Burrus and Seneca to retire. In AD 64, a fire destroyed a large part of Rome. At the time, Nero was away from the city, but many believed the rumor that he had started the fire himself. Nero blamed Christians, accusing them of the crime. People saw Christians as hostile to society and deserving of punishment, even if few believed they started the fire. They were "convicted not so much of arson as of hatred of the human race" (Tacitus, Annals 15.44). The persecution of Christians in Rome was severe; it is likely that Peter and Paul were executed in Rome during this time.
In AD 66, a Jewish revolt began in Caesarea. Nero sent his general, Vespasian, to stop the revolt. Nero showed little interest in governing and spent two years performing in Greece. He left the governing to a Roman prefect. When he returned to Rome, governors in France, Spain, and Africa opposed him. As a result, Nero killed himself in AD 68, saying, “What an artist dies with me!” He was the last and worst emperor from Julius Caesar's line. (See also the study notes on Revelation 13:3, 11, 18; 17:8, 10–11.)
Passages for Further Study