The Catechism in Questions & Answers

396. How did the members of the early Christian congregations fare?

The members of the early Christian congregations were persecuted as atheists in the Gentile nations because they did not worship the gods in which the people there believed. The Christians were also blamed for crop failures, earthquakes, and floods—which was in turn an excuse to persecute them. The Roman Emperors tried to eliminate Christianity. The first persecution of the Christians was initiated in the year AD 64 under the Roman Emperor Nero.