Bible Timeline · AD 64 to 67

The Great Fire of Rome and the Deaths of Peter and Paul

In July AD 64 a great fire destroyed much of Rome, and the emperor Nero blamed the Christians, as the Roman historian Tacitus records. Many believers were killed in cruel ways. Early church tradition says Peter was crucified upside down and Paul was beheaded in Rome during these years, and letters like 1 and 2 Peter, 2 Timothy and Hebrews come from this time.

Read it in the Bible: 2 Timothy 4:6-8 John 21:18-19 1 Peter 5:13 1 Peter 4:12-13 2 Peter 1:14

On the night of July 18 to 19, AD 64, a fire broke out near the Circus Maximus in Rome and burned for days. When it was over, much of the city lay in ashes, and rumors said the emperor Nero had started it. To shift the blame, Nero accused the Christians and had many of them arrested and killed in horrible ways. This was the first time the Roman government itself turned against the church. Early Christian writers say the apostles Peter and Paul were both put to death in Rome during Nero’s reign, Peter by crucifixion and Paul by the sword.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 2 Timothy 4:7

What Happened in the Great Fire of Rome?

The fire started in shops full of goods that burned easily and spread fast through the crowded wooden neighborhoods. The Roman historian Tacitus says it burned for six days, died down, then flared up again. Of Rome’s fourteen districts, three were wiped out completely, seven were left in scorched ruins, and only four escaped.

Nero was at his villa in Antium, about 35 miles away, when the fire began. He came back, opened public buildings to the homeless and lowered the price of grain. But then he used the burned land to build himself an enormous palace called the Golden House. People started to wonder. A story went around that he sang about the fall of Troy while the city burned. That is where the saying about Nero fiddling while Rome burned comes from, though the violin had not been invented yet, so he was not fiddling. Historians still debate whether he had anything to do with the fire.

Did Nero Blame the Christians?

Yes, according to Tacitus. Writing about AD 116 in his Annals, book 15, section 44, he says Nero needed someone to blame and chose a group the public already disliked. He names them as Christians and explains that their name came from Christus, who was executed under Pontius Pilate during the reign of Tiberius.

Tacitus was no friend of Christians. He calls their faith a deadly superstition. But he was disgusted by what Nero did. He says some Christians were covered in animal skins and torn apart by dogs, some were crucified, and some were set on fire at night to serve as torches in Nero’s gardens. Tacitus says that even Romans who disliked Christians began to feel pity, because the victims were dying to satisfy one man’s cruelty. The FAQ Did Jesus Really Live on this site explains why this passage also matters as evidence for Jesus.

How Did Peter Die?

The New Testament does not describe Peter’s death, but Jesus predicted it.

Truly, truly, I tell you, when you were young, you dressed yourself and walked where you wanted; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. John 21:18 to 19

Stretch out your hands was a common way of speaking about crucifixion. Early Christian writers agree that Peter died in Rome. Clement of Rome, writing about AD 96, mentions his martyrdom. Tertullian, about AD 200, says that in Rome Peter endured a passion like his Lord’s. The tradition that Peter asked to be crucified upside down appears in the Acts of Peter, from the late second century. The historian Eusebius, about AD 325, passes it on from the scholar Origen, and later tradition explains that Peter felt unworthy to die the same way as Jesus.

In 1 Peter 5:13, Peter sends greetings from the church in Babylon, which most scholars think was a code name for Rome. Tradition places his tomb on Vatican Hill, where Saint Peter’s Basilica stands today. Excavations under the church in the 1940s found an ancient memorial shrine from the second century at the spot.

How Did Paul Die?

Paul’s last letter, 2 Timothy, was written from a prison in Rome. It sounds like a man who knows the end is near.

For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. 2 Timothy 4:6

Clement of Rome says Paul was a herald in both East and West and suffered martyrdom under the rulers. Tertullian says that in Rome Paul won his crown in a death like John’s, meaning John the Baptist, who was beheaded. As a Roman citizen, Paul would not have been crucified. The traditional site of his death is south of Rome at a place now called Tre Fontane, and his tomb is honored at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls.

When Did Peter and Paul Die?

We don’t know the exact years. Nero ruled until he took his own life in June AD 68, so both deaths happened before then. Some date them right after the fire, in AD 64 or 65. Others, following later church writers, put them about AD 67. Many traditions say they died on the same day, and churches honor them together on June 29. A sermon credited to Augustine says it was the same day but not the same year. This timeline uses AD 64 to 67. The FAQ How Did the Twelve Apostles Die on this site covers the other apostles.

Which Books Were Written During Nero’s Persecution?

The Owner’s Manual places several New Testament books in these dark years. Their words make more sense when you know what readers were facing.

1 Peter, about AD 62 to 64, from Rome, shortly before Nero turned on the Christians. Critical scholars say about AD 70 to 95. It warns believers not to be surprised at the fiery trial, 1 Peter 4:12.
2 Peter, about AD 64 to 68, just before Peter was killed. He writes that he knows his tent will soon be laid aside, 2 Peter 1:14. Critical scholars say about AD 80 to 150.
2 Timothy, about AD 64 to 67, Paul’s last letter, written in chains in Rome. Most critical scholars think a follower wrote it.
Hebrews, most likely about AD 60 to 69, while temple sacrifices were still going on. Some date it about AD 80 to 90. It sends greetings from those from Italy, Hebrews 13:24.

What This Story Means for You Today

Nero wanted the Christians to disappear. Instead, his name is now mostly remembered as a villain, and the faith of the people he burned covers the globe. Tertullian later wrote that the blood of Christians is seed, meaning that the more they were killed, the more the church grew.

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial that has come upon you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed at the revelation of His glory. 1 Peter 4:12 to 13

Peter once denied Jesus to a servant girl. Paul once hunted Christians. Both ended their lives giving everything for the One who forgave them. That is what grace can do with a person.

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Questions People Ask

Did Nero blame the Christians for the fire of Rome?

Yes. The Roman historian Tacitus, in Annals 15.44 written about AD 116, says Nero blamed the Christians to stop rumors that he had started the fire. Many were arrested and killed in cruel ways, including being burned as torches in his gardens.

Was Peter crucified upside down?

That is the early church tradition. The Acts of Peter, from the late second century, tells it, and the historian Eusebius about AD 325 passes it on from Origen. Later tradition says Peter felt unworthy to die the same way as Jesus. The Bible itself does not describe how he died, though John 21:18 to 19 hints at crucifixion.

How did the apostle Paul die?

Early tradition says Paul was beheaded in Rome under Nero. Tertullian, about AD 200, says Paul died a death like John the Baptist's. As a Roman citizen he could not legally be crucified. His last letter, 2 Timothy, shows he expected to die soon.

Did Nero fiddle while Rome burned?

No. The violin did not exist yet. Ancient writers told a story that Nero sang about the fall of Troy while the city burned, but Tacitus says he was at Antium when the fire started. Whether he had any part in the fire is still debated.

When did Peter and Paul die?

We don't know the exact years. Both died in Rome under Nero, who died in June AD 68. Some date their deaths to AD 64 or 65, right after the fire, and others to about AD 67. Many churches honor them together on June 29.

Sources

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