Nero tortured while Rome burned
July 18, 2008 by William K. Wolfrum
The most heinous act of terrorism was committed 1,944 years, today. It was July 18, 64. Little Romans were comfortably sleeping as their parents chatted amiably about current events. But everything was about to change.
Nero told all around him that history would judge him fondly.
Rome was on fire. A fire started by Christian terrorists. Thousands would perish and hundreds of homes would be lost. The fire blazed for nearly a week.
And no, Nero did not fiddle while Rome burned. Such an instrument wasn’t even available and Nero wasn’t in Rome. But he rushed to the damaged areas, consoling those heroic Romans who had been wounded and vowing revenge on the Christianists who had tried to destroy the city and Roman will.
Nero wasted little time, torturing confessions out of them, crucifying them, feeding them to dogs and using them as candles. The Christians were savages who hated freedom and demanded that all worship their God. They only understood force, and that’s what Nero showed them. The Christianists had been destroyed.
And all was well again in Rome and patriotic Romans danced and sang for the next couple of hundred years, until the Christians eventually took over and the whole Roman Empire collapsed.
June 18, 64. Never Forget.
-WKW
Whilst Nero may have crossed the line, he was in a rather difficult position. In 64 AD, there were no Muslims. Muslims did not show up until the 7th century. So what do you do? Personally, I would have emptied the prisons and had a months worth of gladiatorial games. Nero went a slightly different route. Chalk it up to ‘management style’ and cut the guy some slack, I says.