The persecution of Christians under Emperor Nero, following the Great Fire of Rome in AD 64, marks the first significant imperial oppression of the nascent Christian movement. Classical sources—including Tacitus, Suetonius, and Dio Cassius—suggest that Nero used the Christians as scapegoats to divert public blame from himself. A growing scholarly interest has emerged around the possibility that Poppaea Sabina, Nero’s second wife, may have played a role in influencing this decision. A known sympathizer of Judaism, Poppaea's connection with the Jewish historian Josephus further complicates the narrative, raising questions about whether intra-Jewish tensions contributed to the imperial policy toward Christians. This essay examines the relevant ancient sources, analyzes Poppaea’s relationship with Nero, her Jewish sympathies, and Josephus’s potential influence, with a view toward better understanding the intersection of imperial politics, religious tensions, and the origins of Christian persecution in Rome.
I. The Context of the Neronian Persecution
According to Annals 15.44, Tacitus provides the most detailed ancient account of Nero’s persecution of Christians:
"Nero fastened the guilt [for the fire] and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace."
Tacitus describes the brutality of the persecution—Christians were crucified, torn by dogs, or burned as torches for night-time illumination in Nero’s gardens. Importantly, Tacitus suggests that the persecution was a public relations effort: Nero needed a scapegoat after rumors spread that he had ordered the fire to clear land for his Domus Aurea. This supports the consensus that the persecution had a political rather than purely religious impetus.
II. Poppaea Sabina: Biography and Religious Affinities
Poppaea Sabina, the daughter of Titus Ollius and Poppaea Sabina the Elder, was known for her beauty, ambition, and influence over Nero. She became empress in AD 62 and retained considerable influence over imperial affairs until her death in AD 65. Suetonius (Nero 35) remarks on her persuasive power, while Tacitus (Annals 13.45) underscores her manipulative character.
Poppaea's religious sympathies are of particular interest. Josephus (Antiquities 20.195) describes her as “a worshipper of God,” a common euphemism for a “God-fearer”—a Gentile sympathetic to Jewish monotheism and customs. Josephus credits her with interceding on behalf of the Jewish community, even persuading Nero to recall the Jewish priest Ismael ben Phabi and a Temple official from exile.
Poppaea’s religious leanings suggest a potential bias against the early Christians, who were increasingly distinguished from Jews in Roman eyes, especially due to their rejection of the Temple and Mosaic Law, and their messianic claims, which might have been perceived as seditious.
III. Josephus and Poppaea: The Jewish Lobby at Nero’s Court
Josephus’s own account of his time in Rome (Vita 16–17; Antiquities 20.195) mentions that he secured the release of Jewish priests imprisoned in Rome through Poppaea’s intercession. This indicates both the presence of an influential Jewish network at court and Poppaea’s active role in it. Although Josephus does not mention Christianity directly in this context, his opposition to various Jewish sects, including groups with apocalyptic or messianic leanings, may hint at a broader hostility to Christian claims.
Given Josephus’s priestly background and his evident commitment to preserving the authority of the Jerusalem establishment, it is plausible that he viewed the Christians—who proclaimed a crucified messiah and rejected the Temple cult—as a dangerous deviation. While speculative, it is not inconceivable that Josephus, or others in his circle, may have encouraged Poppaea to protect Jewish interests by differentiating between normative Judaism and the Christian movement, which could be portrayed as subversive.
IV. Poppaea’s Possible Influence on Nero’s Persecution of Christians
Although no ancient source explicitly states that Poppaea instigated the persecution of Christians, circumstantial evidence allows for scholarly conjecture. First, her influence over Nero is well documented. Tacitus (Annals 14.1) describes her as manipulative and politically astute. Second, her identification with Judaism could have led her to regard Christians as heretical competitors. Third, Christians were already viewed with suspicion due to their rejection of Roman religious customs and their secretive worship practices.
It is plausible that Poppaea, seeking to protect Jewish status in Rome and secure favor with more traditionalist Jewish factions, may have encouraged a policy of distinction between Jews and Christians. If Christians were portrayed as a separate and dangerous sect, responsible for social unrest or divine displeasure (as symbolized by the fire), their persecution would both relieve pressure from the Jewish community and allow Nero to present himself as a defender of Roman order.
Several modern scholars—such as Martin Goodman (Rome and Jerusalem, 2007) and Fergus Millar (The Emperor in the Roman World, 1977)—have noted that imperial policy toward Jews was often shaped by courtly influence, rather than systematic ideology. Poppaea’s role as a patron of Jewish causes makes it likely that she exercised such influence.
V. Christian-Jewish Rivalry in First-Century Rome
By the 60s AD, the Christian movement had begun to draw sharp distinctions between itself and the Jewish mainstream. Paul’s Letter to the Romans (written c. AD 57) reflects tension with both Roman authorities and segments of the Jewish community. Suetonius (Claudius 25.4) mentions that “the Jews were expelled from Rome for constant disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus,” a likely reference to early conflicts between Jews and Jewish-Christians over the messianic claims of Jesus.
Thus, it is conceivable that the Roman authorities—and especially court figures like Poppaea—were aware of intra-Jewish divisions and might have been persuaded to support one group over another. In this climate, portraying Christians as a novel and dangerous sect could have been a strategic maneuver with both political and religious motivations.
Conclusion
While no ancient source explicitly names Poppaea Sabina as the instigator of Nero’s persecution of Christians, a careful synthesis of Tacitus, Suetonius, Josephus, and Dio Cassius reveals a circumstantial but compelling possibility. Poppaea’s influence over Nero, her Jewish sympathies, and her relationship with Josephus suggest that she may have favored policies that protected Jewish interests while distancing Judaism from the increasingly controversial Christian sect. Josephus’s own disdain for apocalyptic movements, coupled with his access to the imperial court through Poppaea, opens the door to a broader understanding of how internal Jewish politics may have intersected with imperial policy. In this light, the Neronian persecution of Christians can be seen not only as a political expedient for Nero but also as a reflection of the complex and often fraught dynamics between Jews, Christians, and the Roman state in the first century.
Select Bibliography
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Tacitus, Annals 13–16
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Suetonius, Nero, Claudius
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Josephus, Antiquities 20, Vita
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Cassius Dio, Roman History 62
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Goodman, Martin. Rome and Jerusalem: The Clash of Ancient Civilizations. Penguin, 2007.
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Millar, Fergus. The Emperor in the Roman World (31 BC–AD 337). Cornell University Press, 1977.
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Schäfer, Peter. The History of the Jews in the Greco-Roman World. Routledge, 2003.
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Hengel, Martin. The Zealots: Investigations into the Jewish Freedom Movement in the Period from Herod I until 70 A.D. T&T Clark, 1989.
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