Into this colony of Jews came the news of the story of Jesus Christ--Was S. Peter among the first preachers of Christianity in Rome?--Quotations from early Christian writers on this subject--Traditional memories of S. Peter in Rome 7 II EARLY REFERENCES Quotations from patristic writers of the first three centuries, bearing on the foundation of the Church in Rome, including the oldest Catalogues of the Bishops of Rome--Deduction from these quotations 13 PART II I (_b_) FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH IN ROME--INFLUENCE OF S. PAUL S. Paul in Rome--His share in laying the foundation stories in the Capital--Paul’s Christology more detailed than that contained in S. Mark’s Gospel, which represents S. Peter’s teaching 21 II POSITION OF CHRISTIANS AFTER A.D. 64 The great fire of Rome in the days of Nero brought the unnoticed sect of Christians into prominence--The games of Nero--Never again after A.D. 64 did Christians enjoy “stillness”--The policy of the State towards them from this time was practically unaltered 25 III THE VEILED SHADOW OF PERSECUTION--POLICY OF THE FLAVIAN EMPERORS Silence respecting details of persecutions in pagan and in Christian writings--Reason for this--These writings contain little history; but the Christian writings are coloured with the daily expectation of death and suffering--In spite of persecution the numbers of Christians increased rapidly--What was the strange attraction of Christianity?--Persecution of the sect under the Flavian Emperors Vespasian, Titus, Domitian 35 PART III INTRODUCTORY The correspondence between Trajan and Pliny, and the Imperial Rescript--Genuineness of this piece in Pliny’s Letters 45 I THE LETTERS OF PLINY