Historical Background

Pliny’s letter to Emperor Trajan also refers to people who claim that they were once Christians, but denied their faith in Christ as much as twenty years ago. As was the case in Pliny’s own time, at least some of…

Pliny’s correspondence with Trajan, the Roman Emperor, might shed some light on the persecution of Christians in John’s seven churches, including Pergamum and Smyrna. Around A.D. 112, Pliny is the governor of Bithynia in northern Asia Minor; he writes a…