Old
Nero
Nero Claudius Caesar, who ruled
Rome from AD 54 to 68, was one of its most infamous Emperors. To most people
this is nothing new. Yet what is the Naked Truth behind his evil ambitions.
Why did he set Rome ablaze? The answer is simple: he wanted to make room
for a newer, bigger and more lavish palace. As bizarre as it might sound
the eternal city was burned down to its foundations, not by Hannibal, not
by the Goths, not by the Huns, or the Vikings either, but by a man who wanted
a bigger toilet. Apparently, as the flames were engulfing the rich and poor
alike, and the horrifying shouts and screams of the victims could be heard
around the city, Nero could be heard calmly reciting poetry.
Worse still, to avert the suspicions against him, Nero blamed the
Christians for the fire, thus initiating the first major Roman persecution
of that sect. But that was not enough for the cruel tyrant. Yes, the worse
was yet to come. Nero was out to punish Roman society itself. How did he
do it? Well, he did it by displaying in public his talents as a chariot driver,
singer, and musician. How ghastly and horrifying! What a monster! To be sure,
many a cultured citizen would rather have had his home burned to the ground,
or to be thrown to the lions, than to sit through another painful performance
of the Emperor; for nothing, nothing at all, could have been a more terrible
punishment.
Therefore, when Nero finally committed suicide in 68, Christians and
Romans alike not only felt a great sense of joy, but likewise a sense of
solidarity.
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