a revolution. and before the most. from your own or his advisors couldn't possibly have asked for a better scapegoat. with some three thousand members of the roman christian community was a minority that was viewed with suspicion reviled feared and hated by the population at large. and after the catastrophe of the fire nero new rome was clamoring for justice. like all emperors nero feared the fury of the masses so he went on the offensive. there were no public prosecutors under the roman legal system charges were filed on the basis of accusations brought by individuals it's not known how many christians were interrogated or arrested but it's clear only a small percentage of rome's christian community was targeted. justified or not