there was a WT quote about the number of Christians killed by Nero. I think it was about 40k. These reason I bring this up is it kinda kills the 144k number. Does anyone remember the article that spoke of this?
Those killed by Nero
by wha happened? 8 Replies latest watchtower bible
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wha happened?
Found it Brief respite followed the death of Nero, but by the latter years of the first century the second great persecution, under Emperor Domitian, flared up. It is said that in the year 95 alone some 40,000 suffered martyrdom. Like Nero, Domitian is found of demented traits. Earlier he had slain his own brother and a number of Roman senators. One of his decrees commanded the death of all of the lineage of David. In this ruler’s persecution a number of prominent Christians suffered, including, according to Blanchard in his Book of Martyrs, the Timothy to whom Paul wrote two canonical letters. Also, it was in this period that John, last living of the twelve apostles, was exiled to the isle of Patmos, from where he recorded the inspired Bible book of Revelation about A.D. 96.
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Pubsinger
Where exactly was that WT quote from?
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Room 215
There's lot's more that can be said in the debunking of the 144,000 math than those who were martyred by Nero and Domitian: let's assume a very conservative growth rate of, say 2,000 conversions per year for primitive Christianity; Paul died in 64, 31 years after Pentecost; that's 62,000 right there; if we project that rate out to the death of John in 98, what doe we get? 65 years at 2,000 per year? 130,000? And most historians would agree that a 2,000-per-annum growth rate is far too conservative, ridiculous, even...
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wha happened?
and we haven't even counted all the holy people in the dorm's of New York in this century
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wha happened?
I quoted the 1951 9/1 WT
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Aculama
I've found that most of the hurtful and twisted cults base the foundation of their religion on obscure or isolated scriptures that have many possible interpritations. They then ignore the obvious stuff that runs thematically through the whole Bible.
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greendawn
Who knows, its not possible to say accurately neither how many christians were martyred in the persecutions nor how their numbers increased over time. There are no stats and other reliable info that would indirectly help us accurately answer those questions but no doubt more than 144 000 were martyred during 300 years which included ten intense persecutions by various Roman emperors.
Some historians believe that christians made up about 10% of the population in the Roman empire during the last great persecution by Diocletian and the more fanatical Galerius his eastern co-emperor. That equates to 6 million christians.
Also a lot of Christian Jews were killed by fellow Jews during the Bar Kochba (son of the star) rebellion of 132 - 135 AD, the second against the Romans to establish an independant Jewish state, because they refused to join it however by that time gentile Christians considered Jewish Christians to be heretical because they kept adhering totally to the Mosaic law. Likewise many, but not all, Christian Jews eg the Ebionites considered gentile Christians to be heretical for refusing to obey the mosaic law. To them christianity always was a reform movement within Judaism under the mosaic law.
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THE GLADIATOR
I was alive during Nero's time and can confirm these figures.
They do not include the Christians used as big cat-food. Have we found any other use for them yet?
If I had a heart I would be upset but fortunately reincarnated gladiators are allowed to choose which organs are vital and by-pass unnecessary organs such as the heart.