 Christian writer Tertullian ( c . 155 – 230 ) was the first to call Nero the first persecutor of Christians . He wrote , " Examine your records . There you will find that Nero was the first that persecuted this doctrine " . Lactantius ( c . 240 – 320 ) also said that Nero " first persecuted the servants of God " . as does Sulpicius Severus . However , Suetonius writes that , " since the Jews constantly made disturbances at the instigation of <unk> , he [ emperor Claudius ] expelled them from Rome " ( " <unk> <unk> <unk> <unk> <unk> Roma <unk> " ) . These expelled " Jews " may have been early Christians , although Suetonius is not explicit . Nor is the Bible explicit , calling Aquila of Pontus and his wife , Priscilla , both expelled from Italy at the time , " Jews " . 
