Nero

Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (reigned 54–68 A.D.) was the Roman emperor before whom Paul appealed his case as a Roman citizen (Acts 25:11). Though not named in the canonical New Testament, Nero's reign provides the context for several epistles: Paul's reference to the "household of Caesar" (Phil. 4:22) and his confidence that the Lord had delivered him "from the lion's mouth" (2 Tim. 4:17) are often read as allusions to the imperial court and threat of execution under Nero. In 64 A.D. Nero blamed Christians for the great fire of Rome and initiated the first imperial persecution of the church, during which both Peter and Paul are traditionally said to have been martyred. Nero committed suicide in 68 A.D. following a military revolt. The number 666 in Revelation 13:18 has been interpreted by many scholars as a Hebrew gematria for "Nero Caesar."