Domitian's Persecution of Christians

Domitian, the last Flavian emperor, increasingly demands divine honors and persecutes those who won't offer them. The historian Cassius Dio records that he executes his own cousin Flavius Clemens on charges of 'atheism' — a term Romans used for refusing to worship the gods, including the emperor. Many scholars believe the book of Revelation was written during this period, with its imagery of imperial worship and the 'beast' reflecting Domitian's demands. His reign ends with assassination in 96 CE, and the Senate damns his memory.