Alfred J. Church was a 19th century historian best known for his comprehensive histories on different periods of the Roman Empire, including this one. Vivid story of Rome in the days of Nero, beginning with the burning of the city, seemingly ordered by Nero himself. The narrative revolves around a set of characters who suffer acutely in the cruel persecutions of the Christians, set in motion by Nero after the fire to deflect blame for the conflagration from himself and fasten it on the Christians. Set in pagan Rome, this story outlines the authors conception of what happened immediately before, during, and after the burning of Rome occurred. This authors belief is that it happened exclusively due to Neros perpetuation. While possible, this is not something that is historically established.