Yes Christians were indeed thrown to the lions during the Roman Empire.
The official name for the evil, Anti-Christian ungodly practice was Damnatio ad Bestias - Latin for "Condemned to the Beasts."
But why and for what?
As a form of both blood sport entertainment and capital punishment for the faithful's outlandish boldness. Christians were outlandish criminals to the pagan Romans that is.
Christians boldly stood firm in our faith and practices despite ungodly laws designed to eradicate all believers in Jesus Christ throughout the Roman Empire's vast occupied territories, nations, cities and villages including Jerusalem during Christ's ministry.
For example, under Roman rules Christian gatherings were considered unlawful assemblies. They were dissenters who worshiped an unauthorized God because they refused to honor images of the emperor using libations and incense.
Roman emperors were unquestionably worshiped as living gods, similar to how Adolf Hitler was deified under Nazi rule and all dissenters were murdered by various methods.
So there is no surprise Christians were corporately punished under such wicked pagan living conditions. It is also no surprise that the Early Church refused to denounce Jesus under any circumstances - thrown to the lions or not.
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