This work investigates the nature, causes, and progression of state-sponsored persecution against early Christian communities within the Roman Empire. Herbert B. Workman, a noted historian of the early church, utilizes primary source accounts and historical records to analyze the legal and social tensions between imperial authority and the burgeoning Christian faith. The text argues that these conflicts were not merely isolated incidents but were deeply rooted in the structural requirements of Roman civic religion and the refusal of Christians to conform to imperial cult practices.

Historians and scholars of early Christianity recognize this text as a classic, foundational study of the period. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which remains a standard reference for understanding the socio-political climate of the early church.