Evidence for early Christian persecution: (1) Multiple attestation across the entire NT — Gospels, Acts, Hebrews, James, 1 John, Peter, Revelation all attest to Christians paying a price for faith. (2) Earliest church fathers (Clement, Ignatius, Polycarp) confirm the theme. (3) Non-Christian sources (Tacitus, Suetonius) confirm persecution under Nero.

New Testament historians use "multiple attestation" as a criterion — the more independent sources attest to something, the stronger the case. Christian persecution appears across virtually every NT book. Extra-biblical Christian sources (Clement of Rome, Ignatius, Polycarp) confirm it. Non-Christian sources (Tacitus, Suetonius) confirm persecution under Nero specifically for proclaiming Christ.