For People Who Think There Was No Historical Jesus

[Confused Ape]

The xtian cult of death in full bloom? I can see that.

Loonies could have accounted for the real deaths during this period. Never underestimate the stupidity of humans. If 39 members of the Heaven's Gate cult could commit mass suicide[2] in order to reach what they believed was an alien space craft following the Comet Hale–Bopp, which was at its brightest[3] in 1997, I wouldn't put it past loonies to provoke Roman officials into executing them in the early centuries of Christianity.

There were amphitheatres across the Roman empire.

Ancient Roman amphitheatres were major public venues, circular or oval in shape, and used for events such as gladiator combats, chariot races, venationes (animal slayings) and executions. About 230 Roman amphitheatres have been found across the area of the Roman Empire.

Maybe some officials obliged the loonies if they were running a bit short of criminals to execute. If they had enough they could have told the loonies to come back another time.

PS:The Order Of The Solar Temple was another 1990's cult which resulted in the deaths of 74 members.

Integral to the teachings of the Solar Temple was the belief that the Earth would face a worldwide catastrophe in the mid-1990s. In anticipation of this apocalyptic event, members believed it was necessary to enter a higher spiritual plane. Thus, on Oct. 4–5, 1994, 53 members of the Solar Temple in Canada and Switzerland were murdered or committed suicide, and the buildings in which they died were set on fire. A year later another 16 members killed themselves, and 5 more died similarly in March 1997.