The actions of the secular Roman empire are NOT relevant to the apostacy of the "Holy Roman empire". Nor, do those killings relate to ANY "falling away" within the Church, which Jesus, Paul, John and others foretold, as I have shown.OK. There were uncounted martyrs before Constantine.
In Scripture, NATIONS are portrayed as beasts, while those why SHOULD be following God are portrayed as fornicating women.
I am certain that SOME of them were faithful. The crucial determining factor is; Did they teach the same "Jesus' the apostles PREACHED? Did they teach the same "Gospel" that Jesus and the apostles preached; sleep in death, resurrected to inherit the earth?Idolater said:Since you believe that victims of the Church are the true Christians, what is your belief concerning all those martyrs who were victims of pagans, during the first three centuries of the Church, when the Church, to our knowledge, didn't kill anybody?