Sacrifices for the emperor’s health and longevity were traditionally offered on January 3, and it is likely Decius’s decree was issued in anticipation of this festival at the beginning of 250. The first person to be arrested was the bishop of Rome, Fabian, and he died a few weeks later in prison from harsh and brutal mistreatment. It was understandable that imperial authorities acted first in Rome. By the middle of the third century the Church in Rome was large and well known.
