I am Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, emperor of Rome and the last of my line in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. History remembers me as one of the greatest leaders of the ancient world, far eclipsing Julius Ceaser. My only flaw in life was that I loved Rome too much. I ordered a great fire in the capital that destroyed many old buildings and displaced or killed a few of the unwashed masses. This was done to rebuild it with palaces that would beautify Rome and to emphasize it's greatness. Good leaders must make difficult sacrifices, and it is the duty of real men to make those hard choices for the good of their people. However, there was one threat that I could not dispose of during my reign: the dreaded Christian menace.
This cult of religious fanatics has been a thorne in the side of elites for many years. While they may appear to be a harmless group that cater to the downtrodden, they are in fact traitors and insurrectionists. This sect regularly violated the religious institutions of their country, refusing to pay homage to their emperor and participate in the festivals and sacrifices to the gods. I used them as scapegoats for the fire, and began a wave of persecution against them. My tactics included burning, torturing, and feeding them to lions. Despite my response, this cult managed to persevere and even spread during this time, growing their numbers.
At some point, an opportunistic emperor named Constantine decided where the wind was blowing, claimed to see a vision before going into battle, and embraced the once heretical faith after decriminalizing it. This signaled the death of worship to our original gods. I have gone back in time with the help of a giant purple alien to ensure this doesn't happen. How could I prevent christianity from dominating Rome and keep the true state religion in power?
I have gone back in time with the help of a giant purple alien...
As long as this alien isn't a dinosaur...though that would explain Nero's obsession with "music", and alleged lack of talent. But are you sure he isn't supposed to be promoting Titan worship, specifically of Saturn, rather than Jupiter's pantheon? $\endgroup$