hated (see Acts 28:22): At the end of the first century, the Roman historian Tacitus described Christians as “the hated ones of mankind” (Tacitus, Annals 15.44). The suffering of righteous people sometimes has the purpose of encouraging repentance and obedience (see Exodus 4:31; Deuteronomy 4:30; Judges 10:6–16; Psalms 34:19; 37:39; 50:15).