Since the volcano erupted in AD 79, how likely is it that the victims were Christians? Paul had finished his missionary journeys by then.
Archaeologists have found graffiti and other references to Christians in Pompeii.
This article has some interesting info:
https://www.fairborndailyherald.com/2023/03/30/christianity-in-ancient-pompeii/
Not too, although in one of the homes in Pompeii or another buried town had a small, somewhat hidden room, that had a pattern of holes on one wall that *could* have been to hold up a cross. There’s no indication that it was a cross, and whatever it was had been removed, probably well before the eruption, no way to date it.
“how likely is it that the victims were Christians? Paul had finished his missionary journeys by then.”
Very likely. Because Paul HAD finished his missionary journeys, right?