EUSEBIUS (re: Lyons and Vienne)

Eusebius of Caesarea (c. 260-341 AD): Ecclesiastical History 5.1.14: "Letter of Lyons and Vienne" [date of event: 177 AD]
Chronicle of the World, Ecam Publications, 1989, 165-180, p. 235:

(The Loeb Classical Library): Eusebius: Ecclesiastical History, translated by Lake, 1926, vol. 1: books I-V, pp. 412-413, The number and behaviour of those who in the time of Verus underwent in Gaul the struggle for religionV. I. 11-16 | 14:

Oedipodean mean incestuous.

http://www.umich.edu/~classics/programs/class/cc/372/sibyl/db/Per-Christ.html, The Persecution of the Christians, PERSECUTION AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT:

Thus in 177 there was a serious outburst at Lyons which resulted in the death of a number of Christians. The incident began when a mob seized a group of Christians and dragged them to the town forum where the civic authoritiesasked them about their beliefs. When they confessed their faith, they were imprisoned to await the governor (who would be coming to the city in the course of his annual tour of the province). Thereafter, the governor sentenced unrepentant Christians before large and enthusiastic crowds (Eus. HE 5.1.7-10). The members of these crowds seem genuinely to have believed that the Christians were dangerous "atheists," and also to have believed the charges that were extracted from the slaves of some of the members of the congregation: that the Christians regularly committed incest and that their rites involved cannibalism (a misunderstanding of the Eucharist).
http://www.ecanaan.org/english/sundayschool/sshandouts/Persecutions.htm, Persecutions, II. By the Romans | A. In General:

The pagan Romans, for the most part, viewed Christians with suspicion but not active hatred. Christians were considered atheists because they refused to worship Roman gods. Since a symbol of loyalty to the Empire was to show veneration to the Roman gods (particularly the genius household gods of the emperor), and Christians refused to do so, they were considered disloyal. Further, there were false rumors about Christians spreading from time to time; for example, agape (the love feast) was misconstrued to be a feast of orgies, and communion was misconstrued to be a feast of cannibalism. Thus, being Christian was against Roman law. Judaism was tolerated under Roman law due to its long standing history, but Christianity, being a new religion and one that distinguished itself from Judaism, enjoyed no such protection.
D. During the Reign of Marcus Aurelius (165-177, on and off):

Also, enemies of Christians would torture the Christians slaves, who would then tell untruths about their masters (incest, cannibalism, orgies, &c.).
http://books.google.com/books?id=4zO4JXy32SQC&printsec=frontcover&dq=%22complete+book+of+chr istian+heroes&sig=KUdxy2ocDR7kzf8kQWLcC8Hby_4#PPA51,M1, The Complete Book of Christian Heroes: Over 200 Stories of Courageous People Who Suffered for Jesus Google Books Result, by Dave Jackson, Neta Jackson, 2005, p. 51, Blandina, France 177, honored June 2:

http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bio/174.html, The Martyrs of Lyons:

Blandina, tortured all day long, would say nothing except, "I am a Christian, and nothing vile is done among us." I agree, open / free sex is not vile. Marriage and dishonest prostitution is whats vile.
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/177-lyonsmartyrs.html, Medieval Sourcebook: The Persecution & Martyrdoms of Lyons In 177 A.D.: The Letter of the Churchs of Vienna and Lyons to the Churches of Asia and Phrygia including the story of the Blessed Blandina, False Accusations:

Then all of us were greatly alarmed because of our uncertainty of their confession. We did not fear because of the tortures inflicted, but because we looked to the end and dreaded lest any one should fall away. Those who were worthy, however, were daily arrested, filling up the number of the others. Out of the two churches [Lyons and Vienne] all the zealous people and those to whom the churches owed most their establishment, were collected together in prison. Some heathen household slaves belonging to our people were also seized, since the governor had commanded that all of us should be examined publicly. These, trapped by Satan and fearing the tortures which they saw the saints enduring, urged on also by the soldiers, falsely accused us of cannibalism and incest and other crimes which it is unlawful for us either to mention or think of. Indeed, we shrink from believing that any such crimes have ever taken place among men. When these accusations were reported, all the people raged against us like wild beasts. If any previously had been moderate in their conduct to us on account of friendship, they were now exceedingly furious and exasperated against

us. So was fulfilled that which was spoken by our Lord: "The time shall come when every one who slayeth you shall think that he offereth service to God."
http://www.religion-online.org/showchapter.asp?title=1570&C=1457, Martyrs in the History of Christianity by Franklyn J. Balasundaram (ed.): Chapter 3: The Martyrdom of Prominent Martyrs of Lyons and Vienne, by M. Reginold,The two churches:

Reasons for persecution: We do not know exactly how the trouble started but one reason that may have been a significant one is that the emperor Marcus Aurelius wanted to relieve the rich landlords of the high expenses involved in procuring professional gladiators who used to fight and kill for their amusement. The emperor allowed the rich landlords to acquire victims in the form of condemned criminals at 1/10 of the price they actually had to pay for the gladiators. So the rich landlords quickly grabbed this opportunity and pounced on the Christians because, Christians were at that time already charged with murder, incest and cannibalism.
http://web.archive.org/web/20101227055122/http://goldenrule.name/Orgy_Eusebius-Lyons.htm