Haha, should have written it less sensationally. This is not false though. I think you might find "Martyrdom and Persecution in the Early Church" by WHC Frend interesting.
"Persecution was seen by early Christians, as by later historians, as one of the crucial influences on the growth and development of the early Church and Christian beliefs."
"Persecution was seen by early Christians, as by later historians, as one of the crucial influences on the growth and development of the early Church and Christian beliefs."