Christianity in the Roman Empire
Christianity originally appeared in the Roman Empire about the middle of the first century CE. It was based on the teachings of Jesus Christ concerning salvation, and it was successful. The spread of Christianity throughout the Roman Empire was gradual. Several causes contributed to its expansion, while others worked against it.
Factors that contributed to the expansion of Christianity
1. Emperors who are supportive of their subjects
Judaism was the legal religion in the Roman Empire prior to the arrival of Christianity. It was during the time of Emperor Constantine that the Edict of Milan was promulgated, which granted legal recognition to Christianity, as well as other religions, worldwide.
Later, he called the Council of Nicaea, which resulted in the formulation of the Nicene Creed. These were the religious beliefs of the Christian faith. Emperor Theodosius established Nicene Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire in 380 CE. Other Christian sects were denied the right to practice their religion. The Edict of Milan was issued ten years after the Emperor Constantine issued it. Christianity was established as the official national religion.
Apostolic and missionary figures 2.
Apostles such as Paul had an important role in the spread of Christianity. Instead than exclusively preaching to Jews, as did Jesus at the time, Paul preached to both Jews and Gentiles. He delivered sermons at synagogues and small towns. He also sent letters, some of which were ultimately included in the New Testament as the letters of Paul. The development of modern communication in the Roman Empire also contributed to the spread of Christianity. As Christianity continued to grow, it began to accommodate other customs, which led the Jews to loosen their strict regulations as a result. Some rituals, such as circumcision, were allowed to continue despite government restrictions.
Factors that slowed the spread of Christianity were numerous.
1. Leaders who are unsupportive
While some emperors, such as Emperor Constantine, were supportive of the spread of Christianity, others, such as Emperor Nero, were not. When a fire engulfed a portion of the Roman Empire, Emperor Nero attributed the fire to Christianity. As a result, Christians were targeted for persecution. Rome was experiencing a high degree of corruption, moral degradation, and high rates of inflation during this time period. All of this was attributed to Christians by pagans.
2. Christians are being persecuted
Christians were accused of cannibalism and incest by the Roman Catholic Church. This is due to the fact that they carried out various ceremonies in secret, such as partaking in the final meal. They were persecuted and punished as a result of their beliefs. A number of people were killed by wild animals, while others were burnt alive. This posed a threat to the spread of Christianity. People like Polycarp were slain because they refused to recognize Caesar to be the lord of the land.
How Christianity both united and divided the Roman Empire is discussed in this video.
During the Roman Empire’s period of unification, Christianity played an important role. It not only drew the Jews together, but it also brought the gentiles together. When Christianity was established the official state religion, the majority of the population converted.
Although Christianity contributed to the unification of the Roman Empire, it also played a role in its division. Some of the leaders, such as Emperor Nero, were not in favor of the measure. They made significant contributions to the persecution of Christians.
