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The rise of christianity report
The rise of christianity report
Christianity and the Roman Empire
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Christianity has changed greatly over the centuries. The basic beliefs of Christianity is the foundation for many other religions such as Islam.
Being in the first century Christianity was a smaller religion. Only one to three percent of the population practiced Christianity. The Romans brutally persecuted Christians. Romans persecuted Christian’s for a number of reasons, one possibly the belief in monotheism. During early Christianity there were several hurtles to get over before the religion really began to grow.
With the practice of Christianity done mostly in hiding there was very little growth until it was finally accepted by the Roman Empire many years later. An example of this is the rifts that developed due to there was no universally
The rise of Christianity in Rome did not come easily. It came with much destruction and death. The spark of Christianity in Rome came from an appearance of Martyrs in Rome. Martyrs were people that were executed for going against the common beliefs of pagan (polytheistic) ways. (Tignor, 2011, p. 286) Because of these awful executions, Christianity is said to be based off of “the blood of martyrs.” One of their main ways of spreading Christianity was through the sharing of their writings and by 300 CE there was an exceptional amount of book production throughout Rome. (Tignor, 2011, p. 289) “Christianity operated as one among many minority religions in the Roman Empire, and on several occasions experienced widespread persecution, especially under the emperors Nero (r. 54–68), Decius (r. 249–251), and Diocletian (r. 284–305). However, the situation changed radically under the emperor Constantine (r. 306–337), who in 313 issued the Edict of Milan that made Christianity a legitimate religion in the empire.” (Melton, 2010, p. 634)
Christianity, on the other hand, never changed or adapted. The ideas and beliefs have stayed the same since the beginning. The reasons it succeeded in spreading was because it was attractive to everybody. Anyone could be a part of it, not just monks or very strict people. It united all types of people for one cause, to serve God and achieve eternal life. Both these religions spread and attracted many people, and continue to do so even to this day.
Early in second and third century Christian history, violence against Christians by the Roman Empire, struggles against pagan ideology, practices that were corrupting the Church, and certain lax spiritual discipline had crept into many areas of the Christian faith. As some leaders attempted to control the faith by growing their personal power and influence on the political front, others sought escape from the spiritual darkness they perceived among the world to retain their own spiritual purity.
Christianity took hold on the ancient world because it was spread exceptionally fast. Missionary journeys were made every set of to three years and teach people Christianity (Document F). Roman judges held trials for reported Christians, and executed them because they admitted that they were Christian. The trials were held to execute Christians so the Roman religion would continue to flourish and so Christian citizens won’t be more powerful than the government (Documents F and G). This shows that Christianity was gaining a lot of members, really fast, in comparison to the government.
Christianity today, practiced by over 2 billion followers, is undoubtedly the world's largest religion. But of course, it hasn't always been this way. It began in the city of Rome, around the time of the Emperor Claudius who reigned from 41 to 54 CE. It is believed to have originated in the Roman province of Judea . Geography usually plays a big role in determining the success of developing cultures. According to Michael Gough, who wrote The Early Christians, this was the case for Christianity because the "geography [...] determined the direction and rate of spread of the new religion." However, with a good geography comes great diversity as well. For instance, at the time, the three most influential religions of the orient were the pagan ones known as Cybele, Isis, and Mithraism. L.P. Wilkinson, in his book The Roman Experience, discusses how Mithraism had parallels to Christianity in the sense that they acknowledged an immaculate conception of a savior, took part in baptismal ceremony and a sacramental meal, and they believed they would be resurrected after death . These religions possibly came to Rome through Roman soldiers who fought in the east, or the orient. So, obviously, reports Gough, it is easy to understand why Rome would be the perfect medium through which Christianity would spread through Western Europe . Gough explains how Rome was occupied by many inhabitants who were curious and open to new ideas . As it progressed, Christianity became a religion with scriptures and a devised creed. And, unlike some pagan religions, Christian followers actively participated in a universal plan from their creator. Christians were monotheistic, believing in a God whose love was unconditional. As their scriptures point...
Christianity is defined as, “A major religion, stemming from the life, teachings, and death of Jesus of Nazareth (the Christ, or the Anointed One of God) in the 1st century AD.” (Shelton) It has become the largest of the world’s religions. Yet in Ancient Rome in the first century A.D. they were not welcome. Christians were burned and tortured, and persecuted for just over three hundred years because of their beliefs. Why? We may never fully know, but I believe it was mostly out of fear. Fear of the new, and fear of change.
Factors Which Led to the Spread of Christianity in the Roman Empire Christianity was not born in a vacumn. There were many social, geographical, historical and religious issues prevailing at the time of Christ and all of which were favorable to the spread of Christianity. Geograpicly, Christianity came into being in the Meditation world, the largest of the various centers of civilization at that time. Israel stands almost central to the five continents, dividing the east and west.
Christianity is mainly founded on the life, death, teachings, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christianity was developed from Judaism during the 1st century, it has several different branches and forms which accompany different beliefs and practices. Christianity
The Christian Church was persecuted for hundreds of years in the days of the Roman Empire. Christianity is a fairly widespread religion in the world today, so you might wonder what happened to make so many people hate it back then. When Christianity first began, it started off small, and no one thought anything much of it. But it’s message quickly grew on people and gained a lot of followers and admiration. The Romans, thinking it was just a passing phase, didn’t really react and just let it be. However, when the influx of Christian converts kept on going even after the death of Jesus, that’s when Christianity got the attention of the Emperors. And it wasn’t a good type of attention. That’s when the cruelty and the insults began. It didn’t start out too bad, but over time it turned into false accusations which led to the gruesome deaths of many people. Government sanctioned persecutions that were widespread did not start until later on, but even the everyday hatred of the Roman people could have brought anyone down. After those first large persecutions began, there was no going back, and it was only just the beginning of it all. Most people you ask can generally agree that the Christians were treated unjustly. Unlike the all of the other religions that Rome was fairly tolerant of, the Christians were singled out and blamed for terrible acts that they didn’t even commit. All because of misunderstandings and some trickery, the Romans blinded by anger, gladly took punitive action upon the Christians. If it weren’t for the great perseverance of the Christians, Christianity might not be here today.
Christianity began as a sectarian group of Judaism. The difference between Christianity and Judaism at the time was how they interpreted the Bible. The Christians had interpreted it in such a way that they believed Jesus to be the messiah (Weaver 39). As Christianity began, it was highly ridiculed and looked down upon. However, there were many significant events that changed this small-beleaguered religious group into the dominant power in Western Europe in the high Middle Ages.
.... The Roman Empire affected the spread of Christianity by having safe traveling roads, traders, and the conversion of Constantine. Lastly, Christianity was spread through early missionaries by the building of many new churches, writing letters about the beliefs of Christianity, and the spread of faith by converting others. Although conversion by force, the Roman Empire, and early missionaries weren’t the only reasons Christianity has become as large as it is, they all 3 had a huge impact on the spread of Christianity. Christianity continues to spread today, because of the technology and resources available now. If the technology available today had been available when Christianity first started, the spread of this religion would have been even more rapid. To conclude, the world’s most popular religion, Christianity, became as popular as it is today, for many reasons.
To conclude, power was too fragmented in the Roman empire and the different emperors each had their own unique ways of dealing with Christians. Also, they had many problems to deal with including dynastic threats and foreign incursions. As a result, the Roman Empire simply did not have the resources to successfully stop the proliferation of Christianity. Instead, the persecutions inspired Christians to defend their faith and became a testament to the strength of the Christian faith. As a result, the persecutions helped spread and form a foundation for Christianity to grow.
Throughout the ages of Christianity, there have been many drawbacks to this cause. Many leaders among the Christian community were persecuted due to the disbelief of Christ being the Messiah among pagan worshipers, heathens, and even other credible religious leaders. This persecution more often led to death, or other horrifying results. But no matter what horrendous effects, there was always a brighter side causing the Christian faith to grow even stronger.
The idea of a Christian church or organization was formed so that those who followed the faith could have a foundation for worship. Such organizations basic structure derived after the resurrection of Jesus and through the efforts of spreading Christianity from word of mouth. Although such interactions helped jumpstart the development of Christianity, there were still very few followers within the Roman Empire due to the Christian prosecutions and the Roman idea that Christians lacked proper loyalty; the Romans didn’t feel as though the Christians were true patriots of Rome. Therefore, they wanted to rid Rome of them. Because of such ideals, little Christians that did reside within Rome “practiced their faith in private, gathering in homes, in remote spots outside the city, in caves, or in warehouses—Wherever they might escape notice” (Backman 221).
The result of persecution on the early church is that it expanded the reach and influence of Christianity beyond the borders of Jerusalem. Although, Christianity had experienced evangelism outside of Jerusalem through missionaries (Paul, Barnabbas, etc.), Christians carried off in service to Roman Empire, and the people who had come to worship God on the Day of Pentecost. It was through persecution that Christianity experienced its greatest growth. Persecution affected Christianity in two ways, first, persecution spread people to all areas of the Roman Empire, and second, persecution tested people’s faith to remain faithful in the midst of dire