Nearly 300 years separated Ignatius of Antioch and Augustine of Hippo, during that time a lot changed for Christians in the Roman Empire. The church moved from being a criminal religious organization, to a legal religious organization, to the only legal public religion. Christians during this time were always engaging the culture around them—religion, politics, literature, education, etc. This paper will describe the Christian Roman religion before Constantine and after Constantine. First, I will explain the Roman culture before Constantine. Ignatius of Antioch played a big part in this period. St. Ignatius believed that the bishops played a very important role in the Christian communities. They were thought to be a leader or an “overseer” of the early church. Ignatius stated, “My prayer is that you should love him in the spirit of Jesus Christ and all be like him. Blessed is He who let you have such a bishop. You deserve it” (Early Christian Fathers, 88). Everything that was done in the Christian church must have been done with the bishop’s approval. Ignatius believes that Jesus is the Son of Christ that came to save everyone from his or her sins. Ignatius says, “He was really raised from the dead, for his Father raised him, just as his Father will raise us, who believe on him, through Christ Jesus, apart from whom we have no genuine life” (Early Christian Fathers, 100). He did not find it appropriate for Jewish-Christians that believed Jesus had come yet they still followed Jewish customs. Didache is the teaching of the twelve apostles. These people had rituals of baptism and Eucharist. Before one was baptized, they were given the “ways of life” and the “ways of death.” The ways of life, were the Ten Commandments while the ... ... middle of paper ... ...accepted Roman religion. Constantine was converted to Christianity by his mother, but did not call himself a Christian until he was in his forties. He did not get baptized until shortly before he died. If it was not for Constantine, it is hard telling where Christianity would be at today. He affected all of the people talked about in this paper, plus a lot of others. In conclusion, religion played a vital role from before Constantine and after Constantine. The church has changed, but people’s views on God stayed the same. Most of these people, at first did not believe in God but after some faith, they all converted to Christianity. The people included in this paper are extremely important people that lived their life differently than others because of what they believed. They are all great examples how Christianity has changed their lives since they converted.
Mullin, Robert. A Short World History of Christianity. Louisiville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2008. http://books.google.com/books?id=2nWP0_6gkiYC&pg=PA54&dq=constantine's conversion to christianity&hl=en&sa=X&ei=gNgCU8_BFqXC0gHZ6oD4DQ&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAg
Constantine’s departure from Rome took with him the political seat of power. With the removal of the political head a power vacuum was created. The body that remained in Rome was that of the Christian church, feeble though it may have been. Rome’s identity was so deeply rooted in the pagan tradition that despite his best efforts Constantine was unable to convert it entirely. The former capital was still home to a powerful group of aristocrats which held on firmly to the roots of paganism. Gradually, with the support of the imperial court and the city’s urban masses, the church was able to gain a foothold in the fifth century (Krautheimer 33).
Through the close study of two of the aspects shown in the diagram, their contributions allow Christianity to be considered a living religious tradition. The significant contributions of Pope John XXIII, during both his papal and Pre-papal life have had everlasting effects on not only Catholicism, but Christianity as a whole and lead to the sense of Christianity being a living religious tradition. His works include two Papal encyclicals, Mater et Magistra and Pacem in Terris, along with his work being Apostolic Delegate of Greece and Turkey. Moreover, The significant practice of Baptism has further contributed to Christian being considered a living religious tradition as it accounts for the premise of most Christian beliefs to be initiated, especially in terms of salvation and affirming the beliefs in the trinity and following the teachings of Jesus Christ.
This loss of power was a direct result of several factors: the patriarchal canons of early Eastern and Western Church councils, the conversion of the Emperor Constantine, and the decree of Emperor Theodosius that made Christianity the state religion of Rome (Lynch,10). These events led to positions in the Church such as presbyter, deacon, and bishop being held in high regard, and also hi...
Francis of Assisi is one of the most influential personalities in the entire world. In the book ‘Francis of Assisi: Performing the Gospel Life,’ Cunningham recounts the life of this humble monk who lived in the medieval times, and shaped the Christian life, which spread in Western culture throughout the rest of history. I believe Cunningham accurately accounts for the life of Francis of Assisi, and in doing so; he provides a trajectory of the Christian faith from its early and historical proponents through its fusion with western culture, and its subsequent spread throughout the world.
Gaius Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus, or Constantine, is commonly referred to as the fist Christian emperor of the Roman Empire and as the defender of Christianity. Such grand titles are not necessarily due for the reasons that people commonly think of them today.
We begin with Athanasius, the defender of the Christian faith. He was born in the year 296 A.D in a Christian family and was later noticed as one of the smartest kid in his village. He received his educated in Alexandria, which at that time the city was a symbolic beacon of wisdom and education across all the Roman Empire. He was soon picked up as a disciple of Bishop Alexander of Alexandra who later became the 19th Pope of Alexandria. As Athanasius became a disciple to Bishop Alexander, it significantly impacted his Christian theology. In the year 313 A.D. Emperor Constantine declared a freedom of religion across the Roman empire. This declaration enabled a priest named Arius from Libya to begin his false preaching about the Christian religion.
Christianity developed with Jesus of Nazareth (6 BCE- 29 CE). He was born during the reign of Augustus Caesar. He practiced Christianity from 26 CE to 29 CE. He was the Son of God and the Redeemer of all Mankind. The Romans viewed him as someone “rocking the boat” with what was already a nation of the religiously obsessed. Eventually h...
Eusebius’ account of Constantine’s conversion is comparable to Gregory of Tours’ accounts of Clovis’ and Gundobad’s conversions to Christianity, in the sense that they all initially called upon the “Christ-God” (albeit Gundobad perhaps indirectly) to come to their aid, which he did, during periods of military crisis. The si...
Constantine converted Constantine’s conversion to Christianity was a result of his victory in battle. Though Constantine encountered Christianity in 303 and some of his family members may have been Christians, it took him around 9 years later to convert. I will believe in thee and be baptized in thy name.” Clovis’ conversion would soon cause many changes to the church, though his commitment would not be as great. In addition to Constantine’s conversion to Christianity in Rome, he also affected the Roman church and state.
The first part of this paper will explore the mystery-religions, the reasons behind their popularity, and the Hellenistic world in which they grew that began with Alexander the Great. Next, their characteristics and connections first with Judaism and later with Christianity will be more deeply discussed. In the second part it will be shown that the mystery-religions helped to clear the pathway for the Christianization of the Greco-Roman world by men such as Paul the Apostle. Finally, the Emperor Constantine’s role in this story will be mentioned, during whose reign the mystery-religions declined and Christianity became the major religion of Europe and the near east. The paper will conclude with a brief speculation about the significance of these ideas to modern Christianity.
Who is Constantine exactly? Constantine, or Flavius Valerius Constantinus, is most commonly known as the first Christian emperor of the Roman world and the founder of the ancient city Constantinople. Born February 27, roughly 285 AD to Helena, a common innkeeper’s daughter, and Constantius Chlorus, there is a high possibility that the infamous Constantine was an illegitimate child.
Before the reign of Constantine, there were many things someone had to go through in order to become a Christian, this process very long and stressful. When regarding the process, the person trying to convert to Christianity would need to be dedicating their lives not only to becoming a Christian, but must also be able to change their beliefs, the way they behave, and how they live. To do this they would have to go through many different stages in which they would
This paper will outline specific points in Saint Augustine’s Confessions that highlight religious views following the fall of Rome. Though Augustines views on religion may not reflect that of most people in his time period, it still gives valuable insight into how many, namely Neoplatonists,, viewed God and his teachings.
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.