History of the Eartly Christian Church

1242 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Constantine effect on Christianity

Throughout the early centuries of the church’s existence, the Roman government suppressed the spread of Christianity. Many emperors did their absolute best to try to stop the Christian populace from spreading with none succeeding (demonstrated by the fact that Christianity is still in existence today). It was not until 322 A.D. when Constantine united all of Europe under his throne that Christianity could be spread without threat of persecution. Under Constantine, Christianity, in terms of numerically, thrived. Councils were held, doctrine developed, and great strides were taken in order to have Christianity be one catholic church. However, in the next couple centuries, the church would grow apart and rulers would fall resulting in mass turmoil throughout the Western Empire. The Roman Catholic Church (as it would later be called) used these events to secure its grip over the entire western empire.
In the western half of the once great Roman Empire, Rome, along with the surrounding territories, fell to barbarians. The barbarians, primarily from Germanic tribes, had no system of government by which the people should live. In other words, each village and people-group were left to fend for themselves in terms of both rule as well as protection; however, the church never faltered or fell away while the barbarians took control. In light of this fact, the church began to grow in power and stability. With people flocking to the churches and monasteries for help and protection, the power began being transferred to the bishop rather than to a king/political ruler. This bishop was the Archbishop of Rome.
In the universal church, there were primarily five bishops in each of the primary Christian cities in the empire: Alexandria, Antioc...

... middle of paper ...

...Y: Oxford University Press,
2001.

Foote, G.W. and J.M. Wheeler. “The Rise of the Papacy.” The Nazarene Way. Accessed
April 18, 2014. http://www.thenazareneway.com/rise_of_the_papacy.htm.

Gonzalez, Justo L. The Story of Christianity. New York, NY: HarperOne, 2010.

McFarland Kathy L. “The Centered Power of Rome in the 6th-9th Centuries.” Becker Bible
Studies. December 2008. Accessed April 18, 2014. http://guidedbiblestudies.com/history/Centered_Power_Rome.html. Pinedo, Moisés. “The Origin of the Papacy.” Apologetics Press. 2008. Accessed April 18, 2014. http://www.apologeticspress.org/apcontent.aspx?category=11&article=2386. Walker, Williston. History of the Christian Church.New York, NY: Scribner, 1985.

Worldology. “How Christianity Rose to Dominate Europe.” Worldology. Accessed
April 18, 2014. http://www.worldology.com/Christianity/rise_christianity.htm.

Show More
Related

  • Analyze The Changes And Continuities Of Christianity And Universalization

    479 Words  | 1 Pages

    From 300-600 CE The Roman Empire allowed new religions to be formed and universalized. The Religion that was associated with The Roman empire was Christianity. Christianity became the religion of Rome because of a man named Constantine who allowed Christianity to spread and flow throughout the empire create a harmony throughout the people. Constantine allowed for the Roman officials to adopt Christianity and this led to the building of the Constantinople. Christianity had basilicas which were opulent churches that were open to all which meant any person could go there allowing Christianity to be very universal. Christianity was also very appealing because the worshiped deity walked on land with the people. Christianity split and became the Roman Catholic church which consisted

    Read More

  • Christian Mosaics in Rome

    1514 Words  | 4 Pages

    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).

    Read More

  • Gender Construction in "Book of Showings"

    1200 Words  | 3 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • The Rise And Fall Of Christianity And Afro-Eurasia

    751 Words  | 2 Pages

    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)

    Read More

  • Differences Between The Han Dynasty And Roman Empire

    1377 Words  | 3 Pages

    When he won the throne, similar to Emperor Han Wudi’s conversion to Confucianism in Han Dynasty China, converted to Christianity. Because of this conversion, Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire. The Christian way became very involved in government in the Roman Empire. Even though Christianity’s message is a sense of universal love, because of it intolerance of other religions, there was persecutions of pagans that lead to death. It was not until 450 CE. that a small majority of the Roman Empire was Christian. There ultimately was a split in the empire between the east and the west. The Western Empire struggled on its survival unlike the eastern Empire. The Eastern Empire strived because it stayed involved in Roman politics, administration, and armies. Because the east stayed involved within the government, they were able to last longer. The east was able to spread Christianity more effectively than that of the

    Read More

  • Medieval Christian Europe

    2215 Words  | 5 Pages

    With the decline of the Western Roman empire Western Europe was a disjointed land that had no true unifying structure till the rise of Christianity. In Roman antiquity people used the State or empire of Rome to define themselves and give them a sense of unity despite having a diverse group of people within the empire. When Western Rome fell this belief based on a Roman cultural identity disappeared and no longer were people able to identify themselves with any particular group as they once have. The Christian religion was able to fill this vacuum by having the people associate themselves to a religion instead of a given state or cultural group. During Medieval Europe Christianity became the unifying force that would define what it meant to be European. Christianity gave political leaders legitimacy by showing that they have been favored by the gods. The clergyman that recorded the histories surrounding the kings of the Medieval Europe also provided a link to the Roman Empire to give the Kings a link to Roman empire of antiquity. Christianity became the center of the cultural life in western Europe and created a new social elite in Europe which would dominate literacy and knowledge within Europe for centuries. Christianity provided Europe with an escape from the disorder of the Medieval ages and give them a spiritual outlet for their fears and desires for a better life, whether in the physical life or in the spiritual world after death.

    Read More

  • Saint Ambrose: Rise Of The Charismatic Authority

    1186 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Bishop of Milan came to be known as Saint Ambrose because the many contributions to the growth of the church that he has been attributed to. He used his charismatic authority to gain the support of the people and the influence over the Emperors to make decisions that would empower the Christian Church is remarkable in a time when just a century before there was immense amount of persecution towards Christian believers. Saint Ambrose was the determining force in the early history of Christianity that allowed the rise and shift of power that permitted the church to become the governing force in the Roman Empire.

    Read More

  • What Role Does Constantine Play In Christian Religion

    1306 Words  | 3 Pages

    Imperial Church period is marked by significant changes in the favor of the Christian church, which led to the shaping of the doctrine and the church traditions, that are currently in effect, however, not without obstacles. Constantine plays a vital role during this era. According to Shelley (2008) brusquely after taking power over the Roman Empire, Constantine converted to Christianity and encouraged others to do so. He allowed Christians to freely practice their religion and forbade persecution. However, this change came with stipulations, as Constantine took control over the Christian bishops “demanding unconditional obedience and official pronouncements” as well as involvement in all aspects of the church life (p. 96). Where once, only the believers joined the church, this change brought people from all walks of life regardless of their true beliefs opening the doors to heresies, monasticism, polities, and missions within the church. Year

    Read More

  • The Spread of Christianity in the Roman Empire

    1119 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • THE INFLUENCE OF ROMAN EMPERORS ON THE GROWTH OF EARLY CHRISTIANITY (64-395 CE)

    839 Words  | 2 Pages

    Early Christianity was greatly influenced by the emperors of the Roman Empire both positively and negatively. Emperors like Nero and Diocletian attempted to restrict Christianity, but it continued to grow politically and religiously in part due to emperors like Constantine and Theodosius. Although Nero failed to bring an end to Christianity, his persecution was quite brutal and marked the beginning of Christian oppression in Rome. The last example of Christian persecution occurred during Diocletian’s reign and was the most brutal, yet it still failed to eliminate the faith. When Constantine came to power, he ended Christian oppression and contributed to the spread of Christianity. Theodosius combined the church and state, enforcing strict orthodox beliefs on Romans, which mandated Christianity’s growth.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Church History In Plain Language By Bruce L. Shelley

    751 Words  | 2 Pages

    Church History in Plain Language is written by Bruce L. Shelley. This work focuses on the history of Christianity from 6 B.C. to the current period. It covers some of Christianity’s greatest events, theologians, and the various subsection of Christianity. Other than the events leading up to the death of Jesus, I had very little knowledge of Christianity’s history. After reading through the book, I have gained understanding on the Christian Councils, scholasticism, Christendom, and modern trends of Christianity.

    Read More

  • Charlemagne, or Charles the Great, King of the Franks

    2129 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Church played a vital role in the kingdom of Charlemagne. It gave a sense

    Read More

  • The Role of The Papacy: The Early Church to Present Day

    1075 Words  | 3 Pages

    This essay gives a brief outline of the major developments in the role of the Papacy between the Early Church and the present day. It will cover four aspects. The development of the papacy as a temporal ruler, Papal elections, the Curia and the development of the ‘mission role’ of the Papacy. It will explore how the papacy changed from being an organisation that had the influence to appoint kings and arrange state borders to one with a billion followers. These followers see the papacy as being responsible for the administration, pastoral and spiritual care of their membership.

    Read More

  • The Influence of the Roman Catholic Church

    1137 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Church was organised into a hierarchical system that sustained the Church’s stability and control over the people and lower clergy, by organising them into different groups. First there were the ordinary believers, the citizens of the kingdom who followed the Christian faith. Then there was the clergy, the members who devoted their lives to the church. Each group of the clergy was assigned specific functions by the clergy nobles to help run the Church competently. Amongst all the clergy associates, the Pope was at the top, he had the equivalent if not more power than the ruling monarch and was in charge of all political affairs and administered the clergy. He was able to dictate political laws and even comment on the Monarch’s decisions. Under the Pope, there were the bishops. The bishops directed church courts and managed cases correlated to the public such as marriage, wills and other public predicaments. Priests held religious services that consisted of sacraments, baptisms and the usual Sabbath services. The monks and nuns received manual labour that required helping clean the monasteries and assist the needy. Educated monks copied manuscripts of medieval and ancient knowledge in the Scriptorium. Finally...

    Read More

  • THE RISE OF THE PAPACY

    1635 Words  | 4 Pages

    Perhaps no other event was as influential to the rise of papacy in Rome as the decline of the Roman empire. With the decline of the empire, the church became the last refuge of stability. Without the protection of the empire, Rome was subject to poverty, disrepair, and attack from enemies.1 The rise of the papacy was a response to this situation. It was further cemented by the leadership of such men as Leo I and Gregory I, the latter sometimes referred to as the father of the medieval papacy.2 Finally, the granting of lands and authority to the bishop of Rome greatly increased the power of the Roman church.3

    Read More

More about History of the Eartly Christian Church

Open Document