The Persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire 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. The Christians were loathed mostly because people didn’t understand who they were or wh... ... middle of paper ... ... Christianity is now the world’s largest religion with over 2 billion followers. Progress was slow, but you could definitely say that in this fight against the Romans, the Church won. Though not easy, after facing horrendous trials and years of bloody persecution, the Christians proved to everyone how strong they truly were. The Roman persecutions were only a minor setback, because it allowed the Christians to prove that they were there to stay. In fact, you could almost say that the persecutions acted as an inspiration to motivate the Christians to protect their faith. In the end, the persecutions helped Christianity to expand to its fullest potential, while allowing the Christians to become admired and respected for their perpetual fighting spirit. They had to survive the bitterly harsh trials, but when it was all done and over, they came out of it better than ever.
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.
The persecutions did help the spread of Christianity because they showed that people were willing to die for what they believe in. “I am corresponding with all the churches and bidding them all realize that I am voluntarily dying for God”(Ignatius, paragraph 5). This shows that Christianity is a way to unite ourselves with God and to be freed from all evils. Another reason it helped the spread of Christianity is that there were public executions which increased the number of people knowing about it. This also shows that the Romans don't really care for the individual freedom of their
Then and now religions shared common dimensions that provide society with a doctrine, narrative, ethics, ritual, experience and a social institution. These six dimensions that Ninian Smart derived spell out the framework for comparative study of religions1. The six dimensions hold true when comparing the daily routine Roman religious thought to modern Christianity. Interwoven into the core of both cultures is a strong unifying spirit that built a strong communal bond for its people.
While Christians were not sought out as a group in particular, it is true that individual Christians did suffer punishment in the hands of Roman authorities. Much of the punishments imposed on them were for criminal activities. As Bart Ehrman points out, while civil law was very developed, criminal legislation was rarely created. For the most part, governors were responsible for exacting punishment as they deemed necessary. For instance, Christians were not reprimanded for worshiping God but for violating laws on worshiping the emperor and the state gods. Most often, Christians were persecuted for “disturbing the peace.” Christians in the ancient world seem to project an image of exclusivity and isolation. Their communities were tight-knit and exacted extreme demands on their members.
In conclusion, Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire despite the barriers of Judaism, the Empire itself, and problems within the church. Ironically, the Jews rejection of Jesus as Messiah was the catalyst for the leaders of the church to take the message to the Gentiles. This growing movement threatened the foundation of the Roman Empire. Although controversial, the Bible is used as a primary source document to understand the beliefs and customs of Judaism and Christianity. For the majority of Christians, the Bible is seen as historically accurate and is fundamental to their faith. The difficulties that the early church faced such as racism, tradition, and immorality are the same struggles we face today. For many throughout the world, the Bible is used as a “how to guide” for human behavior, has stood the test of time, and continues to be relevant.
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)
Beginning with the persecution of Christians by Diocletian, culminating in the formation of a so-called “imperial cult”, how responsible was Christianity for the decline of the Roman Empire (Backman 48)? Pagans certainly believed that Christians held responsibility for the sacking of Rome in 410 by the vexatious Visigoths, and many were uncomfortable with Theodosius “rash establishment” of Christianity as the official state religion (Backman 56). Christian teachings slowly made their way into formal policies and civil legislation. Pagan traditions and rituals fell by the wayside as emperors assumed control, not only as leaders of the Roman Empire, but as pontifex maximus—“chief priest”—as well (Backman 48). Brutal laws against Jewish and Pagan people did not ascend from any practical or logical stipulation, but because the Christian faith began to fuse with the Roman Empire, leading to a waning of toleration. Subsequently, many scholars of the age troubled themselves with aligning their belief in a Christian faith with their “love of classical literature”, a truly daunting task (Backman
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, originally, was thought of as an outsider religion, and wasn’t accepted by most Romans. The Romans could learn to live with other religions, but not when they were harmful to public order. At one point, Romans viewed it to be just that. Christians tended ...
The rise of Christianity in western civilization is arguably among the most important memories in history. There is no denying what the spread of Christianity has done for the world, for better or worse. Its impact on western civilizations is unrivaled and unprecedented. Christianity slowly became something for many individuals to turn to; in times of hurt its provided comfort, in times of pleasure it has given thanks. The will and belief for salvation has driven individuals to be better, and to have a reference while in need. The rise of Christianity more than 2000 years ago provided necessary building blocks for the future. Without Christianity there would be no cathedrals, no monasteries, no music from one Johann Sebastian Bach, no paintings from Michelangelo, nor no philosophy from Saint Augustine (Backman 205). There are countless times in history, whether good or bad, that can be credited to
When Christianity emerged in the Roman Empire, it was immediately marked as a superstitious and mysterious cult composed of revolutionaries, adulterers, cannibals, atheists, and sexual perverts. Fueled by these rumours, local governors such as Pliny the Younger, began the first wave of Christian persecution lasting from 30 CE - 250 CE. Though violent, resulting in the execution and torture of tens of thousands of Christians, the second phase of Christian persecution was far more violent, with its varying imperial edicts. Diocletian, a common man, launched the bloodiest attack against Christians in 303 CE resulting in the destruction of Christian meeting houses, Christian scripture, and the deaths of thousands of Christians. However, as much as Diocletian tried to squash Christianity, Christians refused to yield. Though much of his reign he wanted to destroy the Christian faith, his reign eventually led to the succession of Emperor Constantine and birthing Christianity as the main religion of the Roman
During the first half century after the crucifixion of Jesus, the Roman government including governors in the eastern provinces took no active measures against Christians. The attitude of the higher Roman authorities had always been that Christianity was merely a sect of Judaism, and as such, were entitled to share in its privileges as a recognized religion. In 64 A.D. this attitude suffered a severe alteration. On July 19, 64 A.D. occurred the great fire of Rome. Half a million people were left homeless. Popular rumor persistently asserted that the fire was started by incendiaries acting under the orders of the Emperor Nero. It was said that Nero wanted the city burnt down so he could build a new city which was to be re-named after himself. Nero felt that something must be done to deflect the public indignation against him. To do this he contrived that accusations should be brought against the Christians. So Nero began an aggressive persecution of the Christians in Rome. Those who confessed their guilt were brought to trail. During these trials a great number of other Christians were uncovered and were also brought to trial. Oddly enough, these people were not charged with starting the great fire of Rome, but rather for “hatred of the humankind.”
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.
Christianity is one of the world’s most widely practiced religions and has a long history spanning back over two-thousand years. Some might say that its history might go back even farther to include the history of Judaism because there are prophets in Hebrew scripture who foretold the coming of Jesus Christ, who Christians believe to be the Messiah that God promised the Jewish people. This paper discusses how Christianity influences our society today, some of its history along with some of our beliefs. However, it is impossible to tell the complete history of Christianity in just one essay because for all two thousand years it has been in existence, there are literally thousands of things to talk about. The construction of our religious buildings, the Crusades, how the Protestant Reformation branched it out into what it is today, any of these things can and have been made into essays, books, and even movies on their own. That being said, it will touch on each of the questions which were asked in the assignment and will add a bit more depth on a few other things which are considered very important to the history of Christianity.
Christianity is a religion that is extremely prevalent in many people’s lives today and is extremely. It has roots that date back to around the first century CE. Christianity is based off the life and oral teachings from Jesus of Nazareth within the New Testament (Christianity Origin Online). Ever since the discovery of Christianity, the Christian faith has had a rather large impact on the rest of the world, with nearly 2.5 billion followers and counting (Christianity Online). With the widespread teachings of Christianity becoming much more common, Christianity has had a significant influence on not only specific people, but within cities and one in particular, is Rome. Within this paper, I will explain to you exactly how Christianity influenced the Roman society in a great deal of ways, politically, culturally, and religiously. I will also elaborate on how the Roman culture further shaped the ideas of Christianity and continued spreading the teachings of Christianity to Western Europe. Lastly, I will explain Augustine’s views on God and how he views the Christian faith.