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TheHeightoftheRomanEmpire
RISEOFCHRISTIANITY
Deesis(Deisis)mosaicatHagiaSophia
DuringthefirstcenturyCEinRome'sprovinceofJudaea,ChristianityemergedasasmallJewishsectbasedonthe
teachingsofJesusofNazareth.AfterJesus'sdeath,thenewreligionquicklygainedfollowersandspreadthroughouttheRomanEmpire,survivingstate
persecutionandeventuallyrisingtobecomeRome'sofficialreligion.WhentheWesternRomanEmpirefellapartChristianityremainedEurope'sdominant
religion,whileintheeastitflourishedfor1,000yearsasthereligionoftheByzantineEmpire.
ReligiousEnvironment
IntheRomanMediterraneanandNearEast,manydifferentreligionswerepracticed,includingpolytheisticoneswithbeliefinmanygodssuchastraditional
Romanreligion,andmonotheisticfaithslikeJudaismwithbeliefinoneGod.AstheRomansbecamedominantintheregion,theyoftenadopted,incorporated,
oratleasttoleratedthenewbeliefstheyencountered.TheRomanswerelargelytolerantofdifferentreligions,thoughtheydidexpectobediencetoRoman
authorityandobservanceofthestateculthonoringtheemperor.
Mysteryreligions,inwhichonlytheinitiatedhadaccesstosecretbeliefsandrites,honoredgodsfromvariouscultures.Itisthoughtthatmysteryreligions
offeredbelieversapersonalrelationshipwithdivinitiesandapleasantafterlife.TheEleusinianMysteries,devotedtotheGreekgoddessesDemeterand
Persephoneandconnectedwithfertilityrites,wereverypopularthroughouttheempire.TheEgyptiangoddessIsis,whorepresentedfertility,motherhood,and
magic,wasatthecenterofanotherwidespreadmysterycult.Theempire'sexpansionalsointroducedRomanstothecultofthePersiansunandwargod
Mithras.Thiscult,whichacceptedonlymalemembersandinvolvedthesacrificeofbulls,wasespeciallyappealingtoRomansoldiers.
AverydifferentreligiousenvironmentwasfoundinPalestine,conqueredbytheRomansin63BCE.JudaismthrivedthereamidongoingconflictswithRoman
ruleaswellasrivalrybetweenJewishsects.ProphetspromisedtherestorationoftheJewishkingdom'spowerandindependenceaswellastheimminent
arrivalofasavior(themessiah),settingthestageforthecomingofJesusofNazareth.
JesusofNazareth
JesusofNazareth,alsocalledJesusChrist("theanointed"),wasconsideredthemessiahandthesonofGodbyhisfollowers.Histeachingsbecamethebasis
ofthenewreligionofChristianity.BornaroundthebeginningoffirstcenturyCEinBethlehem,JesuswasraisedinNazarethbyhisfatherJoseph,acarpenter,
andhismother,Mary.AccordingtoChristianbeliefshemiraculouslyconceivedJesusthroughtheHolySpirit.WhilelittleisknownofJesus'searlylife,the
Gospelsrecordhisremarkablewisdomandspiritualunderstandingasachild.
AccordingtotheGospels,afterbaptismbyJohntheBaptistandreceivingapprovalfromGod,JesusbegantoteachinGalileeandJudaea.Hisclosestcircleof
followerswasmadeupof12menknownastheapostles.JesususedparablestoteachpeopletoloveandtrustGodandtoforgivethosewhowrongedthem.
HisteachingswereepitomizedinhisSermonontheMount.ItissaidthatJesusalsoperformedmiraclessuchashealingthesickandraisingthedead.
About33BCE,powerfulJewishpriestscalledthesanhedrintookoffensetoJesus'sinfluenceandclaimofdivinity.Theyaccusedhimofblasphemy,andhewas
triedbeforePontiusPilate,theRomanprefectofJudaea,whowasreluctanttocondemnJesusbutdidsoattheinsistenceoftheJewishcommunity.Jesuswas
crucified,andaccordingtotheGospelshewasresurrectedafterthreedaysandascendedintoheaven.Afterward,theapostlestraveledwidelyspreading
Jesus'steachingsandthemessagethathisdeathgavebelieverssalvationfromtheirsinsandthepromiseofeternallife.
EarlyChristianity
SaintPaul
TheearlyChristianChurchdevelopedinJerusalemundertheleadershipoftheapostlesSaintPeterandSaintJames.TheconvertSaintPaul
andothermissionarieslaterspreadChristianteachingsamongnonJewsinsuchcitiesasAntioch,Corinth,andEphesus.Christiancommunitieswere
organizedacrosstheempire.EarlyChurchleadersemergedduringthefirstandsecondcenturiesCE,includingthebishopsPolycarp,IgnatiusofAntioch,and
Irenaeus.
Byabout100CE,theGospelstheNewTestament'sfirstfourbookswerecomposed.Namedfortheirpresumedauthors,Matthew,Mark,Luke,andJohn,the
GospelsprovideaccountsofJesus'slifeandteachingsandarecentraltextsinChristianbelief.
Christianityappealedtoallclassesbutespeciallytopeoplewithlittlepowerorprestige,suchaswomen,thosewithoutRomancitizenship,theimpoverished,
andslaves.Christiancommunitiesaidedtheneedywithfood,clothing,andshelter,andtheyencouragedkindtreatmentofChristiansandnonChristiansalike.
Christianity'spromiseofabetterlifeafterdeathwasalsoappealingtoconverts.EarlyChristiansbelievedthattheendoftheworldwasverynear,andthis
beliefencouragedrapidconversionthroughouttheempire.
FromPersecutiontoTolerationandAdoption
Nero
DuringChristianity'sfirstthreecenturies,Romanofficialsfacedtheproblemofdealingwithanapparentlysubversivereligiousgroup.Christian
practicessuchassecretmeetingsandrefusaltoobservethecultoftheemperorarousedsuspicionandseemedtoposeachallengetoRomanauthority.Asa
result,whileRomanofficialsdidnotusuallypursueChristiansforprosecution,theydidbringthemtotrialiftheywereformallyaccused.Iftheythenrefusedto
honortheemperorandtheRomangods,theycouldbeexecuted.
Undercertainemperors,suchasNeroandDiocletian,therewereperiodsofheightenedpersecutionwhenChristiansweresoughtoutandtreatedas
scapegoats.Theirexecutionswereoftenpublicandgruesome,withmanyvictimskilledbywildanimalsintheColosseum.Bycreatingmartyrsandsaints,
persecutionhadtheunintendedeffectofstrengtheningChristianbeliefanddevotionandspreadingthefaithtonewconverts.

practicessuchassecretmeetingsandrefusaltoobservethecultoftheemperorarousedsuspicionandseemedtoposeachallengetoRomanauthority.Asa
result,whileRomanofficialsdidnotusuallypursueChristiansforprosecution,theydidbringthemtotrialiftheywereformallyaccused.Iftheythenrefusedto
honortheemperorandtheRomangods,theycouldbeexecuted.
Undercertainemperors,suchasNeroandDiocletian,therewereperiodsofheightenedpersecutionwhenChristiansweresoughtoutandtreatedas
scapegoats.Theirexecutionswereoftenpublicandgruesome,withmanyvictimskilledbywildanimalsintheColosseum.Bycreatingmartyrsandsaints,
persecutionhadtheunintendedeffectofstrengtheningChristianbeliefanddevotionandspreadingthefaithtonewconverts.
ConstantineI
In311,theemperorGalerius'sEdictofTolerationofficiallyendedthepersecutionofChristians.In312,theemperorConstantineIissaidto
haveconvertedtoChristianityaftertheBattleofMilvianBridge,wherehebelievedtheChristianGodgavehimvictoryandcontroloftheWesternRoman
Empire.In313,ConstantineissuedtheEdictofMilan,grantingpermanentreligioustolerationintheempire.HealsopromotedChristianitybybuilding
churches,givingtheChurchfinancialsupport,andplacingChristiansinhighadministrativeoffices.
Christianitybecameincreasinglyaccepted,replacingmanytraditionalRomanbeliefs.TheChurchalsobecameamoreorganized,unifiedinstitution.In325,the
CouncilofNicaeaaddressedimportanttheologicaldisputesandestablishedthebasicChristianbeliefthattheHolyTrinityismadeupofGodtheFather,God
theSon(Jesus),andtheHolySpirit.
UntilConstantine'sdecisiontolegalizeChristianity,thepolytheistictraditionoftheRomanEmpirewasfinanciallysupportedbythestateandoftenintertwinedin
politics.AsChristianitybecamethefavoredstatereligion,imperialfundingwaschanneledtowardstheChurchandpaganpracticesloststatesupport.Jobs
weredeniedtononChristians,andsocialadvancementrequiredconversiontoChristianity.UnderTheodosiusI,pagantemplesweredestroyedandthe
practiceofpolytheisticworship,includinganimalsacrifice,wasoutlawed.ThisstateenforcedconversionledtopersecutionofnonChristians.Similarsituations
thatChristianshadfacedonly100yearsearlierwerenowfacedbypaganRomans.
In380,underemperorTheodosiusI,Christianitybecametheempire'sofficialreligion.Alsoatthistime,ChurchfatherssuchasSaintAmbroseandSaint
AugustineofHippomadehighlyinfluentialcontributionstothedevelopingtheologyoftheChurch.
JenniferHutchinson
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ImageCredits
ConstantineI:AllanT.Kohl/ArtImagesforCollegeTeaching
Nero:PictorialLibraryofBibleLands
SaintPaul:TheBritishLibrary
Deesis(Deisis)mosaicatHagiaSophia:Corel
MLACitation
Hutchinson,Jennifer,andBethanyStetson."RiseofChristianity."WorldHistory:AncientandMedievalEras,ABCCLIO,2016,ancienthistory.abc
clio.com/Topics/Display/1185238?cid=41&sid=1185238.Accessed12Sept.2016.

https://ancienthistory.abcclio.com/Topics/Display/1185238?cid=41&sid=1185238
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