Christianity 10.2

After the death of Christ, apostles spread the new religion After the death of Christ, apostles spread the new religion. The stability and peace of the Roman Empire made it easier for people to travel along the system of Roman roads spreading the Gospel. In addition, most people spoke either Latin or Greek, making communication easier.

Who did Christianity appeal to? Women Slaves Poor Christianity appealed to the lower part of society and offered hope and comfort. IT was opposite from the hierarchical Roman world, which only gave power to wealthy men.

Christian Community Now here's also the question of the inequality which Rome really reinforced through the Augustan system. Rome is a very strict hierarchical system, in which the emperor is at the pinnacle, all the way up and then all the blessings in the world that come to people come down from above. The emperor is the conduit to the divine world. And if you're at the bottom of that social pyramid, not a whole lot of things are coming down to you anymore. Slavery slowly diminished, but continued to exist. Now the Christian community, as we have it particularly in the letters of Paul, begins with a formula that is a baptismal formula, which says in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, neither male nor female, neither slave nor free. This is a sociological formula that defines a new community. Here is a community that invites you, which makes you an equal with all other members of that community. Which does not give you any disadvantages. On the contrary, it gives even the lowliest slave personal dignity and status. Moreover, the commandment of love is decisive. That is, the care for each other becomes very important. People are taken out of an isolation. If they are hungry, they know where to go. If they are sick, there is an elder who will lay on hands to them to heal them. http://hubpages.com/hub/Tutorial-Rome-Christianity-II-The-Threat-to-the-Romans

Animals being led to slaughter in sacrifice to gods. Christianity was a threat to Romans. Roman culture promoted polytheism, and from the reign of Augustus, the emperor was worshipped as a god. Each family home would also have a small altar and shrine. The Romans had personal household gods or spirits called 'lares' which were worshipped every day at home. The shrine contained statues of the 'lares' and the head of the household led family prayers around the shrine each day. Christianity claimed that there was only one God, and emperor was just a man, not to be worshipped. By AD 64, Romans began to persecute Christians. Nero blamed the fire in Rome on Christians and is known for using them as human torches and in games in the arena as entertainment. As things in Rome worsened in the Crisis of the Third Century, Christians were more and more persecuted. Times of instability, chaos, or violence resulted in the Christians being targeted as scapegoats. Christians would continue to be persecuted during the time of Diocletian, and Constantine was the first emperor to grant them religious freedom. "In a corner at the entrance to the house was a huge cupboard with a small built-in shrine. Inside the shrine were the silver statuettes of the household gods, a Venus in marble and a golden casket." Written in AD 60

By AD 64, Romans began to persecute Christians By AD 64, Romans began to persecute Christians. Nero blamed the fire in Rome on Christians and is known for using them as human torches and in games in the arena as entertainment. As things in Rome worsened in the Crisis of the Third Century, Christians were more and more persecuted. Times of instability, chaos, or violence resulted in the Christians being targeted as scapegoats. Christians would continue to be persecuted during the time of Diocletian, and Constantine was the first emperor to grant them religious freedom.

In 250, the emperor Decius issued an edict, the text of which has been lost, requiring everyone in the Empire (except Jews, who were exempted) to perform a sacrifice to the gods in the presence of a Roman magistrate and obtain a signed and witnessed certificate, called a libellus, to this effect. Christians would continue to be persecuted during the time of Diocletian, and Constantine was the first emperor to grant them religious freedom.

In 312 AD Constantine converted to Christianity In 312 AD Constantine converted to Christianity. In AD 313, he issued the Edict of Milan, granting religious freedom.

Constantine’s mother, Helena, assisted him in building churches in Rome & Jerusalem. Theodosius, who ruled after Constantine, made Christianity Rome’s official religion in AD 392.