Download Rome and Christianity

Religion was very important to the Romans. Within the Roman
Empire, Christianity was banned and Christians were punished
for many years. Feeding Christians to the lions was seen as
entertainment in Ancient Rome.
Artists’ depictions of
early Christians being
fed to the lions by the
Romans for
entertainment.
The message of Christianity was spread around the Roman Empire by St.
Paul who founded Christian churches in Asia Minor and Greece.
Eventually, he took his teachings to Rome itself.
The early converts to Christianity in Ancient Rome faced many difficulties.
The first converts were usually the poor and slaves as they had a great
deal to gain from the Christians being successful. If they were caught, they
faced death for failing to worship the emperor. It was not uncommon for
emperors to turn the people against the Christians when Rome was faced
with difficulties. In AD 64, part of Rome was burned down. The Emperor
Nero blamed the Christians and the people turned on them. Arrests and
executions followed.
"Nero punished a race of men who were hated for their evil
practices. These men were called Christians. He got a number
of people to confess. On their evidence a number of Christians
were convicted and put to death with dreadful cruelty. Some
were covered with the skins of wild beasts and left to be eaten
by dogs. Others were nailed to the cross. Many were burned
alive and set on fire to serve as torches at night.“
Tacitus
A quote by a Roman on the fire.
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/rome_and_christianity.htm
The dangers faced by the Christians in Rome meant that they
had to meet in secret. They usually used underground tombs as
these were literally out of sight. Rome had a large number of
poor people within its population and Christianity continued to
grow. In AD 313, the Emperor Constantine made Christianity
legal and for the first time, they were allowed to openly worship.
Churches were quickly built not just in Rome but throughout the
empire. In AD 391, the worship of other gods was made illegal.
Meeting in secret
Emperor Constantine