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CHRISTIANITY AND THE ROMAN EMPIRE
How did the Roman Empire help the spread of Christianity?
HOW DID THE ROMAN EMPIRE HELP THE
SPREAD OF CHRISTIANITY?
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Areas controlled by the Romans were
generally peaceful.
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Well-constructed roads enabled
Christians to easily travel from one
region to another as they shared their
message.
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Latin or Greek was spoken by most
people allowing easy communication.
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The message of Christianity was
attractive.
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It provided comfort to people during
difficult times, and it gave people hope
for a better life after death.
Christian communities provided their
members with security; they helped to
take care of each other.
DISAGREEMENTS
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The official religion of Rome required
people to worship the emperor and the
state. Christians, like Jews, believed only
God could be worshipped.
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Christians criticized Roman festivals that
honored the Roman gods.
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Christians did not support war as a way to
resolve problems, so they would not serve
in the army.
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Christians buried their dead outside Rome
in catacombs (underground burial
places), and also met in these places for
worship.
MISTREATMENT OF CHRISTIANS
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Some Romans thought the Christians were
dangerous because they believed differently
than the majority. These Romans thought that
the Christians should be punished.
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Some Romans blamed the Christians for
causing natural disasters.
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Christians were often arrested and beaten.
Many were put to death rather than give up
their beliefs (martyrs.)
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Emperor Nero accused Christians of starting the
fire that burned down much of Rome.
Emperor Diocletian (AD 284- 305)was one of the
worst persecutors of Christians.
Despite horrible treatment, Christianity
flourished and continued to spread.
ACCEPTANCE
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In 312 AD, Emperor Constantine
prepared to go to battle. According
to early Christian writers, Constantine
had a dream the night before the
battle in which he saw a flaming cross
in the sky. Written beneath were the
Latin words that meant “In this sign you
will conquer.”
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The next day, Constantine ordered his
soldiers to paint the Christian cross on
their shields. He and his soldiers won the
battle. Constantine believed the
Christian God had helped them.
•
Constantine became a strong
supporter of Christianity.
EDICT OF MILAN
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In 313 AD, Constantine issued the Edict of
Milan which allowed all religious groups
in the empire, including Christians, to
practice their beliefs freely.
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Constantine attended religious meetings
of Christian leaders and gave
government aid to Christians.
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With the help of his mother, Helena, he
built Christian churches in Rome and
Jerusalem.
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Christians were allowed to serve in
government and were excused from
paying taxes.
•
In 392 AD, Emperor Theodosius made
Christianity the official religion of the
Roman Empire.
Fresco of Constantine and
Helena in the Sicevo Monastery
Church, Macedonia
Trier Cathedral in Germany built to
celebrate Constantine’s 20th year
as emperor
PRESERVING THE UNITY OF CHRISTIANITY
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Over time, the church had to become
more organized to ensure that
Christians practiced the same beliefs.
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Early Christians organized the church
into a hierarchy- an organization with
different levels of authority.
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The bishops (men in charge of several
Christian communities) of the church
met in councils to explain and write
down the official teachings of
Christianity.
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Church leaders also preserved stories
about Jesus and the writings of the
apostles. Jesus did not write down what
he said or did, but his followers did.
Icon of early Christian leaders c. AD 300
WRITINGS, CONTINUED…
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By 300 AD, four accounts of the life
and teachings of Jesus were widely
known. These accounts are called
gospels, which means “good news”.
Christians believe these gospels
were written by followers of JesusMatthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
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Later, these writings were combined
with writings of Paul and other early
Christian leaders. Together, they
became known as the New
Testament.
•
This New Testament was combined
with the Greek version of the Jewish
sacred writings, known as the Old
Testament.
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Altogether, these works are known
as the Christian Bible.
Handwritten gospel of John
(New Testament)
Scroll containing Old Testament
1607 edition of Bible- Old and
New Testaments