How Did The Spread Of Christianity Affect The Roman Empire

Christianity Spreads through the West The Roman Republic prospered and survived through the guidance of its Senate. Rome’s government was considered to have “perfected the most successful of all forms of ancient government” (Dutton 138). Rome went on to dominate central Italy, eventually conquering all of Italy, the Western Mediterranean, and the ancient world.

One way that such manifests itself is in the empire's religion. Until the mid fourth century, the official religion had officially been one of polytheism; the emperor Constantine introduced Christianity at that point. Decades after the emperor's death, Christianity would be named the official state religion. Such would influence the culture as it unified the empire's peoples under one church, where before they had had a pantheon of gods from which they might worship above others. The change from Roman polytheism to Christianity would also manifest itself in a change of architecture, as Roman's developed a building structure suited to a church.

Throughout history, aspects of Christianity shaped the culture of western civilization, with its art, music, and philosophy. Western civilization did not always accept Christians, however; it took centuries for small details of the Christian lifestyle to influence Europe. Ultimately, the spread of Christianity was only possible through the environment of western Europe. Jesus’ word spread to Jewish communities across the empire of Rome. The apostles helped the spread because of their energetic attitude.

They both possessed strategic military skills and led their armies to victories that expanded their territories and established their dominance. Secondly, we explored how Charlemagne and the Caesars utilized religion as a means of consolidating their power. Charlemagne promoted Christianity as the state religion and sought to spread Christian values throughout his empire, while the Caesars utilized the Roman state religion to solidify their rule and maintain loyalty among their subjects.

From the earliest days of Roman society, religion played a central role in every aspect of life. However, by the time Caesar was assassinated, somewhat of an erosion of religion’s importance had taken place and many desired a return to those lost religious practices. Augustus had similar aspirations and introduced the imperial cult to both foster the restoration of lost religious traditions by deifying him and others who would serve as emperor. In addition, the imperial cult was used to control the population and included measures to take against those who failed to participate in its practice.1 Augustus demonstrated great adeptness in fostering a culture that accepted the imperial cult ideology.

Roman tradition was tolerant of religion, and the empire was home to a diverse array of gods and goddesses worshiped by its people. However, when Christianity, seen as a small cult at the time, emerged as a new religion, it faced persecution from Roman authorities. Christianity faced persecution for its stark contrasts with Roman culture and religious practices. One unique aspect of Christianity that caused Roman authorities to persecute it was its monotheistic doctrine and exclusive claim to one true God. Roman tradition allowed a diverse array of gods and goddesses to worship.

Prompt: Describe the changing Roman view of Christianity from the early years of the empire to the 4th century and its appeal to every day Romans especially women. Explain which emperors were hostile to Christianity and which were sympathetic. Content Criteria: Answer all parts of the prompt. Consider the following questions when formulating your response and provide examples of each: • How did the Romans originally view Christianity? How did that view change over time (How did it gain popularity)?

The Roman Empire was full of diverse people with different backgrounds and religions. In this empire, religion was very important because the people believed the will of the gods and goddesses determined the fate and success of the empire. Consequently, the citizens had to worship them. While the empire was very lenient when it came to religious beliefs and people were allowed to worship their own gods and goddesses and practice whatever other beliefs they may have, they had to agree to worship the Roman gods and goddesses. When the Roman Empire started to expand throughout the Mediterranean and the Romans found the Jews, things started to change.

The Roman Empire set a precedent for what life would look like long after it existed. While it may have started with democracy in some ways, elements of monarchy and oligarchy crept back in. The territories that were close but not central to the Roman empire experienced a degree of hegemony as well. During the time of the Roman Empire, major changes occurred that relate to how both the secular and religious world works. These are the contributions that made Rome great.

The importance of family status continued during the Empire, where the name Caesar became synonymous with leadership in Rome. strong religious beliefs, influenced the Roman people and allowed the Roman civilization to expand beyond its humble origins. These qualities took Rome from a tiny kingdom in central Italy to one of the most influential empires of Western society. Even though Roman

Christianity is widely used throughout the world and is a very popular religion across the world. Christianity has affected the life of many Roman people because it would have affected their beliefs and how they viewed the world and therefore affected their morals and their sense of right and

The decline of traditional Roman values such as civic duty, family, and patriotism weakened the empire's identity and social cohesion. The rise of Christianity challenged traditional Roman beliefs and values, leading to conflicts between Christians and non-Christians and contributing to social unrest and division. In addition, the loss of traditional values and the rise of individualism weakened the sense of community and loyalty that was essential to the strength of the Roman Empire. The fall of the Roman Empire had significant consequences for the world.

The rise in Christianity was one of the major reasons why Rome fell. This is because Christians were spending their money on places other than the Roman empire and they refused to fight for Rome. “Many Romans put their money toward church buildings rather than the empire” (Guided notes). This evidence shows that it was more important to Christians to spend money on things such as church buildings and temples, where they spend lots of time, other than military purposes. Since Christianity became more popular, more people were spending money on places they wanted other than their empire.

About Roman religion, “The words Roman and religion are inseperable, because Rome is today and has been for close on two thousand years, the earthly fountain-head of a faith which is universal,” (Perowne 12). Rome is extensively viewed as a community where there are strong religious beliefs, which is why others look up to the Romans for light and guidance on their own religions and practices. Rome has been known for their abundance in religion for thousands of years, which is why their impact is so far-reaching. People seem to often want to inherit the Roman’s ways. For them to want to do so, they must perceive them as accomplished and a successful rolemodel.

They found themselves to be superior to the Barbarians of Europe and felt that their empire marked the highest point of human achievement. Religion had a big influence on the Roman Empire and changed their outlook on their Empire and the power that the Roman emperors could have over their people. The Romans viewed