CHW 3M

Christianity in The Roman Empire

The Messiah

The turning point of all history•Started out as a tiny movement•Captured the heart of the whole world•Makes no sense to historians!• How could such

cowardly people turn into such courageous martyrs??

Sent to the Gentiles

Although Paul was Jewish, but he had been born in a Greek city and was familiar with Greco-Roman culture. He helped explain basic Christian beliefs in terms other adherents of this culture could grasp.

The Apostle Paul was a convert to Christianity and commissioned by the Church to spread the Gospel message to the Gentiles.

Between the years 45-58AD Paul would could on three missionary journeys where he

• founded Churches• preached the Gospel• made convert• trained local church leaders

With each missionary journey Paul and the Gospel message came closer and closer to Rome

In 58AD Paul was arrested in Jerusalem by the Roman authorities, he would be sent to Rome. There he spent two years under house arrest where he wrote letters to the Christian communities in the Roman empire. He would be released and later rearrested and martyred.

Initially the Romans thought that Christianity was a Jewish sect. However overtime the Church would become predominant Gentile. The Book Acts shows many examples how the Gentiles enthusiastically accepted the Gospel

Most of the early Roman Christians were• slaves• dispossessed farmers• poor city people

The Gospel message of hope and acceptance was very appealing and provided the spiritual and cultural needs Roman religion could notOver time Roman converts to

Christianity would come from all social classes. The organization of the Roman Empire

allowed for the quick spread of Christianity throughout its borders.

Many early Christians kept their faith a secret for there own safety.• met in private homes/ catacombs• used secrets signs

For many Romans, religion was a social activity that promoted unity and loyalty to the state. Because Christians refused to perform Caesar worship many powerful Romans saw Christianity as

• subversive• dangerous

All the secrecy and Roman ignorance led to wild stories about the “Mysterious Christians and their strange ceremonies”• cannibalism (took communion literally)

Keeping Secrets

The greater the persecutions the greater the growth of Christianity.

Persecution of the ChurchAlthough the Christians were unpopular most Emperors tolerated them. However there are a few emperors remembered for their persecution against the early Christians.

There have been more Christian martyrs in the last century alone compared to the 1900 years prior.

The Great PersecutionBetween 303-311 AD Diocletian the emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire and religious traditionalist looked to wipeout the Church and restore Rome to its pagan roots. Diocletian would enthusiastically

• ban Christianity• burn scripture• murder 200000 Christians

Nero scapegoat for great fireDomitian Christians one of many groups persecutedDecius strongly pursued Church leaders

Christianization of the EmpireThe key moment in establishing Christianity in Rome was in 312AD. Constantine became sole ruler after the Battle of Milvian Bridge. Before the battle Constantine saw a cross of light in the sky which he believed was a sign from Jesus Christ.

Although many question if Constantine’s motives were politically driven he did many things to help the early church

• allowed religious tolerance and freedom for Christians throughout the empire

• publically funded churches• allowed Christians to have important jobs• declared Sunday a day of rest and worship

Council of Nicaea

Important issues discussed were1.The nature of Christ2.The Trinity

Constantine demanded that the bishops all meet at Nicaea and have a vote to determine the majority view, and that they should develop a creed which could be said and believed by all Christians.

Although ordinary Christians found life much easier under Constantine, peace and tolerance led to divisions and heresies among some of the church leaders.

Later councils would be organized to settle other disputes in the early church and to determine the Canon of Scriptures

As the power it the emperors grew weaker and weaker the power of the Church leaders (Pope) grew stronger and stronger.

Official StatusIn 380 AD Emperor Flavius Theodosius made Christianity the official religion of Rome.

• majority of Roman citizens convert to Christianity• almost no separation between church and state• paganism banned