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The Rise of
Christianity in
the Roman
Empire
Early Roman Religion
• Played an important role in Roman
society
• Beginning with Augustus, emperors were
often declared gods
• Romans worship many gods &
goddesses (polytheism)
• Romans believed that observing proper
rituals brought them into a proper
relationship with the gods in order to
guarantee peace and prosperity
• Roman Worship of Gods:
– Impersonal
– Practiced without a great deal of emotion
Roman Conquest of Judea
• CA 63 BCE—Roman Empire
extends to Judea (Home of the
Jews)
– Jewish kingdom remained
independent at first,
• 6 CE—Roman Empire took total
control and made Judea a Roman
province
• Jews believed the Messiah would
arrive to restore kingdom of the
Jews
Jesus of Nazareth
Jesus of Nazareth
• Historians believe he was born
between 6 to 4 BCE in town of
Bethlehem, Judea
• Raised in the village of Nazareth in
Northern Palestine
• Baptized by prophet John the Baptist
• Carpenter by trade
• Public Ministry—began at the age of
30
Jesus of Nazareth
• Jesus:
– reportedly performed miracles, preached, did
good works
• Teachings:
– Contained many ideas from Jewish tradition
• Monotheism—belief in one god
• Principles of the Ten Commandments
• Emphasized:
– God’s personal relationship to each human being
– Stressed importance of people’s love for God,
themselves, neighbors, and even enemies
– God would end wickedness in the world and
establish an eternal kingdom after death for those
who genuinely repented their sins.
Support for Christianity Grows
• Historical records mention little of
Jesus
• Main source of information
regarding Christianity are found in
the Gospels, the first 4 books of
the New Testament of the Bible.
– Gospels written by Jesus' followers
(called disciples / pupils)
– 12 Disciples later known as Apostles
Jesus Becomes a Celebrity
• Popularity for Christianity grows
due to:
– Jesus became popular as he traveled
from town to town
– Messages:
• appealed especially to the poor (he
ignored wealth and status)
• Simple and direct—people touched by
messages (easily understood)
Christianity Spreads
Throughout the Empire
Followers of Jesus inspired by his
‘triumph over death’
• Created a new religion based upon
his message
• First followers of Jesus were Jews,
his teachings did NOT contradict
Jewish teachings
• Followers create new religion,
Christianity
Christianity Spreads
Throughout the Empire
• Despite political & religious
opposition, Christianity Spreads
throughout the Roman Empire
• Paul—a Jew who was originally an
enemy of Christianity
• Vision: saw a vision of Christ (he
never met him personally) in
Damascus, Syria and spent the life
spreading & interpreting Christ’s
teachings
Christianity Spreads
Throughout the Empire
Pax Romana—made spreading of
Christianity possible because:
– Provided an era in which travel &
exchange of ideas was relatively safe
– Roman Road System—enabled Christ’s
message to spread throughout the
Roman Empire
– Common Languages—Greek & Latin
allowed Christ’s messages to be easily
understood
Imperial Roman Road System
St. Paul:
Apostle to the Gentiles
The Rise of Christianity
The Empire in Crisis: 3c
Jewish Revolt
• 66 CE—band of Jews revolt against
Roman rule
• 70 CE—Romans stormed Jerusalem and
destroy Temple Complex, leaving only
western portion of the wall (Jew’s holiest
shrine)
• 73 CE—about a ½ million Jews killed by
Romans
• 132 CE—Jews make second attempt at
revolt, another ½ million Jews killed
– Jewish political state ceased to exist (Romans
exact complete control)
– Jewish religion survived, though many driven
into exile (dispersal of Jews called Diaspora)
Persecution of the Christians
• Christians refused to worship Roman
gods & goddesses
– Refusal seen as an opposition to
Roman rules & laws
– Roman rulers used Christians as
scapegoats for political & economic
problems within the Roman Empire
Persecution of the Christians
• Refusal to worship Roman deities
resulted in the following:
– Christians were imprisoned, exiled, or
executed
– Thousands crucified, burned, or killed by
wild animals in circus arenas
• Many Christians (and some nonChristians) regarded persecuted
Christians as martyrs—those who
were willing to sacrifice their lives for
the sake of a belief or a cause.
Persecution of the Christians
(Left) Picture of St.
Ignatius being
thrown to the Lions
in Rome. (He was a
Christian martyr)
A Worldly Religion
• Despite persecution of its
followers, Christianity’s
popularity increased
• By late 3rd Century CE, there
were millions of Christians
within & beyond Roman Empire
A Worldly Religion
• Popularity of Christianity due to:
– Embraced all people—men,
women, slaves, poor, nobles
– Gave hope to powerless
– Appealed to those who were
repelled by the extravagances of
Imperial Rome
– Offered personal relationship with
God
– Promised eternal life after death
The Spread of Christianity
Diocletian Splits the
Empire in Two: 294 CE
Diocletian: From
Persecution to Semitoleration
•Diocletian was the last
major emperor to enforce
persecution of Christians
•He soon realized that
Christianity was too
powerful to be destroyed
by force
Constantine: 312 - 337
Constantine was
the 1st Christian
Emperor
Constantine Accepts
Christianity
• 312 CE—Constantine fighting rivals
for control of Rome
– Marched to the Tiber River at Rome to
battle his chief rival.
– Day before Battle of Milvian Bridge,
Constantine prayed for divine help—
reportedly saw an image of a cross
(The Symbol of Christianity)
– Ordered artisans to paint Christian
cross on his soldiers’ shields &
attributed success to help from the
Christian God
Constantine Accepts
Christianity
• 313 CE—Constantine orders
persecution of Jews to cease
• Edict of Milan—declared Christianity
to be one of the religions approved
by the Emperor
• 380 CE—Emperor Theodosius
declares Christianity the official
religion of Roman Empire
Constantine & Christianity
• Disagreements increase between
Christian leaders about beliefs &
teachings
– Church leaders accused people of heresy—
any belief that appeared to contradict the
basic teachings of Christ
– Church leaders solidify teachings in the Old
Testament (included Epistles of Paul, First 4
Gospels, & other documents)
• Added to the Hebrew Bible—Christians call these
teachings the Old Testament
• Constantine orders further consolidation
of Christian teachings & calls to order
Church leaders at the Council of Nicaea
in Anatolia
– Nicaea Creed written—contains the basic
beliefs of the Church
Christian
Hierarchy
Pope
Patriarch
Archdiocese/Archbishop
Bishop/Diocese
Priest/Parish
Constantine Moves the
Roman Capital
• Constantine divides the Roman
Empire into two:
– East—Constantinople
– West—Rome
– After Constantine, Roman empire
continued to be divided into two
regions = west and east/ Rome =
capital of west, Constantinople =
capital of east
Constantinople: The “New Rome”
Constantinople: “The 2nd
Rome” (Founded in 330)
Byzantium:
The Eastern Roman Empire
Eastern Roman Empire