Aids To The Growth of Christianity in The Roman Empire Essay

Aids to the Growth of Christianity in the Roman Empire In the Roman Civilization where the prevalent worship of Roman gods were impersonal and did not provide a moral base or a message of hope, in the fourth century Christianity was formed, born as a movement within Judaism. Christianity emphasized the personal relationship between God and people, slowly spread through the Roman Empire until ultimately dominating the western culture. Three of the several factors that aided to the growth of Christianity in the Roman Empire were: the central beliefs and value of Christianity, prominent figures, and Christianity appeal to women. Christianity offered hope to many, for it was the time of grace and freedom, the time to rebuild the future and†¦show more content†¦Christianity prevailed over paganism because the former successfully offered a new culture that could make sense of an increasingly chaotic world and because it was not weakened by the pluralism inherent in ancient paganism. With its insistence on exclusive monotheistic worshi p of the Christian God it won where paganism could only fail, in demanding solitary allegiance to its movement (Hamilton 38). In demanding such commitment, those won to Christianity were far more connected to its goals and purposes than believers to the general pagan movement. Further, â€Å"for Christians that were already firmly committed, the benefits of esteem and other worldly rewards far outweighed whatever cost in suffering martyrdom might bring. Paganism had nothing analogous to win such enthusiastic commitment† (Hamilton 38). Whereas, Christianity promised life after death in heaven while in the Roman religion, only gods went to heaven; emperors were considered gods, everyone else went to the underworld. In addition, there were prominent figures and leader during this time that also aided in the growth of Christianity. The most prominent figure of Christianity was Jesus who started this new religion. Around the age of thirty when Jesus began his teaching ministry, Jews of various classes heard Jesus’ message, and he soon had a small group of followers that believed that he was the Messiah who would deliver the Jews promised by God to the prophets. â€Å"PerformingShow MoreRelatedComparing Revelation On The Relationship Of Church And State1215 Words   |  5 PagesEusebius on the Relationship of Church and State After reading chapters twelve through thirteen and seventeen through nineteen from the book of Revelation, I have attained knowledge that allows me to see how the author of Revelation perceives the Roman Empire. From the beginning of chapter twelve it is clearly portrayed that the woman who is in the sky, about to give birth, is meant to symbolize Mary the mother of Jesus, or even Israel, the birthplace of Jesus. 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