What kind of fraternity could an unknown Galilean teach you, one who died nearly two hundred years ago? Christians were known by their capacity for personal sacrifice for the sake of all, for their goodwill, sincere humility, cooperation and fraternal care, and for their diligence in perfecting themselves. In Lyon, many of our brothers and sisters communicate with the dead, who are simply those living in eternity. Wikipedia. The Christian religion spread so rapidly that soon it became the legal or official religion of the Roman Empire. Brian Foster has a BSCS degree and a MBA. What kindness do you exercise by leading women and children to the bloody spectacle of the circuses? What you will discover will change your outlook on life – Heaven and Below – Book 1 of Spiritism – The Spirit World Revealed to an Anglican Vicar. Bacchic revels encouraged ecstatic drunkenness and violence, and the cult of Magna Mater involved outlandish dancing and music, and was served by self-castrating priests. Christianity spread quickly through the provinces of the Roman Empire, shown here at its height in the early 2nd Century. Thus, the material world and all of its trappings, power, glory and riches become less relevant. Therefore, it's helpful to gain a better understanding of the Christians and churches who lived and ministered in Rome during the first century A.D. Constantine’s ‘conversion’ poses problems for the historian. Christianity in the Roman Empire. The stone bears the pressure of the tool that polishes it so that it can shine supremely. After all, they absorbed many religions, and were quite tolerant of almost every sect. Read more. Whereas, other deities, religions and cults reinforced the fragility of your life here on earth, meaning that you should respect the power that could exterminate you for any offense; Christianity removed that barrier, leaving the believer with the certainty, that his or her own soul could never be touched by any display of human power. - How is our life planned Retrieved from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_the_Great I see five reasons that helped Christianity to ultimately take over the Roman Empire. As the Romans evolved from a Republic to an Empire, controlling their conquests became paramount for their ruling class. Free Spiritism books List of Recorded Live Programs and Podcasts (Anchor, Spotify, and Others) Although fourth and fifth century AD Christian narratives tend to describe the preceding centuries bitterly as a period of sustained and vicious persecution, there were in fact lulls. Christianity made a huge impact in Rome. (2014, July 25). The conversion was the result of either a vision or a dream in which Christ directed him to fight under Christian standards, and his victory apparently assured Constantine in his faith in a new god. In the book, a Roman Patrician exclaims, “I cannot accept a faith that annuals pride and valor!”[7] From the Roman point of view, Christianity was no mere cult attracting the dregs of society. ( Log Out /  In fact, the Romans attempted to absorb many religions and cults into the Empire and actually allow the building of temples and other edifices in the greatest city in the world at that time, Rome. And who? Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Constantine the Great, declared emperor at York, Britain (306), converted to Christianity, convened the Council of Arles (314), became sole emperor (324), virtually presided over the ecumenical Council of Nicaea (325), founded the city of Constantinople (330), and died in 337. They believe the fall of Rome simply came because the barbarians took advantage of difficulties already existing in Rome - problems that included a decaying ci… Within the Roman Empire, Christianity was banned and Christians were punished for many years. Why would the Romans try to stamp out the Christians? The Roman Empire heavily persecuted the new religious movement budding from Jerusalem known as Christianity. [9] Wikipedia, “Constantine the Great”, n.d., http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_the_Great, (accessed July 25, 2014). We create suffering by defying the universal laws, and we endure it so we can return to harmonious communion with them. I have seen companions who preceded us receiving those who were put to death… Consequently, I know that you and I will continue to be together. The cults of Bacchus and of Magna Mater had also been suppressed - by the Roman senate during the Republic, mainly because their behaviour was louche and ‘un-Roman’. The whole persecution myth is largely Christian propaganda. Our ancestors, the Druids, taught that we find ourselves in a world of travels or in a field of repeated experiences so that later on we can reach the stars of divine light to be one with God, our Father. There were many social, geographical, historical and religious issues prevailing at the time of Christ and all of which were favorable to the spread of Christianity. Therefore, the Church began its phase of slowly corrupting the doctrine of serving and started to take on the mantle of expecting to be served by the people, with a cohort of officials with ready hands to deal with the cash. However, I've read a little bit about the beginning of Christianity, and I know a bit about the early Empire. Realistically, the empire was finished a long time before the last emperor, Romulus Augustus, was deposed in 476 AD. Thus the classic test of a Christian’s faith was to force him or her, on pain of death, to swear by the emperor and offer incense to his images, or to sacrifice to the gods. Under particular emperors, Christians were less liable to be punished for the mere fact of being Christians – or indeed, for ever having been Christian. Early persecutions were sporadic, caused by local conditions and dependent on the attitude of the governor. The Christians were unwilling to accept that the roman emperor was god. The very history of Christianity and Judaism in the empire demonstrates that there were limits to how accommodating Roman religion could be, and these were not the only cults to be singled out for persecution. Christianity did increase in numbers gradually over the next two centuries, and among Constantine’s successors only one, the emperor Julian in the 360s AD, mounted concerted action to re-instate paganism as the dominant religion in the empire. If something bad happened, they would blame it on the Christians. What we believe in is the resurrection of the dead. This caused all the people in Rome to be terrified.They thought that if these people did not believe in the Gods, the Gods would take their anger out on everyone. Romans were polytheists believed in many Gods, they had the God of sun, moon, rain, etc… But it was after the third century when Christianity started to form part and get a place in the Roman Empire. This is why for three hundred years, the entire might of the Roman government sporadically made repeated attempts to crush the early Christians. Afire with faith in the immortality of the souls, they did not fear death. Xavier, F. C. (2012). As well as this lack of stability at the head of the empire, social relations were in turmoil, and barbarian incursions were on a threatening scale. Under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.. by Neil Godfrey told the Rev since the of! 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