rise of christianity
Tiffany Shionaka
Christianity first started as a religious cult evolving from Judaism. Despite its Jewish origins, it was not long before Christianity regarded itself as something other than a new Jewish sect. The first Christian council concluded that pagan converts to Christianity did not have to follow Jewish ritual laws. Soon, converts to Christianity were almost exclusively pagans and Christianity moved further away from Judaism.
Christians believed in one God who worked the world (monotheism). But before Christianity was introduced, the main religion of Ancient Rome was polytheism meaning Romans believed that more than one god and goddesses worked in the world. Polytheism was popular because the Roman Empire had used the various practices of the religion as a mean to control Rome.
The Romans thought of themselves as highly religious, and attributed their success as a world power to their collective piety in maintaining good relations with the gods. However in doing this they were more concerned with success not sin.
Roman investigations into early Christianity found it an irreligious, novel and disobedient religion. It appeared to deny all forms of religion and was therefore superstitious. Christians were to see the Roman Religion as an ungodly practice and a primary cause of political and economic crisis. When Christianity started merging into the Roman Empire, the state attempted to control the infiltration and adoption of foreign cults. By the end of The Imperial Era, Christianity was the one permitted Roman Religion; all other cults were banned.
Early in Roman society, Christians were seen as a threat to the Roman Empire’s control of the state. First self-acknowledged Christians were publically tortured and made a mockery of. Since they were despised, they had to meet in secret, usually meaning during midnight in underground caves.
“Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called
Christianity first started as a religious cult evolving from Judaism. Despite its Jewish origins, it was not long before Christianity regarded itself as something other than a new Jewish sect. The first Christian council concluded that pagan converts to Christianity did not have to follow Jewish ritual laws. Soon, converts to Christianity were almost exclusively pagans and Christianity moved further away from Judaism.
Christians believed in one God who worked the world (monotheism). But before Christianity was introduced, the main religion of Ancient Rome was polytheism meaning Romans believed that more than one god and goddesses worked in the world. Polytheism was popular because the Roman Empire had used the various practices of the religion as a mean to control Rome.
The Romans thought of themselves as highly religious, and attributed their success as a world power to their collective piety in maintaining good relations with the gods. However in doing this they were more concerned with success not sin.
Roman investigations into early Christianity found it an irreligious, novel and disobedient religion. It appeared to deny all forms of religion and was therefore superstitious. Christians were to see the Roman Religion as an ungodly practice and a primary cause of political and economic crisis. When Christianity started merging into the Roman Empire, the state attempted to control the infiltration and adoption of foreign cults. By the end of The Imperial Era, Christianity was the one permitted Roman Religion; all other cults were banned.
Early in Roman society, Christians were seen as a threat to the Roman Empire’s control of the state. First self-acknowledged Christians were publically tortured and made a mockery of. Since they were despised, they had to meet in secret, usually meaning during midnight in underground caves.
“Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called