christianity in the roman empire essay

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World history

Course: world history   >   unit 2.

• Early Christianity
• The spread of Christianity

Christianity in the Roman Empire

• The Council of Nicaea
• Judaism and Christianity key terms
• Context: Judaism and Christianity
• Early Judaism and Early Christianity
• Christianity developed in the province of Judea out of Jewish tradition in the first century CE, spread through the Roman Empire, and eventually became its official religion
• Christianity was influenced by the historical contexts in which it developed

Beginnings of Christianity

Christianity and rome.

• (Choice A)   Christianity was fully formed as a new religion at this time A Christianity was fully formed as a new religion at this time
• (Choice B)   Christianity was still not clearly defined at this time B Christianity was still not clearly defined at this time
• (Choice C)   Christianity was well-established as a major religion in the Roman Empire C Christianity was well-established as a major religion in the Roman Empire

Rome becomes Christian

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The History Hit Miscellany of Facts, Figures and Fascinating Finds

The Growth of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Colin Ricketts

09 aug 2018.

This educational video is a visual version of this article and presented by Artificial Intelligence (AI). Please see our AI ethics and diversity policy for more information on how we use AI and select presenters on our website.

The Rome of today is no longer the centre of a great empire. It is still globally important though, with more than one billion people looking to it as the centre of the Roman Catholic faith.

It’s not a coincidence that the capital of the Roman Empire became the centre of Roman Catholicism; Rome’s eventual adoption of Christianity, after centuries of indifference and periodic persecution, gave the new faith enormous reach.

Saint Peter was killed in Nero’s persecution of Christians following the Great Fire of 64 AD ; but by 319 AD, Emperor Constantine was building the church that was to become St Peter’s Basilica over his grave.

Religion in Rome

Since its foundation, Ancient Rome was a deeply religious society and religious and political office often went hand in hand. Julius Caesar was Pontifex Maximums, the highest priest, before he was elected as Consul, the highest Republican political role.

The Romans worshipped a large collection of gods , some of them borrowed from the Ancient Greeks, and their capital was full of temples where by sacrifice, ritual and festival the favour of these deities was sought.

Wedding of Zeus and Hera on an antique fresco from Pompeii. Image credit: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Julius Caesar approached god-like status at the height of his powers and was deified after his death. His successor Augustus encouraged this practice. And although this apotheosis to divine status happened after death, the Emperor became a god to many Romans, an idea Christians were to later find highly offensive.

As Rome grew it encountered new religions, tolerating most and incorporating some into Roman life. Some, however, were singled out for persecution, usually for their ‘un-Roman’ nature. The cult of Bacchus, a Roman incarnation of the Greek god of wine, was repressed for its supposed orgies, and the Celtic Druids were all but wiped out by the Roman military, reportedly for their human sacrifices.

Jews were also persecuted, particularly after Rome’s long and bloody conquest of Judea.

Christianity in the Empire

Christianity was born in the Roman Empire. Jesus Christ was executed by Roman authorities in Jerusalem, a city in a Roman province.

His disciples set about spreading the word of this new religion with remarkable success in the crowded cities of the Empire.

Early persecutions of Christians were probably carried out at the whim of provincial governors and there was also occasional mob violence. Christians’ refusal to sacrifice to Roman gods could be seen as a cause of bad luck for a community, who might petition for official action.

The first – and most famous – great persecution was the work of Emperor Nero . Nero was already unpopular by the time of the Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD. With rumours that the Emperor himself was behind the fire circulating, Nero picked on a convenient scapegoat and many Christians were arrested and executed.

‘Triumph of Faith’ by Eugene Thirion (19th century) depicts Christian martyrs in the time of Nero. Image credit: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

It wasn’t until the reign of the Emperor Decius in 250 AD that Christians were again put under Empire-wide official sanction. Decius ordered every inhabitant of the Empire to make a sacrifice in front of Roman officials. The edict may not have had specific anti-Christian intent, but many Christians did refuse to go through the ritual and were tortured and killed as a result. The law was repealed in 261 AD.

Diocletian, the head of the four-man Tetrarch, instituted similar persecutions in a series of edicts from 303 AD, calls that were enforced in the Eastern Empire with particular enthusiasm.

The ‘conversion’

The apparent ‘conversion’ to Christianity of Constantine, Diocletian’s immediate successor in the Western Empire, is seen as the great turning point for Christianity in the Empire.

Persecution had ended before Constantine’s reported miraculous vision and adoption of the cross at the Battle of Milvian Bridge in 312 AD. He did, however, issue the Edict of Milan in 313, allowing Christians and Romans of all faiths ‘liberty to follow that mode of religion which to each of them appeared best.’

Christians were allowed to take part in Roman civic life and Constantine’s new eastern capital, Constantinople, contained Christian churches alongside pagan temples.

Constantine’s vision and the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in a 9th-century Byzantine manuscript. Image credit: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The extent of Constantine’s conversion is still not clear. He gave money and land to the Christians and founded churches himself, but also patronised other religions. He wrote to Christians to tell them that he owed his success to their faith, but he remained Pontifex Maximus until his death. His deathbed baptism by Pope Sylvester is only recorded by Christian writers long after the event.

After Constantine, Emperors either tolerated or embraced Christianity, which continued to grow in popularity, until in 380 AD Emperor Theodosius I made it the official state religion of the Roman Empire.

Theodosius’ Edict of Thessalonica was designed as the final word on controversies within the early church. He – along with his joint rulers Gratian, and Valentinian II – set in stone the idea of an equal Holy Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Those ‘foolish madmen’ who did not accept this new orthodoxy – as many Christians didn’t – were to be punished as the Emperor saw fit.

The old pagan religions were now suppressed and sometimes persecuted.

Rome was in decline, but becoming part of its fabric was still a massive boost for this growing religion, now called the Catholic Church. Many of the Barbarians who are credited with ending the Empire in fact wanted nothing more than to be Roman, which increasingly came to mean converting to Christianity.

While the Emperors of Rome would have their day, some of the Empire’s strengths were to survive in a church led by the Bishop of Rome.

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Home — Essay Samples — Religion — Christian Worldview — The Rise of Christianity and its Impact on the Roman Empire

The Rise of Christianity and Its Impact on The Roman Empire

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• Christianity within the Roman Empire

The Romans viewed religion as very important, though they banned Christianity and punished Christians for a long time. Christians were at first targeted for persecution by Nero in 64 AD - some were killed and eaten by dogs and others set on fire. They continued to be persecuted over the next 100 years, with some Christians even fed to the lions as a form of entertainment within  ancient Rome .

Christianity’s message began to spread throughout the vast Roman Empire thanks to the work of St Paul, the man who had already established churches in Greece and Asia Minor before targeting Rome itself.

The first Christian converts were normally poor people and those locked in the chains of slavery - this is because these sections of society stood to gain the most should Christianity successfully spread through Rome as the religion preached helping those most in need. It was a risky practice though; if they got caught then Christians could be killed as they were only supposed to worship the Roman emperor of the time, even if that leader did little to help their cause.

The tension between Christians and the Romans heightened in 64 AD when a section of Rome was burnt. The Emperor Nero responded by blaming Christians and there was a swift backlash as the Roman people quickly turned against them, with a large number of Christians either arrested or executed. Nero ordered the arrest and torture of all the Christians in Rome. They were then executed in front of huge crowds. Some were crucified, some were thrown to wild animals and others were burned alive.

A Christian’s faith was tested by forcing them on pain of death to swear by the emperor and offer incense to his images, or a sacrifice to the gods.

Christians in ancient Rome were forced to carry out their meetings and worship in secret because of the continual dangers they faced - usually in underground tombs which were out of sight. Christianity kept on growing and in 313 AD, Emperor Constantine made the religion legal - meaning it was acceptable for them to worship openly. Churches were then built throughout the whole empire and in 391 AD it was illegal to worship other gods.

However, Nero’s persecution of Christians was brief and not widespread. In other areas of the empire, Christians were not actively pursued but they could be punished if they refused to surrender their beliefs.

See also: Julius Caesar

MLA Citation/Reference

"Christianity within the Roman Empire". HistoryLearning.com. 2024. Web.

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5 Ways Christianity Spread Through Ancient Rome

By: Becky Little

Updated: June 8, 2023 | Original: July 27, 2022

How did Christianity go from a small sect in a corner of the Roman Empire in the first century, to the religion that the emperor converted to in the early fourth century? Its spread was greatly aided by the empire’s political unification and extensive road system , as well as the belief among many Christians that the religion was something anyone could adopt, regardless of regional or religious background.

1. Everyday Citizens Spread the Word

Missionaries like Paul, a major figure in the Bible ’s New Testament, traveled around the empire with the intention to spread Christianity. However, most of the people who helped spread the religion did so just by talking about it with their neighbors, friends and family members, says Edward Watts , a history professor at the University of California San Diego and author of The Final Pagan Generation: Rome's Unexpected Path to Christianity .

“Missionaries are a part of the story, but most of the story is about regular Christians talking to regular people,” he says. “And that, I think, is the most important reason that Christianity emerges in the way that it does in the Roman world. It’s not mission activity by people like Paul so much as it is people whose name we don’t know.”

2. Early On, Christianity Coexisted With ‘Paganism’

At the Roman Empire’s height in the second century, it stretched into Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. One key reason Christianity was able to spread throughout this vast empire was that many people viewed the new religion as something they could easily adopt without having to change their existing cultural and religious practices.

In the first and second centuries, most people in the Roman Empire worshiped multiple gods at once. When they heard about Christianity, they didn’t necessarily think that worshiping Jesus Christ meant they had to stop worshiping their other gods, like Jupiter, Apollo and Venus. Rather, many adopted Christianity by adding Jesus to the group of gods they already worshiped, Watts says.

The belief that Christianity was compatible with what we now call paganism helped Christianity spread through the Roman Empire. Although some Christians argued there was only one god and Christians shouldn’t worship any others, this wasn't how many people in the Roman Empire understood Christianity at the time, Watts says.

3. Early Christians Didn’t Present Themselves as an Exclusive Club

Christianity also got a boost from the idea that it was a religion for anyone—not just people in a certain region with a specific religious background. Though some Christians debated this point, missionaries like Paul preached that a person didn’t have to obey Jewish laws around circumcision and kosher food practices to become Christians.

“This is a key change because it makes the bar to entry much lower,” Watts says. “If you are a male who wants to convert to Christianity, and there’s an assumption that first you have to convert to Judaism , it’s literally physically painful and dangerous for you to convert.”

In addition, the fact that the authors of the Christian gospels wrote them in Koine Greek, a common language version of Greek, made the gospels accessible to more people in the empire. Unlike Aramaic, a regional language in Judea that Jesus spoke, Greek was spoken throughout the Roman Empire.

4. Early Persecution Wasn’t Widespread

During the first and second centuries, persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire was sporadic and regionally-specific rather than empire-wide. The persecution of Christian martyrs like Ignatius of Antioch, who died in the second century, did not represent the experiences of most Christians.

This didn’t changed until the middle of the third century, when the emperors Decius, who ruled from 249 to 251, and Valerian, who ruled from 253 to 260, launched campaigns to promote traditional Roman values and customs like sacrificing animals to pagan gods. Officials documented these sacrifices with papyrus receipts for people to keep as a record of their sacrifice. Those who didn’t have these receipts and refused to sacrifice could be arrested and killed.

Decius’s campaign didn’t target Christians, specifically, but rather anyone who wasn’t practicing pagan sacrifice. In contrast, Valerian’s campaign targeted Christians more directly. After this, the next major campaign against Christians was the Great Persecution. Beginning in 303 under the Emperor Diocletian, it led to the death of many Christian religious leaders and the seizure of Christian property

5. An Emperor Converted—and Officially Recognized the Faith

The Great Persecution was the Roman Empire’s most severe persecution of Christians—and also its last. This is because after this persecution, in 312, Emperor Constantine I became the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. A year later, he helped enact the Edict of Milan, which ended government persecution of Christians and made Christianity a recognized, legal religion within the empire.

Constantine’s rule didn’t mark an immediate shift in the Roman Empire from pagan to Christian. However, “he starts a process that, by the end of the fourth century, will lead to the explicit restriction of pagan practices and the explicit promotion of Christian practices by the imperial government,” Watts says.

Christianity continued to spread through the territories of the western Roman Empire after its fall in 476. Over the next several centuries, it became the dominant religion in the city of Rome as well as the European regions over which the Roman Empire had ruled. The Roman Colosseum , once the site of deadly gladiator battles, even became a sacred Christian site where, in the 17th century, an artist painted an image of ancient Jerusalem.

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Christianity During the Roman Empire Research Paper

The Christian church nowadays presents a powerful source of influence with its power to define and alter the population’s perception of things. The current state of things was established during the Middle Ages, when Christianity was at its peak of influence and contributed to all areas of human lives, such as society, culture, philosophical perceptions, and ideas. Christianity’s influence during that period served as an accelerator for the cultural development of society. However, certain factors predicted Christianity’s future success even during its’ rise in the Roman Empire.

There were periods in history when Christianity first occurred, was not as powerful, and even persecuted by Roman policies. According to Kamm and Graham, the policies allowed existing of other cultures within the Roman empire as long as they accepted imperial rules and religion (436). This research paper will explore the rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire. By leveraging the western idea of piety through the prism of equality and freedom of thought, the Christian church was able to outlive the Roman Empire and succeed as a culture-maker of the Middle Ages.

Many modern ideas and concepts are similar to ancient ideas because ancient ideas and perceptions formed a foundation for modern concepts. Thus, to explore how the Christian church managed to effectively utilize some aspects of the Roman approach to religion, one should start with exploring how piety was approached in the Roman empire. Ancient Rome was one of the greatest ancient empires and the center of the civilized world. Thus, Roman perceptions of several concepts influenced the modern understanding of things (Boer 1). In the same way, the Christian church was greatly influenced by the Roman understanding of the piety of civilized, honorable, and loyal participants. According to Hoklotubbe, Christianity’s approach to piety was based on Roman virtues (205). The Christian church, the author of Pastoral epistles, appealed to the Roman virtues of piety to alleviate the external pressure and internal inconsistency.

A similar understanding of piety and its virtues could be found in the Greek perceptions. In Greek understanding, virtues meant an individual’s excellence or a glorious reputation (Martin 56). In both Greece and Roman Empire, the virtue of piety applied mostly to the socially advantaged population, such as the elite and social and political authorities. Christianity’s approach to piety presented all Christians as bearers of piety, which granted them one of the most esteemed virtues in ancient times. By strategically implementing the idea of piety in all Christians without reference to social status, the Christian church built confidence in the legitimacy of the Christian faith.

The introduction of piety and virtues contributed to Christianity’s appeal to freedom of thought. In comparison with other religions, Christianity presents a set of answers about God, human beings, and their place in the world. According to Ptaszek, the abovementioned character of Christianity, especially Catholicism, contributed to the rationality of the Christian perception (163). However, during the further development of Western culture, the virtues introduced by the Catholic church were perceived as rules and restrictions that slowed scientific progress (Ptaszek 170). Humanity strives to learn the truth about anything through the sense of rationality developed by Christianity’s influence. Learning the truth in modern understanding means freeing the intellect and mind or freedom of thought. Therefore, even though virtues introduced by the Christian church were limiting the people’s potential, the overall character of Christianity, in the end, defined the idea of freedom of thought.

Besides the influential input of Roman and Greek perceptions of piety, Christianity also appealed to equality based on the piety-oriented stoicism principles. According to Martin, stoics suggested that human beings should pursue excellence or virtue and believed that people live infinite lives (272). Stoics utilized an egalitarian principle as they believed their suggestions equally apply to men and women. They even suggested unisex clothing to emphasize the equality of all people (Martin 272). Lakoff suggested that the principle served as a foundation for the equality principle, where Jews and Greeks, slaves and free men, males, and females, were treated equally in the Bible (115). The news aspect of equality that did not consider the social status and hierarchy allowed the strengthening of the already existing ideas of virtues and provided more support to Christianity’s credibility.

Despite the influence of the Graeco-Roman world, the equality aspect of the Stoicism principle itself was weaker. On the other hand, the Christian approach to egalitarian ideas offered a more complex meaning and emphasized other aspects of equality, such as dignity and immortality of the soul. According to Lakoff, the egalitarian ideas introduced and developed by Christianity inspired several successful emancipation movements and rebels (117). Therefore, they not only served as moral principles but also presented a significant source of motivation, further proving why Christianity managed to last and outlive other civilizations, such as the Roman Empire.

After the collapse of the Roman Empire, the values of ancient Rome partially continued existing in Christianity and the values of the Christian church. Moreover, they were revitalized during the peak of Christianity in the Middle Ages. Some of the ideas established in the Roman Empire and ancient Greece could be distinguished in the modern concepts. For example, the modern term social justice was initially defined during the fifth century (Hanson 285). Therefore, even though the Roman Empire and Greece significantly influenced Christianity, the Christian church was able to implement their effective measures and principles. The Christian Church implemented effective principles and motives to strengthen the Christian faith and build moral principles and motivations for future development during the Middle Ages.

In conclusion, this paper explored the valuable aspects of the rise and development of Christianity during the Roman Empire period that contributed to Christianity’s success. By leveraging the western idea of piety through the prism of equality and freedom of thought, the Christian church was able to outlive the Roman Empire and succeed as a culture-maker of the Middle Ages. Several factors predicted Christianity’s further success, which the Christian church implemented from the Roman and Greek experiences. The factors included the introduction of piety and virtues, which were previously granted only o people with high social status.

To support the idea of piety and virtues, the church also established the concept of equality or the egalitarian principle. Both ideas supported the credibility of the Christian faith and promoted moral principles and motivators to the Christians. There were also many things that the Christian church did strategically differently that contributed to Christianity’s further success. The strategic implementation of the combination of important measures and principles allows Christianity to stay relevant in modern society. To provide a deeper analysis of how Christianity influenced society’s development, one should research the Christian church during the Middle Ages.

Works Cited

Boer, Harry R. A Short History of the Early Church . Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1988.

Hanson, R. P. “The Reaction of the Church to the Collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the Fifth Century.” Vigiliae Christianae , vol. 26, no. 4, 1972, pp. 272–287.

Hoklotubbe, Christopher T. Civilized Piety: The Rhetoric of Pietas in the Pastoral Epistles and the Roman Empire . Baylor University Press, 2017.

Kamm, Antony, and Abigail Graham. The Romans: An Introduction . London: Routledge, 2020.

Lakoff, Sanford A. “Christianity and Equality.” Equality , edited by Roland J. Pennock and John W. Chapman, Routledge, 2017, pp. 115-133.

Martin, Thomas R. Ancient Greece: From Prehistoric to Hellenistic Times . Yale University Press. 2013.

Ptaszek, Robert T. “Christianity: Friend or Foe of the Great Ideas?” The Great Ideas of Religion and Freedom , 2021, pp. 163–178.

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Christianity in the Roman Empire: Spread Factors

1. political factors.

Christianity in the Roman Empire: Spread Factors 1. Political Factors Roman Tolerance towards New Religions Although Christian persecution took place in the period from the Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD to the Edict of Milan in 313 AD, these periods were due to political circumstances and were generally isolated and short. Christians were singled out for persecution because the Christian theology and practice were considered unacceptable; and the refusal of Christians to worship the Roman Pantheon or the Emperor or to participate in Roman public religious ceremonies was seen as a civil and a religious offense. Theologians such as Allen Brent argue that generally the Roman authorities did not treat new religions with hostility and that the expansion of new sects or cults was allowed. The Roman Empire was always open to those with new religious ideas. This was because the Roman religion was polytheistic and therefore citizens were free to worship any number of gods and goddesses, and religious expression was decentralized. This religious freedom meant that the early Christians were able to preach and teach in the environment of the Roman Empire, and this, in part, facilitated the spread of Christianity. As a result, Tiberius, in 17 AD, and later Trajan in 111 AD, as quoted by Pliny the Younger, wrote letters to the governors regarding how Christians were to be treated. In both instances, they were to be allowed to practice their faith. Additionally, John Smith argues that Christians were largely able to worship as they saw fit and that anti-Christian sentiment was a result of the perceived threat to the religio-political unity of the Empire and not a result of spontaneous religious intolerance. The reasons for this are evident in the approach that the state took towards conquered or ceded territories; Rome actively encouraged the freedom of local religion and culture so long as any potential for rebellion or sedition was mitigated. This ensured that conquered states were kept pacified and that any potential rebellions were isolated. It also meant that the religious variety of the Empire grew. Hence it can be seen that the Roman authorities, whether through detachment to religious matters in the Senatorial Period or in their active encouragement of religious diversity in the Imperial Period, did not seek to persecute new religious ideas as is often thought. Alasdair Marshall, a senior examiner in Classical Studies, writes "One of the best indicators to support the view that the Roman authorities were tolerant towards new religious ideas is the degree to which the client kings and chieftains of the wider Empire were allowed to practice their faith." He goes on to say that in the extensive epigraphic evidence held at the Vatican Museums, there is a large amount of dedications by client-kings of the Roman Empire to their native gods. The acceptance of these dedications by the Imperial cult and their display shows the freedom allowed in the practice of foreign religions. 1.2. Conversion of Emperor Constantine The conversion of Constantine was one of the turning points in the spread of Christianity. At the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312 AD, Constantine defeated his rival Emperor Maxentius. Lactantius, an early Christian writer, claimed that Constantine had a vision before the battle in which he saw a cross and heard the words "In this sign, conquer." After his victory, Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, which granted religious freedom to Christians and ended the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire. This not only allowed Christianity to flourish openly but also led to the conversion of many Romans to Christianity. Constantine himself converted to Christianity and became a patron of the Christian Church. His conversion and support of Christianity had a significant impact on the spread of the religion throughout the Roman Empire.

1.1. Roman Tolerance towards New Religions

The Roman Empire was home to a great variety of religions without struggling the spread of any of them. Instead, it supported and allowed diverse religious traditions to flourish. Romans were typically very religious in the sense that they practiced their public and private rituals and ceremonies devoted to their own set of gods and goddesses. However, they were also very universalistic, they could accept a large number of deities and cults all over their territories. New religious forms and practices were not only allowed, but were also easily spread throughout the Empire. City or state gods and the Emperor were exceptions. But on the other hand, these exceptions defined the spirituality of the Empire, which looked very much ordered. As long as it did not threaten the religious tolerance of other groups, or the social order and the authority of the Emperor, the religious belief of an individual was not interfered. This clearly meant that the religious policy of the Romans and its tolerance towards new religions would provide a conduit for the spread of Christianity. Religious tolerance was not a law or a legal rule from the very beginning, but it was a well-managed and established political practice. Governed by such kind of tolerance, the authority of the Romans was legitimised by a wide range of gods and goddesses. For example, as people have faith, it kept many of them loyal and obedient to the government. Such a practice helped temporal things well-ordered and produced a peaceful living environment. It was an environment that Christianity could find space to grow and expand. The flexible system of the Roman religious tradition, manifesting the acceptance for changes and new ideas, was the main pull factor of the spread of Christianity. By the time of the Missionary; it helped to make Christianity a global practice religion across the Empire. The striking growth and the increasing popularity of the Christian society, particularly in the second and third century, might also owe to a better evangelical elements within the religious circles. So this suggests that not only the Romans' religious policy was a dominant factor of the spread of Christianity, but also the believers' commitments to their own faith might create a virtuous cycle. Well managed home groups and the practices of baptism and Eucharist provided a strong binding as well as the trust and the attractions to those non believers. These tangible evidences not only consolidated the solidarity of the Christian community itself, but also helped the successful outreach of the new converts. There was no doubt in the mind of the global history researchers when pointing out Roman tolerance as the most crucial factor contributing to spread Christianity. However, it was not an isolated factor. And it was the success of being able to find a good level of the continuity from the Romans' religious policy to the practical evangelical commitment of the faithful that made it become a major religion by the time of Constantine the Great.

1.2. Conversion of Emperor Constantine

With the Emperor's victory in the Battle of Milvian Bridge against his rival and brother-in-law Maxentius in 312 AD, Constantine began to show a shift from the worship of Roman gods to a "sol invictus," not a Christian god, but an ordained sun god. There were many suggestions regarding his victory over Maxentius that why he decided to favour Christianity instead of other religions. One of the crucial suggestions was his hope of divine intervention. According to scholars like O'Connor (2010) who argue that the vision of a cross in the sky with words meaning "in this sign you will conquer" that he reportedly saw before the battle made him like Christianity and ultimately converting to it. Also, after his victory, he credited the Christian god for the success of war. By doing so, he encouraged stronger Christian protection and that then Christian got a very supportive environment in Roman Empire. The presence of the Christian shamrock formed by the Romans added to his motive in converting to Christianity. Some other suggestions are that his mother supported Christianity during his reign by all sorts, and his wife Fausta was also Christian. These might influence his decision to convert as he might have thought that converting to Christianity could address the social disharmonies that he faced at that time from his mother and wife and also could further consolidate his empire reign through their supports of Christianity. All these suggestions formed certain reasons for him converting to Christianity and brought about significant impacts on the spread of Christianity. The conversion story caused numerous discussions among scholars and it is because that different people had different interpretations which made it complex. In the views of Grant (1993), he suggested that Constantine was very pragmatic. He believes that though there might be political reasons for his conversion, it would be a conscious choice because it was a belief in a god. On the other hand, the historian Wilken (2012) held an alternative interpretation towards the conversion of Constantine. He suggested that Constantine was well placed to manipulate the rise of Christianity for his own political advantage. This was very possible because most of his changes in his Emperor time in promoting Christianity could also help him to further strengthen his empire reign. He also claimed that the traditional narratives of Constantine's life struggle and his victorious battle at Milvian were no longer plausible. There was also evidence that some emperors considered Constantine's reign as a tyrant era. For example, Rosenbladt (2005) pointed out that some of the coins issued by Licinius, who was his co-emperor, contained anti-Constantine symbols which meant that even during the time of Constantine, the political power of Christianity might not be as big as what were understood. Lastly, regardless of whatever are the reasons for the Constantine conversion, the victory at the Battle of Milvian Bridge by him, a sole Western Emperor, was a turning point in the history of Christianity. His conversion to Christianity brought about great impacts in shaping Christianity through his reign as he became the first Christian Emperor and also in making Christianity in becoming Roman's state religion ending severe persecutions against Christians and also have the heavy influences in determining the religious doctrine.

1.3. Adoption of Christianity as the Official Religion

In 313 AD, Emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, which allowed religious freedom in the Roman Empire. However, it is not until the reign of Theodosius I in 380 AD that Christianity became the official religion of the empire. One significant reason behind this development is the effect of the Battle of the Milvian Bridge on Constantine. According to Lactantius, a tutor to Constantine's son, during the eve of his battle against Emperor Maxentius, Constantine had a vision of the Christian symbol Chi-Rho, and he and all his troops also saw a cross of light in the sky with an inscription above it, which translates to "in this sign conquer". After Constantine's extraordinary victory in the subsequent battle, he was quick to attribute it to the Christian God, according to Eusebius. As a result, Constantine favored the Christians, and he began to support the church's expansion. These events confirmed his strong, victorious connection with Christianity as opposed to paganism, and it is widely believed that the sudden population growth in Christian communities, as well as tangible support from a powerful patron, greatly accelerated the spread of Christianity across the Roman Empire. After his death in 337 AD, two of his three sons triumphed as Roman emperors, which meant that Christianity continued to enjoy the support from the Imperial family over the subsequent decades. Nonetheless, it was Theodosius I, along with his co-emperors Gratian and Valentinian II, who issued the famous Edict of Thessalonica in 380 AD that finally declared Christianity as the state religion of the Roman Empire. This edict, aimed at preventing Arianism, stated that "our purpose is to make that known everywhere which by our clemency, the order of nature, and of the true divinity has provided for the benefit of all men" and commanded that "we shall grant to Christians and to all men freedom to follow that religion which they deem to be true" and also obliged "that all others" - which refers to not the Christians - "shall have the same freedom and opportunity". This set the initial legal basis for the suppression of any other forms of religious practices and it represented the pinnacle of the Christianization of the Roman Empire. His decree significantly expanded the church's power and led to the destruction of many pagan temples throughout the empire. Consequently, this not only accelerated the decline of Greco-Roman culture, but also marginalized any minority or non-Christian faith by a large degree. In fact, after the closure of the famous Platonist Academy in Athens - a significant cultural beacon for pagans, it is considered as the "end of Hellenic civilization and the beginning of the Byzantine Empire" - paganism never recovered from the devastating effect of Theodosius's anti-pagan campaigns and the reign of Christianity as the sole dominant belief among the population in the Roman Empire firmly set forth.

2. Social Factors

The appeal of Christianity to the lower classes is an important social factor in its spread in the Roman Empire. In contrast to upper class Romans who had more to lose if they converted to Christianity and faced potential persecution, Christianity's message of spiritual equality and the promise of a better afterlife had great appeal to the poor, oppressed, and the dispossessed, in particular to the city poor. Its emphasis on care and compassion for the needy as well as the importance of living an ethical life also struck a chord amongst slaves and women who had few rights in Roman society. Through active recruitment from the lowest echelons of society, Christianity quickly built up a core membership of the urban poor in Rome and other cities of the empire. By gathering largely amongst the poor and providing ministries of charity to their own members and the community at large, it drew Roman attention to evangelical activities and amplified the Christian threat in their eyes. This concentration upon the needs of one's Christian brothers and sisters - with the primary responsibility falling first upon the group's widows and then orphans - to the exclusion of the poorer Roman society in which they lived, threatened to damage the well-established system of patronage and charity upon which the survival of many depends. The public charity, or alimenta offered by the wealthier classes and the state were vital to alleviating urban poverty, but the Christian refusal to participate or donate to such temples of Roman generosity led to significant resentment and anger amongst the social elites. This refusal to conform to the expectations of Roman society was well known to contemporary pagan writers. Pliny the Younger, in reporting to the Emperor Trajan in 112 AD about the methods he had adopted in dealing with suspected Christians in Bithynia, noted that the accusation alone was sufficient for punishment. He also outlined that the steadfastness of these lowly Christian converts in the face of brutal persecution was evidence of their stubborn and impious obstinacy, the 'empty superstitions' they so blindly followed and which he contemptuously labelled as being 'conceived by no mortal are established out of a wicked and senseless heart'. Such views were widespread - many Romans found it hard to believe or even comprehend why any would refuse to at least make a simple sacrifice to the gods for the health and survival of the Emperor and by extension the empire itself.

2.1. Appeal to the Lower Classes

One of the main reasons that Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire was that it appealed to all classes of people, especially the lower class. Unlike other religions of that time, Christianity was officially available to everyone. It was a new type of religion that broke away from the traditionally ethnically based religions. It was a way for individuals to challenge and change the systems that they were unhappy with, rather than just passively accepting it. Christianity offered an alternative and a hope of a better life. The types of different people that it attracted were also reasons for its spread. The first person to establish a new religion in Rome had to get permission from the Senate. However, if the upper classes did not like the new religion, then they could easily vote against it being accepted. This could then lead to persecution. It was important to gain the support of the lower class citizens, as they were the majority and did most of the voting. Therefore, many gods had to be exotic and different in order to attract attention. However, Christianity's permissive stance on all people adopting it was a huge attractor to the lower class. It made the people feel that they were in charge and had control over a major part of their lives. Moreover, the promise of an afterlife in Heaven was a big pull factor to the slaves and other underprivileged members of society. People from a wealthier background who had everything they needed on Earth could not understand why Christianity appealed so much to the lower class. Also, the fact that lower class citizens were converting to Christianity threatened their way of life, which led to a lot of persecution from the upper classes. The lower class citizens mainly lived in the city of Rome itself, whilst the patricians mainly lived in the countryside. The support of the city was very important as it was where majority of the Senate decisions were made. This was another reason why Christianity's permissive stance was so important. The lower class citizens had to be appeased in some way and by giving them a new hope and new rights, then they would be more likely to support a new religion. It eventually attracted multiple Senators and Emperors. In conclusion, the persecution that was led by the upper class aimed to stop the spread of Christianity but actually, it helped it to grow. The fact that there were a huge number of lower class citizens who were unhappy and willing to convert, Christianity eventually became accepted as a legitimate new faith.

2.2. Influence of Christian Communities

From the beginning, Christian communities were attractive to people of lower classes. In fact, the major expansion of the Church during the early Christian period occurred through the conversion of lower class citizens. The main reasons were the opportunity for a communal life and the chance of successful interaction with other Christians. The Christian community also provided social help and material support all the way and, before long, such actions led to the expansion of Christianity and the effectiveness of Christian social works. As time went on, Christian communities became politically valuable as their membership rolls grew longer and longer. In the late second and early third centuries, for example, the Christian community in Roman North Africa showed signs of membership by advocating a Roman official as he sought public office. So when he was attacked, members of a local Christian community then rose to his defense. Such displays of a collective unity and organization amongst the Christian community and the successful intervention in public politics are often seen as evidence for the importance and influence of the Christian community in Roman society. The Christian community also had an administrative system of its own with a chain of commands and a set of mutual responsibilities. For example, after an initiation ritual, a new member would be placed under the guidance of an experienced Christian who was called a sponsor. The sponsor was responsible for the moral and religious activities of the new member and he would also give assistance when required. Such systematic religious practice and the hierarchical leadership made the Christian community an ordered and disciplined social body, a sharp alternative to the contemporary Roman social chaos. This type of community model, once again, was mostly favorable to the lower class people who yearned for a better place in the Roman society. Finally, it is also important to mention the significance of Christian communities in the personal lives of lower class people as a concrete influence and a spiritual comfort. During harsh prosecutions, Christians were under the threat of Roman authorities and many Latin Christian writers mentioned that one could only go through such inhumane tortures and even deaths with the support from God and from the brothers and sisters in a Christian community. And the loyal attitude from Christians to their communities was always shown in the faith literature of the Roman Empire. There were repeated shots of critics from non-Christians regarding that Christians were anti-social, or due to their 'superstitious' belief in another world after death, Christians had no moral nor obligation to their present lives in the Roman Empire. However, in reality, the Christian community had become an essential part in the process of an individual's Christian walk and self-realization. As a conclusion, the significant influence of Christian communities upon the lower class people, whether in a social, political or spiritual sense, had depended on the benefits or supports that it brought about to them. And such beneficial influence not only helped in the expansion of Christianity but also contributed significantly to the unity and progress of the whole church, Christian writers have always posited.

2.3. Spread through Networks and Relationships

It is widely believed that Christianity made strong inroads amongst the noble families and the networks of friendships and clientage surrounding the powerful aristocratic households. Since the aristocracy in Rome were in turn appointed as powerful city governors and army generals, it has been suggested that the speed by which Christianity spread amongst the higher echelons of society was faster than generally acknowledged. This domino effect - whereby members of aristocratic kin groups in the provinces followed the lead of their influential Roman relatives and patronage networks, thus further entrenching Christianity within the higher ranks of public and military life - played a crucial role in advancing the faith's influence throughout the Roman Empire. This is because Roman governors and generals were charged with the enforcement and maintenance of the various state cults and hence, politically motivated persecutions of any emerging religious group. While persecution of Christians did occur, often during periods of instability such as the Roman Civil Wars of AD 69 and the 3rd Century Crisis; Roman responses to the group were generally borne out of an ongoing religious tension and not simply a distaste for theologically or structurally. Furthermore, the organised and deep-rooted networks of friendships and patronage between family and friendships circles spanning throughout the different ranks and spheres of Roman life acted as a channel for spreading of Christianity amongst people who held positions of influence and power at local levels. These networks connected the city and the periphery, the various layers of the social structure and every aspect of life from the personal household to the great Imperial court. As a result, the potential for the spreading of new ideas and beliefs was vast, especially ones that could have had an influence on social norms of behaviour and relationships between different social and familial groups. It is known that Christians were loyal to their faith above the traditional values and virtues of the Roman world - such as loyalty to the Emperor and the Roman state religion - which in itself would have been seen by the authorities as extremely subversive and dangerous. Yet the rapid and relatively enduring success of Christianity as a religious social and political force in the Roman world cannot be understood purely as a category of new religious movement growing under minor. Emperors such as Constantine and Theodosius may have adopted Christianity as a tool of political unity, but it is crucial to acknowledge the significance of the familial, social and political networks of relationships and clientage through which the faith was able to coalesce and prosper.

3. Cultural Factors

The spread of Christianity was also aided by the adaptation of Christian symbols and practices. Christianity in the Roman Empire was still young and often met with distrust around most communities. By adapting existing pagan symbols and rituals, or by imbuing everyday objects with Christian meanings, the symbols and practices of the new religion made their way into the Roman household. This made it easier for non-converts to be more accepting, which contributed to the spread of the religion. For example, the adaptation or use of candles, incense burners, and other items often seen in Roman households allowed Christians to continue cultural practices while integrating Christian meanings into the household. Interestingly, it is actually still a practice within modern Christianity for pagan symbols to be, as the early church father Augustine put it, "fulfilled"⁠—that is, given a new Christian meaning. This was not unique to the establishment of Christianity in the Roman Empire, but the first few centuries of Christianity saw a significant amount of this practice, which contributed to its growth and influenced its development as a religion. In the same vein, the Roman culture of religious-centric governmental proceedings and ceremonies significantly affected the spread of Christianity by granting it a similar place in the empire. From the fourth century, Christianity was made the official state religion and was allotted the same incentives—such as tax exemptions and entitlements to extra financial support⁠—which were previously granted to Roman cults. The Roman culture of intensely divinatory public ceremonies and spectacles of faith in government became Christianised; the rituals and practices of bishops' public meetings ("synods") began to mirror those of Rome's major political events. This mirror of Roman governmental proceedings in the early Christian leadership was a tool to help establish their religion as a "legitimate and authorised imperial inhabitant⁠", reflecting the statement of fourth-century Christian and Roman historian Eusebius. Another significant aspect of the growth of Christianity in the Roman Empire was the incorporation of Christian beliefs into established philosophical and religious systems. From the mid-second century to around 280, a cult of religion called Mithraism was also on the rise in Rome. Mithraism was attractive to many Romans—especially soldiers and merchants—because of the highly-regimented rituals and ceremonies that reflected the Roman militaristic and authoritatively religiously structured society. However, towards the turn of the century and the decline of paganism, the cult of Mithraism lost support while Christianity, which was similarly strict in regulation of lifestyle but adopted a different perspective on social order, began to thrive. This period of competition between Christianity and Mithraism was crucial in the spread of Christianity, leading to an intertwining of the two cultures that eventually resulted in the absorption of numerous Mithraic symbols and practices into Christianity. This process bolstered the spread of Christian ideologies and enhanced its accessibility, thereby allowing for a widely-mixed but loosely connected group of people—regardless of the different Mithraic sects and older pagan beliefs they harbored—to find familiarity and contentment in becoming Christian.

3.1. Adaptation of Christian Symbols and Practices

When Christianity began in the Roman Empire, it was a growing religion and was often persecuted by the authorities. However, in the year 313 A.D., the Emperor Constantine made a radical decision to change the course of Christianity in the Empire. He defeated his rival and co-emperor in the west, Maxentius, at the Battle of Milvian Bridge in Rome. Before the battle, he is said to have seen a vision of a cross with the words "in hoc signo vinces" - "in this sign, conquer". This made Constantine realize that the Christian God was calling on him to convert to Christianity. After Constantine claimed the title Augustus as the first Christian emperor, this vision was used to justify the Edict of Milan in the same year, 313, which officially granted religious tolerance to Christianity. The story itself, though a crucial moment in Christian history, was actually written years later by Constantine's supporters and so could have been embellished with more miraculous elements to increase its impact. This means it might not be a true representation of what Constantine saw, which is a key issue when looking at the symbolism of the vision. However, it is clear that the adoption of Christianity by the Emperor Constantine allowed the religion to grow and flourish in a way that persecution had prevented. Many Christians would later see the Edict of Milan and the reign of Constantine as a turning point in the history of Christianity. As the religion began to spread, the Church and Christian practices and symbols began to adapt and take on elements of Roman culture. As the Romans had many gods and found it difficult to accept monotheistic Christianity, Christians 'baptized' or adapted existing Roman religious festivals and iconography. For example, the festival of Saturnalia, a celebration at the end of the Roman year, was adopted by the early Church as a time of giving and receiving presents, and more importantly, celebrating the birth of Christ. This was an ideal time for the religion to grow as it was already an important part of the Roman calendar and most citizens were on holiday and open to new beliefs. The iconography and layout of the Roman Empire itself also played a part in the progression of Christianity. After Constantine's conversion to Christianity, he began work on creating a major basilica in the city of Rome. These buildings were usually used by the Roman authorities to show off a particularly important area or Temple of the Imperial Cult. When Constantine chose to build one for the Christian religion, he chose the Lateran Palace, which had been given to the Bishop of Rome - the Pope. The layout and style of these early Christian basilicas was often based on the Roman public buildings mentioned above, as well as the secular assembly halls and courtrooms in the Empire. By using a familiar architecture, Christians were able to create a religious space that was integrated into the city and allowed the religion to become a more public and visually important presence. This is the same for the adaptation of Christian symbols; the Chi-Rho, a symbol of the name of Christ, was adopted and used by Constantine on his standard and coins. By using the sign as a military mean, the enemy would be faced with the powerful and holy name of Christ and Constantine's soldiers would be under His protection - this let the Emperor tie in his role as a Christian leader and protector with his status as the authority in the Roman world. These strategies played a great role in the conversion and eventual dominance of Christianity in the Roman Empire. With the combined factors of important symbols being given connections to military or spiritual power, religious practices being given Roman similarities and the Emperor himself being a driving force, it is clear to see how successful a formerly persecuted faith became in just under 300 years.

3.2. Integration of Christian Beliefs with Roman Culture

As well as adapting Christian symbols and practices, Christianity spread in the Roman world by integrating the beliefs of the new religion with the established Roman way of life. This could have been similar to the way other mystery cults were already doing. Christianity was different from other Roman religions in that it was proselytizing. This means that Christians considered it their duty to convert people to the religion. Modern day Christians are similar: many evangelize and try to persuade others to join their faith. Therefore, integrating Christianity into Roman life was seen as a positive step and that the more that people could see how Christian messages fitted in with day-to-day life, the more they might be willing to convert. One example of where Christian and Roman ways of life were deliberately brought together can be found in the catacombs. These were underground burial sites where you might find secretive Christian meetings alongside decorative Roman symbols - or where Christians would deliberately bury their dead close to very important Roman citizens to show that they were not deliberately trying to separate themselves from Roman society. There were plenty of opportunities for Romans to observe the integration of Christianity with their everyday life and to gain an understanding of the Christian message. By the time Emperor Constantine came to the throne in AD306, although his mother, Helena, converted to Christianity, there were only around 15% of the population of the Roman Empire that were Christians. However, by the time of his death, this had risen to 50%. This shows that the urge to integrate Christian messages into Roman society, as well as the focus on converting people to the faith, was successful.

3.3. Influence of Christian Literature and Philosophy

Christian literature and Christian philosophy also played a key role in the spread of Christianity. As with the Jewish faith, Christianity recognized other texts as being inspired by God. These texts not only influenced individual behavior but also speech and conduct within society. This is succinctly expressed in the Bible, which teaches in Thessalonians 5:12, "And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you." This passage from the Bible has led to the development of a 'biblical work ethic' as it stresses the importance of knowing church leaders who supervise and guide the community. This served to influence and attract potential converts as the appeals of a community that cared for each other were quite strong. As well as literature, Christian philosophy also provided much attraction to the Roman Empire. The teachings of forgiveness and the afterlife could provide hope and comfort to the miserable; and by promising salvation, it could also appeal to the elites. This is clearly expressed in the text of "A letter written by a stoic to Julius Caesar" where it teaches the principle of forgiveness. This philosophy is echoed in "The Story of the Christian Fish" whereby despite all the pains one has to suffer in this life, God's mercy shall never end. And no wonder that when the Deacons secret sign is made, my soul is filled up with great joy. For that was when I realized the crabs have been removed off my poor wounded body; only the fish, the symbol of Jesus Christ himself, was left in my soul as my true and only Healer. It is known that the Christians in the Roman Empire were persecuted time and again. However, this text seems to suggest that despite the pains, Christianity shall triumph and ones shall be rewarded with grace and joy. This act and feeling of resistance against persecutions no doubt improved the image of Christianity and thus helped its further spread. If indeed the fish in the soul is true and the mercy never ends, it is very likely that the influence of Christian philosophy is substantial and significant. This is further supported by Eusebius; in 'The History of the Church', he writes about "fiery purgation" under persecutions and he includes the explanation of how "men put to the torture and refused to sacrifice" arrive at "promise of pardon itself by mere readiness to suffer". This suggests that the Christian's resistance against persecutions led to an increase in conversions which were further facilitated by this promise of pardon. It can be seen therefore that the combined influence of Christian literature and Christian philosophy has indeed provided both comfort and attraction to all social ranks across the Roman Empire.

4. Economic Factors

A further important factor in spreading the faith was the economic support provided to Christianity and Christians. Wealthy Christians supported Christianity as a faith; this can be seen in the work of historians such as Frend, who wrote that "it was often to the advantage of local communities to have some rich men holding high religious office to pay for new buildings." This reflects the economic high status and privilege that Christianity was able to attain as a result of patronage from these figures. One example is that of the Catacombs in Rome, an underground cemetery in which the early Christians were buried. It covered over 15 acres of land and was the site of the remains of 6 million Christians. Such a large site in a prominent area of the city would have been unimaginable without the support of wealthy benefactors. This point is further reinforced when one considers the signs of prosperity in these areas; coffins began to adorn artworks and inscriptions began to be more elaborate, reflecting not just a growing Christian community but also a wealthy Christian community. This reflects not just economic prosperity in terms of buildings and funding but also in terms of the Christian population itself. Additionally, wealthy Christians used their economic resources to spread the faith actively, through the mechanisms of trade and commerce. One of the most successful and profitable areas of Roman existence was trade, especially with the East. Indian and Arabian goods would flow into places like the bustling port of Alexandria in Egypt and to a lesser extent the economic centre of Rome itself and from there distribute outwards. Such a wealth of goods in the Mediterranean meant that those who controlled trade could become exceptionally wealthy and this, in turn, gave them significant economic, and by extension political, influence. As Christianity has been continuously adapted and is now becoming more centred towards charity and good works, trade would have offered a perfect opportunity to spread both wealth and the faith for wealthier Christians and offer a chance of helping to move a culture towards the ideology of Christianity. As a result, we can see that economic factors greatly influenced the proliferation of Christianity through the use of wealth to fund building and projects by the Church and also by providing not only the resources that Christianity would need to begin to grow but also a method of exposing other communities to the faith. However, this by no means belittles the significance of factors such as the popularity of Christian morality or the policies by which the religion was treated by politicians. These various factors combined to contribute to the widespread dissemination of Christianity in the Roman Empire.

4.1. Patronage by Wealthy Christians

The Roman tradition of patronage (the support, often financial, that a patron provides to his clients) was a well-established feature of the Roman world. Wealthy Romans, philanthropic by nature, used patronage as a way of repaying the loyalty of their supporters and as a means of advertising their own status and worth. The patrons used the masses of Roman society to flaunt their own status known as a client-patron relationship. This was abused by emperors such as Augustus who rose to power by using different class presences and appealing to the emotional and financial needs of the lower classes. Such relationships were not only seen politically but in the Roman economy. With these relationships impacting all diverse aspects of Roman society, it was essential to hold a strong relationship with the people that surround you. However, with the rise of Christianity in the Roman world, it was these relationships that would lead to many different people converting to the newly found religion of Christianity. Christians greatly valued charity and the behavior of helping those who were less fortunate in society. This was in sharp contrast to the Roman way of life which was based upon self-promotion and pursuit of social status. Also very attractive to many Romans was the fact that Christianity was egalitarian. There were no social boundaries within the church and the idea that everyone was equal left some feeling liberated from the social chains that were often present within Roman society. As the Christian community started to grow more influential and wealthier Romans started to convert, the community used the term 'patronage' and the idea of 'patronage relationships' as a way of trying to convert others. Wealthy Christians used their status to provide patronage to the lower classes so in effect, performing a Christian way of life and thus, this led to many people converting. The rise of Christian patronage relationships became so evident that Constantine himself tried to provide theological reasoning behind the traditional patronage system and relate it to Christianity.

4.2. Economic Benefits of Christian Institutions

Christian institutions provided social services such as education, healthcare, and food for the poor. Christians promoted the religion through good deeds. This allowed them to build a good reputation and the Roman citizens started to see Christianity as a loving and caring religion. As a result, more and more Romans were attracted to join Christian communities. Diocletian's Christian persecution from 303 to 313 was a turning point for the early Christian Church. It was a series of edicts from Diocletian that called for the destruction of Christian Church buildings and, more importantly, the burning of all Christian scripture. Many Christian scriptures from this time were lost, and it was a disaster for the Church because the scripture had an important role in the spread of Christianity. However, the experience of persecution eventually turned into a sort of positive force with Constantine's conversion in about 312. Citations: Baumeister, The Church at the end of the ancient, p.11-16 Yeowell, p.84 Brake, p.12 Kelly, p.25-28 Galerius: Edict of Toleration, A.D.311 Also, as a practical leader, Constantine had some great decisions that promoted the spread of Christianity. For example, he converted the suburban villa of Lateran into the cathedral, which he presented to the Bishop of Rome. On top of that, all Christian priests were given the same rights and privileges as Roman priests. All these acts made it easier and more beneficial for Romans to convert to Christianity and for Christians to spread their religion even further. Such acts had a huge impact on the later development of the religion and left a long-lasting effect on the Church. Although people at that time did not really see that this would be such a crucial turning point for Christianity, it's the beginning of a new era for the religious history and this era would last for over a thousand years. It was called the time of Christendom. Christendom started from the time of Constantine and it refers to a period where the Christian Church held a central power and authority in western society. Christendom symbolizes the great unity between the Church and the state in terms of politics, social life, and economy. This idea was further developed when Theodosius 1 declared Christianity as the official state religion in 380, and such unity lasted until the Reformation. He was trying to establish an empire where the Christian Church had such significance that could never be challenged. Christians were in good shape and Rome was at a time of great prosperity. He was trying to make an empire which was strong and united and, most importantly, God was at the center of the empire so that peace and order would be ensured. Homosexuality was illegal, making homosexuality punishable by castration and death. It was not permitted for slaves to convert to the religion. The state was more powerful than the Church, and the Emperor had authority over the whole kingdom and all his subjects. His theory and practice brought a harmonious life and prosperity to the Roman Empire. However, the fundamental goal of Emperor Theodosius 1 was to make a perfect world that was built up based on God's will supported by Christian teachings. He promoted the idea of transforming the Roman Empire into a Christian Empire. This idea was later developed and carried on by the later Christian leaders such as Pope Gregory 1 and Pope Urban 2. They used the concept of Christendom to change the whole political and social environment at that time. It allowed the Christian leaders to have a reason to start a new pattern of life, new reforms could be built up, and the Church was actually the one who took control of setting up a new system. And, it is said that God was on the side of the Christian leaders, such as popes.

4.3. Support from Christian Merchants and Traders

As merchants and traders - often having to travel long distances and establish contacts with diverse groups of people - began converting to Christianity, this provided significant momentum to the spread of the religion. Goods and money would be donated to newly developing Christian communities, both locally and those further afield, and this not only assisted in the establishment of these communities, but also helped to create good living conditions and infrastructure, something which would attract more people to convert. This was particularly true in the larger cities of the Roman Empire, where these merchants were often based. With a steady influx of new converts from the upper echelons of society and the continued support from Christian merchants and traders, Christianity in urban areas grew and grew, as did the influence that Christian leaders and figures held in comparison to traditional Roman practices. In addition, the support and trade networks established by such merchants would prove integral to the strength and prosperity of larger, more established Christian communities in the Empire; as the security and influence that these communities provided would only further encourage the spread of Christianity. Also, the fact that wealthier and more influential figures within Roman society - like the merchants and traders - were converting would later play a significant role in the ultimate adoption and spread of Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire.

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Christianity in its early period itself could not be contained in Jerusalem alone, it spread throughout the Roman world. Christianity had its origin in the Palestine and had grown to other continents in the first century itself. The Book of Acts of the Apostles recorded one of the earliest accounts of the spread of Christianity to different corners of the Roman Empire and also outside it. The work of the Apostles and the witnesses of martyrs made this rapid growth. The religion had stimulated to Asia in the same phase as it stimulated to the European Continent. The Roman Empire with its good roads, sea routes, trade connections, city ports and learning centres etc played an important role in the spread of Christianity, as it brought people of diverse background, religions and cultures into contact. Also in the flipside, the persecutions too played an important role in spreading Christianity, as many Christians fled to different parts of the world with this newfound faith. After conversion of Emperor Constantine to Christianity, it began to spread into all directions. Christianity became deeply rooted in various parts of the world. One of the important places it reached was "Persia". In the beginning, though certain Sassanid Kings were tolerant towards Christians in Persia, by the time of Saphor II, persecution of Christians started because of religious and political causes. This paper is intended to elucidate the expansion of Christianity

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