Out of the Jewish tradition in the first century, Christianity developed in the province of Judea and spread to the Roman Empire, thereby becoming its official religion. Christianity, however, received some backlash from the Romans, although later, there was a turning point for the Romans. However, the development of Christianity was influenced by the Roman Empire's historical context, among other factors, as discussed below.
The introduction of Christianity in Rome was dangerous. This introduction was a risky venture since a small unorganized group initially brought Christianity promised salvation after death. Christianity also preached about Jesus Christ's redemption and later Roman citizen Paul of Tarsus’ missionary work and writings ( Humphries, 2018) . After the death of Jesus, Paul sent his letters to small groups of Christians spread out in the Roman Empire, a clear indicator that Christians were still trying to figure out what it meant to be a Christian. They also tried to figure out the relationship between Christianity and Judaism and the Roman government. The Romans, who were strict followers of their religion, did not welcome the new religion freely into their region.
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The early Christians received a backlash from the roman citizen. Since Judaism had received formal protection from the Roman Empire acted as an advantage over Christianity, which lacked legal protection, leading to many Christians' suffering and persecution. Christians were punished for many reasons, including treason, an illegal assembly where they accused Christians of feeding on dead infants ( Humphries, 2018) . This accusation was proved by the Christian’s last supper and their frequent phrases ‘body and blood,’ other reasons were rumored crimes and the introduction of a cult taken as abusive to Judaism. Localized persecution of Christians was first formally recorded during the reign of Emperor Nero. Ideological believes it was a factor contributing to the persecution of Christians. The Romans thought that Caesar was the greatest, but they could not bring the Christians to agree to this. Due to Christians' suffering, they used to meet in underground tombs as open worship was not allowed.
The Roman Empires' intolerance towards the Christians did not end until Emperor Constantine was to rule. Emperor Constantine, who ruled between 306 to 337 CE, was famous for his attempts to unify the Roman rule, which had grown weaker due to frequent attacks. More importantly, he is known for protecting the Christians against persecution and legitimization. in 313 CE, Emperor Constantine demands toleration for Christianity, giving them full legal rights. Emperor Theodosius, in 375 CE, then made Christianity formal worship leading to the closure of many pagan temples ( Humphries, 2018) . Emperor Theodosius did not make all forms of Christianity legal, but specifically the catholic sub-group.
The Roman Empire gave Christianity a lasting impact in various ways. In 311the roman tetrarchy of Galerius introduced the Edict of toleration ending Diocletian persecution of Christianity ( Perry, 1996) .in 313 CE Licinius and Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, allowing tolerance of all religions. Constantine, in 325 CE, invited all Christian Bishops to attend a council of Nicaea where Emperor Constantine agreed to a creed that stated that God and Jesus are one entity ( Perry, 1996) . Another impact was the Edict of Legalisation's issuance and recognition of all forms of Christianity by Julian the Apostasy ( Perry, 1996) . Finally, in 380 CE, emperor Theodosius signed a decree making Christianity a state religion in the Roman Empire.
As evident in the above points, Christianity did not grow in the Roman Empire with a blink of an eye. Suffering, persecution, and martyrdom were endured, but finally, through various Roman Emperors, victory was achieved, and Christianity widely grew in the Empire.
References
Humphries, M. (2018). Christianity and Paganism in the Roman Empire, 250–450 CE. A Companion to Religion in Late Antiquity , 60-80.
Perry, M. (1996). Western civilization: Ideas, politics & society . Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.
