Early Christian Ecumenical Councils

I believe this is one of the reasons Christianity thrived because people needed some shrivel of hope.

Several factors contributing to the rapid spread of Christianity from the period ca. 50 to 500 CE but, among the more influential were political and social conflict, missionary work, word of mouth, and women in leadership. Starting as a Jewish sect, Christianity gradually began to attract those outside of the Jewish heritage. Though the first few centuries of this movement were anything but glamorous, both Jewish and Gentile Christians remained steadfast. The ecclesiastical works of the early Church Fathers offer solace to such who were continually persecuted, a people of lower society status or even slaves. During this era, the dissimilation of subversive ministries advanced the appeal of Christianity by challenging previously established social order and its structures of power, authority, and hierarchy. By late 300 CE, Christianity had revolutionized and was adopted as the universal religion of the Roman Empire as a result of the conversion of its emperor. Thus the strength behind Christian communities lead to the discovery and conversion of indigenous cultures around the world using force, wealth, missionary work, and the gospel.

The conditions in the Roman Empire were optimal for the development of what is now a prevalent and well established religion. Many factors were influential in the development of Christianity in Rome, and they all were successful in their own way. From Constantine to Paul, and the people their messages reached throughout the empire, they were all united under one

Faith which said that Christ had two natures, human and divine, but a single will. Where Pope

The development of christianity under the empire undoubtedly changed the relation between the political and spiritual spheres in following centuries. In fact, this transpires in how often emperors and empresses played dominant roles in the Eastern church after Constantine I's reign. In many

Constantine the ruler of the Roman Empire had been surrounded by many controversies during his reign (Cameron, 14). He was the son of a great warrior and he defeated Manutius a great ruler at Milia Bridge. He had gained much respect and admiration among the Romans as a fair ruler. He emerged as a ruler who supported Christianity and then became popular as a Christian ruler himself. His reign and victory over the Roman Empire is a significant event in the history of Christian religion. With the Edict of Milan in 313 Christianity was recognized as a religion, and the followers were free to practice Christianity without fear. It has been argued that Constantine failed to treat different religions equally as paganism (Cameron, 57). Constantine also sponsored churches, promoted Christians to high government ranks, exempted taxes for the clergy. In the latter days of his rule Constantine had a stricter approach towards Christianity and professed that there is one God, the Christian God. He rewarded building temples into churches. He played a key role in framing important church policies namely The Council of Arles, A.D. 314 and The Council of Nicaea, A.D. 325.

The Christian faith was effected differently dependent upon the king at the time, and the changes they decided to make. Sometimes for the positive and sometimes for the negative. Originally the Church and the Roman Empire in the East worked closely together. By the mid-400 's the commander in chief, who was named, Odovacar, was king of the Goths, (he deposed the Western emperor in 476.) Then Theidoric became king of the eastern Goths, he managed to keep the peace, however he had one major different religious belief. Thai difference was that the Romans were allied to the Church of Rome; the Goths, Theodoric included, were Arians. Theodoric granted religious freedom to all. Clovis, king of the Franks was baptized and had thousands of his soldiers be baptized with him. (The Franks were the only Catholics.) Clovis used the Church to unite the people, and had a set order of religious rituals. As the Franks spread Arianism died out. However then disagreements arose amongst the bishop of Rome and patriarch of Constantinople of theological matter. So Denis the Short created the canon law, he also changed lists of the saints, and he started a new calendar—one dating from the year of Christ 's birth (what we use today.)

“Eli Eli lama sabachthani!” was Jesus’ last words as he was crucified as stated in the New Testament. After three days, he was resurrected and ascended to the heavens in front of six hundred people. His disciples began to spread his word to various parts of the world. After Paul, one of Jesus’ disciples and his right hand man, failed to convince the Jews, Paul had to resort to converting the Romans. Around 312 A.D., Emperor Constantine I adopted the Christian faith and, therefore, legalized Christianity. He supported the Christian Church and tried to abandon all the pagan temples. In 325 A.D., he sent for the Council of Nicaea to establish the Nicene Creed. The emperor wanted to enforce orthodoxy and to eradicate heretics.

There were many sects of early Christianity, many with conflicting beliefs. But in general, Christianity brought several ethnic groups together and find common ground while the polytheistic system allowed each group to continue their own individual traditions. This meant that as Christianity spread it became the major belief over the variety of polytheistic religions. By the end of the fourth century CE the cities of the Roman Empire were mostly Christian based and it continued to spread to the rest of the

In 325, the Council of Nicea set out to formally characterize the relationship of the Son to the Father, in light of the dubious lessons of Arius. Driven by Bishop Athanasius, the gathering confirmed the precept of the Trinity as conventionality and censured Arius ' showing that Christ was the first making of God. The ideology received by the committee depicted Christ as "God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance (homoousios) with the Father."

Constantine’s mother, Helena, was a Christian. Still influenced by pagan culture, Constantine worshipped the sun god. However, in 312, Constantine went to battle for the right to his father’s throne and something happened that would change the course of Christianity forever. Before entering into battle, Constantine was resting and was taken up into a dream in which Jesus Christ appeared in a bright light and announced that by this symbol he would win the battle which was about to ensue. The outcome of the battle was in Constantine’s favor. After his victory he moved the Empire in the direction that was favorable to Christians. One of his first acts was to establish the “Edict of Milan,” which allowed Christians and all others to worship freely. He also established a city named after himself and the said city was deemed the first Christian

Constantine’s dealings with Christianity greatly propagated the religion. Hoping that the Christian God would aid him in battle, Constantine became the first Roman emperor to convert to the religion. His conversion marked an end to the persecution Christians faced from Diocletian, and a start to Christianity eventually becoming the state religion of the Empire. Constantine’s dedication to the advancement of Christianity can be best shown through the fact that he is regarded as a saint by Eastern Orthodox Christians.

In 313 AD the Emperor Constantine formally recognized the Christian religion. Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire, this event affected the way people thought and lived their lives. Had a great impact on how rulers viewed their power and used their powers. Such influence was portrayed in Christian art as we know today.

Christianity’s history is filled with division, controversy, and conflict. One of the most important people who contributed to the lasting success of this diverse religion was Constantine. While legalizing Christianity in Roman society, he founded the capital of the eastern Roman Empire, Constantinople. Because of this and other great accomplishments, Constantine appropriately earned the name Constantine the Great.

One of the most important events in church history includes the Council of Nicea. The First Council of Nicea happened in 325 and involved the first gathering of Christian bishops and the Roman Empire not as enemies but as allies. The bishops wanted to solve the dispute over Arianism. Arianism is the belief that Christ was more than human but something less than God. Arianism taught the people that Jesus