The Christianization of Rome

State religion was mainly based on the Worship of Juno, Minerva and Jupiter in the Capitolium.

At one time, all of Rome was united by a common religion. This religion, commonly referred to as the Roman religion, was derived from the religion in Greece. Members of this religion, which included the majority, if not all, of the Roman citizens, worshiped many different gods, including the creator or father god, Jupiter, the sun god, Apollo, the god of inspiring wars, Mars, and many others as well. The popularity of this religion began to decline when Christianity arose. It appealed to the majority of the people, particularly the lower class and slaves, who now had something to put their hope and faith in. This religion spread rapidly, and Roman emperors felt that because it was so influential it would become a possible threat. These leaders began persecuting Christians, but many Romans had already committed to this religion and refused to abandon it because they viewed it as the most important part of their life. This led to a lack of patriotism in Roman citizens who then rejected politics and became independent of the government.

The temple also had another name. It was Capitoline Triad. It was the largest temple that the romans had ever constructed in its time. The temple stood on stone platforms just about 58 by 69 yards wide. It had a red

How did Christianity become the official religion in Rome? Around the years 123-185 C.E, Rome was a polytheistic empire. Romans had their gods and some foreign ones they adopted. The supreme deity for the Roman empire was Isis, an Egyptian goddess. She demanded complete devotion of her followers. Romans accepted the traditions and religions of the people that came to their lands, but they also had to worship the Roman gods. This was the turning point between the Romans and a religion that arose called Christianity. Christianity started with the leadership of Jesus of Nazareth who was believed to be the son of the Christian God. Christians started to be persecuted in the Roman empire due to their monotheistic belief. They only worshipped one god, the one they referred to as the one True God, the maker of all. Christians were not only hated by the Roman empire but by the Pagans, an anti-Christian group that attacked Christianity, as well. Christians were persecuted, tortured, killed, and dehumanized due to their faith; however, their devotion to their faith, teachings, and miracles changed the hearts and perspectives of many until it became the official religion of the Roman empire at the end of the 4th century C.E.

Jupiter was the God of all Roman Gods. He played many roles in Roman society and religion. Until the Romans were condemned and Rome fell, nobody, not even other gods could save him and his kingdom from demise. The first citizens of what would be Rome believed that they were watched over by the spirits of their ancestors. These spirits then became a triad of gods led by Jupiter. The Gods were worshipped throughout Italy, the Middle East, and Northern Africa. The most common and well known temples are the Capitoleum vetus in Tunisia, the Baalbeck also known as the Heliopolis, located in North Eastern Lebanon, and the Jupiter Stator which its location is unknown. The Jupiter Stator was built by Quintus Cacilus Matellus Macedonia after the 3rd

Jupiter or Jove, was the Roman god of thunder and the sky. He was the chief Roman god, and along with his brothers, Neptune and Pluto, he ruled the Earth. Each of the brothers was tasked with a domain to take charge of. Jupiter was in control of the sky, meanwhile, Neptune presided over the realm of the sea. Finally, the underworld was granted to Pluto. Jupiter originated from the Greek god, Zeus, and had identical powers.

The Roman Empire was extremely instrumental in the growth and spread of Christianity. It was already about 400 years old at the birth of Jesus Christ, the founder of the Christian faith, and directly influenced his life. The Roman Empire saw the growing Christian cult as threat, and ordered the crucifixion of Jesus. The followers of Christ were persecuted for centuries after his death until the Emperor Constantine took an interest in Christianity, which was spreading rapidly throughout the empire. Emperor Constantine encouraged the organization of Christian ideals and promoted the religion due to its ability to unify people of different cultures, which Roman polytheism failed to do. Constantine and the emperors that followed endorsed Christianity, and Roman culture permeated the Christian faith: Early Christianity adopted the church rituals, language, architecture, moral principles, and many, many other cultural products from the Roman Empire. The birth of Christianity occurred as the Roman Empire began to split, but nearly every aspect of Roman culture survived in Christianity. This is evident in the architecture of Christian buildings, the elaborate rituals and practices found in many Christian sects, the date and often the very reason for many Christian holidays, the Latin language which was used for

They believed their Gods to have many regular aspects of humanity which led them to respect their involvement in commonplace practices such as throwing parties/celebrations and having arguments and disputes. The gods were almost seen as part of the family and would have been worshipped in temples such as the Pantheon, as well as the comfort of their own home. Numerous gods and goddesses were worshipped by the Romans, however, the main Deities were 12 Gods named Dii Consentes consisting of six gods and six goddesses: Jupiter, Juno, Minerva, Vesta, Ceres, Diana, Venus, Mars, Mercurius, Neptunus, Volcanus, and Apollo.

After a long fought battle by Christians to belong Christianity flourished and spread throughout the Roman Empire. “Christianity, the core religion of the West, was born within the Roman Empire and was greatly influenced by Roman law and organization”(Perry 167). Whether or not Rome wanted Christianity it was there to stay. According to Spielvogel “Christianity fulfilled the human need to belong”(175). Christians formed a bond and communities where people could express their love by helping each other and assisting the needy. It made people feel more like the belonged in a way that just the Roman Empire could not do. The Roman Empire was way too big and impersonal that people needed an outlet and needed a way to feel like they were apart of something bigger than themselves. “The ideal of a single Christian society embracing many different nationalities, so dear to medieval thinkers, was superimposed on the model of the Roman Empire” (Perry 167). No matter what Christianity was spreading rapidly and the Romans were going to embrace this new religion and ended up building a successful empire around its ideals. Much like the Roman Empire the founders of the United States built this country off of Christian ideals.

Once the center of a great empire, the city of Rome boasted a population of more than a million; that time is long past. Though Rome has long since fallen from its former glory it remains the heart of The Church, with the Papacy being based in the Vatican. Rome is also the political center of a larger collection of states; the Papal states.

The rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire, was by far not a simple one. The Roman Empire was generally quite tolerant in the treatment of other religions. So why did they persecute the Christians, and how did this all begin? These persecutions mainly started in 64 A.D when a great fire broke out under the rule of Emperor Nero. In order to deflect the public 's opinion on him, he blamed the Christians and this blame then allowed, and paved way for the aggressive persecutions of Christians in the Roman Empire for the next two centuries. After Nero, the first imperial persecutor, then comes in the age of Trajan (98-117 A.D.). After receiving a letter from Pliny the Younger, the governor of Bithynia in the north of Asia Minor, to the Emperor Trajan, tells us about the view and executions of Christians in his province. This primary source holds to be very valuable when researching the relationship the Pagan Romans had with the Christians. All throughout the history of the Roman Empire, Christians have been persecuted and treated terribly due to the view of them as mysterious or “unknown”. The view of the Christians was mainly due to the ethnocentrism that went on in Rome during this time. Persecution was inevitable for these Christians and went on for centuries. The accusations they received were that they were atheists, cannibals, practiced incest, and all together these accusations showed how misunderstood the Christians really were. As a result of Trajan’s laws on the

The layout of Roman religion The majority of worship took place in the many temples in the centre of Rome, an idea taken from the Etruscans. These people also instigated the production of statues of the gods and goddesses within and around the temples. The temples were, in effect, the stage for religious activity. Here citizens would come to worship, pray in times of personal crisis and atone of their sins.

The revival of Christianity during the late Roman period was set into motion in 313 CE with the Edict of Milan, which legalized Christianity in the Roman Empire. Emperor Constantine helped move the revival along by ordering the construction of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which started around 326 CE, and was completed in 335 CE. Throughout its existence, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher has been destroyed and reconstructed numerous times, which means that the current Church in Jerusalem is not the original building. However, the significance behind the building remains. When the first iteration of the Church was built, it strengthened the legitimacy of Christianity in Jerusalem. Emperor Constantine ordered the Church to be built upon

Júpiter – The King of the gods in Roman mythology and the son of Saturn, also

Christianity is largely maneuvered by the challenges of joining the east and the west of Rome in the sixth century. Justinian, based in Constantinople, extends his authority to parts of western Rome in an attempt to spread Christianity once more. Popes, bishops, and missionaries soon head west to follow Justinian’s orders. The result of their hard work is a clear distinction between eastern and western Christianity, but Christianity never the less. By 500 churches have reached Ethiopia which became linked to the Coptic Church in Egypt and in 543 the Nubian kingdom adopted Christianity became linked to the same church in Egypt. Towards the end of the sixth century in 596, Augustine trenches towards England to evangelize the Saxons, the rest of England has already been turned Christian.