Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire - Research Paper Example

The Roman Empire Introduction Christianity greatly spread in the Roman Empire and helped in the rise of the late roman period. Jesus had died by that time but the message of Christianity was still alive. The principles of Christianity would usually be misunderstood but the teachings spread rapidly amongst the Jewish communities in the empire. There were many energetic apostles who helped in the spreading of the Christianity message through the modern communication methods of the Roman period. Eventually, the Christian church and faith grew its widespread and by the fall of the Roman Empire Christianity was the official religion. Paul was an apostle who travelled across the Roman Empire in 30 years to preach Christianity to some of the important cities of the empire. Some of the cities such as Philippi, Athens, and Corinth consisted of thousands of desperate and poor people who were thought to be the perfect audience for the message of Christianity that supported eternal life. Paul went to the homes of these people and preached the message of Jesus. However, Jesus only went to the Jews while Paul took his message to the non-Jews as well. Christianity tended to ease the rules and adopted a more relaxed approach towards the ancient laws about circumcision and food. The Jewish traditions were greatly led down due to this but this was the main reason for the widespread of Christianity. As the Christian movement focused on non-Jewish members as well, the rules were changed from the strict ones to the relaxed ones so that Jews could adopt them. However, gradually Christianity had been adopted as a separate and new religion. As Christianity gained importance in Rome, the failings of Emperor Nero were hidden under Christians who were a far easier target. Christians were few in Rome by then even and they were now highly suspicious. Christians had become an easy target and their rituals were mistaken commonly. Nero, in this time, tortured the Roman Christians by throwing them to wild animals, burning them alive, or crucifying them1. However, even after this persecution, the Christian religion prevailed and although it did not repeat in other areas and was brief, it became more organized over the time. By 323 AD, Christianity had become the official religion in the Roman Empire. Ever since then, the Christianity and Catholic Church played a significant role in establishing and forming the Western Society. Throughout the history of the Catholic Church, it has been seen as a source of inspiration of social services such as medical care and schooling, inspiration for the Western culture, philosophy, and art, influential for religion and politics. The Church has affected the ways and attitudes of the Western society in a variety of diverse fields over the course of centuries. The Church has spread the teachings of Jesus and linked the modern culture to the classical culture. Universally, the West is no more considered Catholic, but the heritage is still a strong aspect in Western countries. Festivals such as Christmas and Easter are celebrated and marked as public holidays which show the influence and role that the Christian Church has played even after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. The universal civil calendar is also taken from the Gregorian Calendar which was initiated by Pope Gregory XIII who was a part of the Church. The date which is internationally followed is taken from the Church as well as the time which is measured from the date of birth of the founder of the Church, Jesus of Nazareth. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Church had immense cultural influence in the Western societies. Literature in the Western Europe was influenced by the scholars of the Church after the fall of Rome. The Church rose in the Middle Ages to replace the unifying force of the Roman Empire in the Western World. The cathedrals remained among the iconic aspects architecture seen in the Western civilization. Moreover, many of the universities were also established by the church of that time2. The Reformation was the end to the religious influence in the West unity, but the catholic artists had produced Renaissance masterpieces which remained to be the most celebrated art works ever produced. Artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, and Michelangelo will be remembered forever for their art works produced at this time along with great composers who composed sacred music for the church including Shubert, Mozart, Vivaldi, Beethoven, and Verdi. The government of the Catholic Church was critically involved in the political system of Europe. This was when Pope Leo the Great and Attila the Hun met in 452 and the Pope insisted him to turn his Italy invasion back. Pope Leo III made Charlemagne the King of the Romans when the Holy Roman Empire was founded, Pope Clement VII refused to terminate Henry VIII’s marriage, and Pope John Paul II accelerated the Europe Collapse of Communism. These conflicts between the popes and princes have been greatly seen in the Western politics but the Church government had a stand to act as a peace broker. There have also been critics who criticized the effect that the church had on the Western society particularly focusing on the harsh practices of Spanish and Roman Inquisitions, the church’s treatment of women, and the suppression of Galileo Galilei’s ideas. Thus many of these debates have prevailed and in the modern era there are some debates which include the Pope’s condemnations of Iraq War of 2003 and 1839 papal condemnation of slavery. The church has played a significant role and has managed to fulfill their role in the civilization of the Western society. Western political activists and philosophers have also been greatly influenced by the Catholic theology. Jesus taught about the Parable of the Good Samaritan which was among the sources for modern Human Rights notions and welfare measures provided usually by Western governments. Catholic teachings also include the topics about marriage and sexuality which have long been influential on the society while in modern times, many of these teachings have been controversial3. The Church has played a huge role in the abolishment of practices such as slavery, human sacrifice, polygamy, and infanticide. The status of women was highly modified through the Church as infanticide was condemned where women were killed as soon as they were born. Moreover, women gained a higher status when divorce, birth control, polygamy, abortion, and other similar practices were abolished. The Church also influenced the view on the Western Society that men and women complement each other as they are equal and different. These teachings are questioned by modern advocates who state that the Fathers of the Church have established the notion of female inferiority. Despite these arguments, women have successfully established their position through the Church in education and healthcare mainly. Women have also emerged as influential mystics and theologians4. The Church has seen many rivalries in the western society throughout history but its influence can never be removed from the society. The contribution that the Church has had on the Western heritage is undeniable and has prevailed as the major religion in many Western countries. The Christian Church had a great impact on the Roman Empire and had greatly established at that time. However, after the fall of the Roman Empire, the Church continued to influence the culture, religion, status, structure, politics, and many other fields of Western societies. Thus, it can be said that the Church greatly helped in the civilization after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. References Novak, R. Christianity and the Roman Empire: Background Texts. (USA: Continuum, 2001), p. 76 Kalmin, R. Jewish Culture and Society Under the Christian Roman Empire. (USA: Peeters Publishers, 2003), p. 83 Shewan, E. Streams of Civilization. (USA: Christian Liberty Press, 2007), p. 49 Lewis, G. A Brief History of the Western World. (USA: Cengage Learning, 2004), p. 192 Read More