Roman Empire

During the Roman Empire, Christianity experienced the polarity of both relentless persecution and eventual acceptance and institutionalization. Find out more about the evolution of such events, and get insight into the historical context under which Christianity has evolved.

To begin, learn about the practice of Roman law, and why it was important to the political and religious context of the time. In particular, learn about the practice of the crucifixion, and how it became one of the most brutal and humiliating forms of punishment imposed by the state. In this section, you will also discover the distinct classes that comprised the society of the Roman Empire, and also explore the role of women in ancient Roman society.

And to get a better perspective on how Christianity was able to become the official religion of an entire Empire, you will need to become informed about the Roman Emperor Constantine – who was responsible for normalizing and institutionalizing the religion through such important events as the First Nicene Council and laws such as the Edict of Milan. Indeed, it was during this time that earlier Judaic influences were filtered out, and any remains of sects purporting such influences were the subject of persecution, as was the case for the Pharisees. In fact, it was Jesus’ apostle Paul who would be largely responsible for the separation of the two religions.

Of course, all of these accounts are subject to the bias of its writer – although certain historians have been sourced as more reliable than others.