The Persecution Of Rome: The Rise Of Christianity In Rome

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Christianity began during the life of Jesus, growing to become the official religion of the Roman Empire hundreds of years after his crucifixion. During its expansion, Christianity faced obstacles in the form of persecution by the Roman government. Even with the Romans attempt to annihilate the religion, Christianity continued to grow, becoming the official religion of Rome due to its attraction of Roman citizens, Constantine’s vision, and Theodosius. The Roman government saw Christianity as a threat to Roman identity, leading to countless Christians being slaughtered in several persecutions. Christianity continued to growth through the persecutions, however, due to its attractiveness to Roman citizens. The “emphasis on community” present in worshiping with others in church appealed to Roman citizens (Hamric). Jesus being a human, living on earth with regular people was a significant reason that citizens converted, as Jesus was more relatable than the Roman Gods (Hamric). Another …show more content…
He promoted calling non-Christian Romans pagans (Hamric). In 391, Theodosius outlawed pagan worship and even “… removed the altar to the goddess Victory from the Senate house…” (Book, 147). Theodosius alienated the pagan sector of the Roman population, including those who worshiped the old Roman Gods. After the illegalization of Paganism, Christianity became the official religion of Rome under Theodosius. Theodosius believed that the time for "…a new Roman identity…” had come, and that Christianity would unite the Roman people (Hamric). As the leading religion, Christianity began to persecute Pagans. Mobs of Christians slaughtered pagans in the streets of Rome. Throughout the persecutions of Pagans, Theodosius did not attempt to quell the hostilities or even prosecute those who slaughtered Pagans (Hamric). Due to Theodosius, Christianity became the only religion allowed in the Western Roman Empire, as Theodosius divided the
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