The Christian Church and the spread of their ideas
How did Romans treat christians?
When the christians refused to worship the Roman emperor the Romans decided they were a threat. The criticized roman games and festivals. The also refused to join the army and hold public office. The Romans saw them as traitors that would be punished. In 64 the government began to persecute christians . The emperor Nero blamed them for a tragic fire that had burned half of Rome. He decided that christianity was to be outlawed and were killed. Most christians were willing to die for what they believed in. Even through all of that, christianity spread.
Why did Romans adopt Christianity?
In 312 emperor Constantine accepted christianity. According to legend, he saw a burning cross in the sky as he was about to be going into battle. Written beneath were the latin words that meant "In this sign you will conquer." Constantine won the battle and believed that the christian god had helped him. In 313 he issued an order called the Edict of Milan. It gave religious freedom to all people and made christianity legal. He also gave government support to christians. He built churches in Rome and Jerusalem. He let church officials serve in government and excused them from paying taxes. His successor, Theodosius, made christianity Rome's official religion in 392. He then outlawed other religions.
What is the New Testament?
Church leaders would preserve a written record of the life of Jesus and put together a a group of writings to help guide christians. Jesus himself left no such writings. 4 accountings of Jesus' life, teachings, and resurrection had been well known for. Christians believe that they were written by early disciples named Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Each work was called a gospel. Christians later combined the 4 gospels with the writings of Paul and other christian writings to make the New Testament.
Who is the pope?
By 600 the Bishop of Rome had gained the title "Pope". This is the latin word meaning "father." Most christians accepted the Pope as the head of the church. These churches were later called the Roman Catholic Churches. Other christians did not accept the Pope's power and their churches were later called the Eastern Roman Empire, which is the Byzantine Empire.
What were some of the conflicts between the churches?
The Byzantines did not accept the pope's claim of being the head of all the christian churches. The two churches would sometimes refuse to help one another when invaders attacked the other. In the Byzantine empire, the emperor was in control and the church leaders were to be expected to respect his wishes. In the West the Pope claimed both spiritual and political power. In 1054 the two excommunicated each other. This was known as the Great Schism. This split between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches has lasted till this day.
What did monks and nuns do?
How does Christianity spread west?
Christian missionaries looked to the islands of Britain and Ireland. In the 300s Roman soldiers in Britain were told to come back home. Britain was left open to attacks. Tribes like the Angels and Saxons invaded them. People fled to Ireland. One such person was a priest named Patrick. He brought christianity to Ireland. In 597 Pope Gregory I sent about 40 missionaries to a settlement the Angels and Saxons had built called Angleland, also known as England. The missionaries converted the ruler of the English kingdom of Kent. He allowed them to build a church in his capitol city. About 100 years later, most of England was christian.