The spread of Christianity was made a lot easier by the
efficiency of the Roman Empire, but its principles were sometimes
misunderstood and membership of the sect could be dangerous.
Although Jesus
had died, his message had not. Word of his teachings spread to Jewish
communities across the empire. This was helped by energetic apostles,
such as Paul and by the modern communications of the Roman Empire.
Spreading the word
Over 30 years, Paul clocked up around 10,000 miles, traveling across
the Roman Empire. He preached in some of the empire’s most important
cities. Although places like Ephesus, Philippi, Corinth and Athens
looked magnificent, they were also home to tens of thousands of poor,
desperate people who were the perfect audience for the Christian message
of eternal life.
Like Jesus, Paul spoke to people in their homes and synagogues. But he went beyond Jesus, who had only preached to Jews. Paul believed his message should also be taken to gentiles – the non-Jews.
Relaxing the rules
This meant taking a more relaxed approach to ancient Jewish laws about
food and circumcision. It was a slap in the face for Jewish tradition,
but it was also the central reason for the rapid spread of Christianity.
As the Christian movement began to accept non-Jewish members, it moved
further away from the strict rules imposed on Jews. In so doing, it
gradually became a new and separate religion.
An easy target
Despite its growing popularity, Christianity was sometimes
misunderstood and membership could bring enormous risks. Widely
criticized after the Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD, the Emperor Nero tried
to divert attention away from his own failings by providing an easy
scapegoat: the Christians.
Although the followers of Jesus were working hard to spread the
message, there were still very few Christians in Rome. They were
regarded with suspicion. Some important Christian rituals were mistaken
as cannibalism, others as incest. Christians became an easy target.
Nero wasted no time. He arrested and tortured all the Christians in
Rome, before executing them with lavish publicity. Some were crucified,
some were thrown to wild animals and others were burned alive as living
torches.
A new approach
Despite this, Nero's persecution of the new Christian sect was brief
and, in the first century at least, was not repeated in other parts of
the empire. When asked by Pliny the Younger how to deal with Christians
in the Asian provinces, Trajan replied that they should not be actively
pursued. However, they could be punished if they were publicly
criticized and refused to abandon their beliefs.
Over time, the Christian church and faith grew more organized. In 313
AD, the Emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, which accepted
Christianity: 10 years later, it had become the official religion of the
Roman Empire.
