Veronica Fogo
Behan
Latin I
04/26/2017
The Growth of Christianity in Ancient Rome
Christianity impacted ancient Rome drastically, changing their whole system of beliefs and morals. Before the spread of Christianity, Romans worshiped a large variety of gods and goddesses, many having been adopted from the Greeks. They believed that if they offered sacrifices to their gods, that they would be repaid with service. In 312 AD, the Emperor Constantine had a vision that stated that if he followed the sign that he saw and had faith in God, he would be victorious over Emperor Maxentius. Constantine followed the vision and gained control of the Western Roman Empire. Christianity was eventually legalized and made into the official religion of Rome. …show more content…
Forms of the early Roman religion believed that spirits inhabited all the surroundings, including people. The original citizens of Rome believed that spirits of their ancestors watched over them. These spirits included Mars, Jupiter’s son and the god of war, and his assumed sons Romulus and Remus who, according to legend, are the founders of Rome. Jupiter was considered the supreme god, and after a time, Juno, Jupiter’s wife and sister, along with Minerva, their daughter, were adapted from the Etruscans. Roman and Greek mythology and religion were combined to contain gods of human nature. Pluto, the brother of Jupiter and a very gloomy god, was the ruler of the underworld, where as Apollo was Jupiter's son and the god of music, the sun, and light. His brother, Mercury was the messenger of the gods and they laid on him a large amount of trust. Apollo’s twin sister, Diana, was the goddess of the hunt and was quite the opposite of Apollo. She was cold, bitter, and ruthless. Minerva was the goddess of wisdom and Vesta, Juno’s sister, was the goddess of hearth and home. All of these idols were believed to have the characteristics of human weaknesses and they are shown throughout all of Roman mythology. The society and religion of Ancient Rome began to all change when Christianity first
Behan
Latin I
04/26/2017
The Growth of Christianity in Ancient Rome
Christianity impacted ancient Rome drastically, changing their whole system of beliefs and morals. Before the spread of Christianity, Romans worshiped a large variety of gods and goddesses, many having been adopted from the Greeks. They believed that if they offered sacrifices to their gods, that they would be repaid with service. In 312 AD, the Emperor Constantine had a vision that stated that if he followed the sign that he saw and had faith in God, he would be victorious over Emperor Maxentius. Constantine followed the vision and gained control of the Western Roman Empire. Christianity was eventually legalized and made into the official religion of Rome. …show more content…
Forms of the early Roman religion believed that spirits inhabited all the surroundings, including people. The original citizens of Rome believed that spirits of their ancestors watched over them. These spirits included Mars, Jupiter’s son and the god of war, and his assumed sons Romulus and Remus who, according to legend, are the founders of Rome. Jupiter was considered the supreme god, and after a time, Juno, Jupiter’s wife and sister, along with Minerva, their daughter, were adapted from the Etruscans. Roman and Greek mythology and religion were combined to contain gods of human nature. Pluto, the brother of Jupiter and a very gloomy god, was the ruler of the underworld, where as Apollo was Jupiter's son and the god of music, the sun, and light. His brother, Mercury was the messenger of the gods and they laid on him a large amount of trust. Apollo’s twin sister, Diana, was the goddess of the hunt and was quite the opposite of Apollo. She was cold, bitter, and ruthless. Minerva was the goddess of wisdom and Vesta, Juno’s sister, was the goddess of hearth and home. All of these idols were believed to have the characteristics of human weaknesses and they are shown throughout all of Roman mythology. The society and religion of Ancient Rome began to all change when Christianity first