Home Page
Persecuting Christianity In Roman Culture

Persecuting Christianity In Roman Culture

Improved Essays

Show More

The Roman culture tolerated most religions expect for Christianity, which it sought to terminate through persecution. The reasons for persecuting Christians was to send a clear message of conformity in the name of patriotism, provide a diversion and as a form of entertainment. Roman authorities viewed the belief in one true God as dangerous, having the potential to ignite strong motivations towards challenging and undermining the self appointed divine rule of the Emperor and unmasking the unstable government.

Christianity then became a scapegoat for all the problems of the Empire. As the Romans were being battered from several fronts by invading armies, placing the blame on Christians who were deemed nonconformists seemed like the best response

Related Documents

Superior Essays
Roman Empire: Religion's Role In Society
- 1343 Words
- 6 Pages
Roman Empire: Religion's Role In Society

Throughout the history of the Roman Empire, religion played an immense role in society. Romans saw religion as a duty to the state and to the community, not for the love of gods or the willingness to surrender themselves to the gods. During the Roman Empire the Romans practiced religion and worshiped their gods uniquely and in numerous ways. Worships practices, public religion, private religion and superstitious elements exhibit how the Romans practiced religion as well as how they view and worshiped the gods. To begin, the religious pompa during the festus of saturnalia, was a great guideline of how sincere Roman religious practices were.…
- 1343 Words
- 6 Pages
Superior Essays

Read More
Superior Essays
Persecution Of A Roman Citizen Analysis
- 1207 Words
- 5 Pages
Persecution Of A Roman Citizen Analysis

Additionally, the differences in teachings of the Christian churches now had more significance than before. Early Christians didn’t have political participation in the Roman Empire. After its acceptance as a legal religion, however, differences in teaching could possibly start a riot. In addition to that, since the emperor had accepted Christianity, differences in teaching would also undermine his credibility. Due to the increased significance of Christianity, the Roman Empire was becoming more involved in religion.…
- 1207 Words
- 5 Pages
Superior Essays

Read More
Improved Essays
How Did Rome Burned And Nero Fiddled?
- 612 Words
- 3 Pages
How Did Rome Burned And Nero Fiddled?

The emperor blamed the Christians for this tragedy and made it legal and lawful to punish them. His declaration was called Christiani non sint which means, "Let the Christians be exterminated. " This event marks the beginning of a long, arduous battle for the Christians living in the Roman Empire. The followers of Christ were brutally slaughtered and tortured following Nero's order to persecute them; they were sewn into the hides of wild animals and hidden in fields so that they could be torn apart by huge dogs, crucified,…
- 612 Words
- 3 Pages
Improved Essays

Read More
Improved Essays
Roman Politics, Culture, Change, And Fall Of The Roman Empire
- 681 Words
- 3 Pages
Roman Politics, Culture, Change, And Fall Of The Roman Empire

Small landowners, women, slaves; the oppressed groups of Romans started to question the quality of life and afterlife promised and granted by the state religion. When Christian missionaries came along, these subjugated peoples saw this new religion as a system that promised salvation that rewarded the good and punished the bad: in this case the upper and ruling class were seen as “bad”. Christianity also introduced a God who did not resemble any of the Roman Gods, in any way; unlike Jupiter he did not seduce women, scheme against others, lie, or practice adultery. The Christian God was a respectable and acceptable deity who separated the good from the bad. This concept of having an objective supervisor was new, exciting, and encouraging for the Romans, and therefore the lower-class was eager to reject the old Roman religion for a more rewarding…
- 681 Words
- 3 Pages
Improved Essays

Read More
Superior Essays
Christian And Muslim Perspectives: The Crusades
- 1172 Words
- 5 Pages
Christian And Muslim Perspectives: The Crusades

Greek Historian Niketas Choniatēs had firsthand experience to the religious zeal and prejudice of the Roman Empire (O City Pg. 224). The crusaders broke through the city’s walls and killed every age and sex by sword while setting the city on fire (O City Pg. 225). Niketas stated, “how horrible it was to see the divine body and blood of Christ poured out and thrown to the ground.” He went on to describe the destruction of the religious property at Hagia Sophia, which underlines the crusaders incentive, which is the difference in religion (O City Pg. 226). The barbarians would not listen to anything that anyone would have to say.…
- 1172 Words
- 5 Pages
Superior Essays

Read More
Decent Essays
How Did The Romans Cause Disruptions
- 491 Words
- 2 Pages
How Did The Romans Cause Disruptions

The Romans came into conflict with both the Christians and the Jews and caused disruptions within the Empire. Although initially the Romans paid no attention to either religion, these religions were beginning to voice their opinions, and as a result, people within the Empire started to notice and listen to their preaching’s. According to Suetonius the Jews caused many disturbances, while Dio Cassius said they came to the Empire in great numbers and were starting to convert many of the Roman people. Whereas, the Christians according to Celsus and Porphyry, expressed their distrust and suspicion about the Christians so called saviour Jesus Christ, and considered him a Charlatan. As far as the ancient roman writers were concerned, they believed that both of these Religions eroded away the Roman culture and peace within the Empire.…
- 491 Words
- 2 Pages
Decent Essays

Read More
Superior Essays
How Did Religion Lead To The Fall Of The Roman Empire
- 1067 Words
- 5 Pages
How Did Religion Lead To The Fall Of The Roman Empire

Throughout the history of the Roman Empire, government and religion were always closely tied together. Government led the empire while religion unified the people. When Christianity began to grow and spread, Emperor Constantine I legalized it and later, Emperor Theodosius I issued an edict making it the only religion of the Empire. When the pagans, or people who didn’t believe in the Christian God acted out, Theodosius went into action and eradicated the pagan gods and practices. Despite having a successful reign and being the last sole emperor of the Roman Empire, Theodosius split the Empire between his sons and that led to the fall of Rome.…
- 1067 Words
- 5 Pages
Superior Essays

Read More
Improved Essays
Why Did Rome Follow Christianity?
- 714 Words
- 3 Pages
Why Did Rome Follow Christianity?

One of the biggest reasons that the Roman Empire grew so massively is the acceptance of other cultures and religions. At its height, the Roman Empire covered 3.5 million miles. The emperors had a significant amount of power but they were respective of local customs. Free Roman citizenship was given to all the inhabitants of the Roman Empire. This became a source of revenue for the emperors.…
- 714 Words
- 3 Pages
Improved Essays

Read More
Improved Essays
Western Roman Empire Research Paper
- 927 Words
- 4 Pages
Western Roman Empire Research Paper

Another thing Christianity did, was that it eroded the traditional Roman values of loyalty, courage, and respect. Christianity promoted peace, patience, love, and other values that contradicted Rome's traditional values. What this did, was it weakened the military, because it caused pacifists who were against war. " ...while barbarians threatened the empire from the outside, Christianity undermined it from within, encouraging men to neglect their duties…
- 927 Words
- 4 Pages
Improved Essays

Read More
Improved Essays
Christianity In The Roman Empire
- 1041 Words
- 4 Pages
Christianity In The Roman Empire

Throughout the first three centuries, Christianity faced persecution from the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire was one of the most powerful and influential empires in history. Roman allies associated themselves with Roman traditions. Despite the division of the Roman Empire, Christians continued to be persecuted. Constantine, one of Caesar’s sons from the Tetrarchy, would go on to become emperor of Rome and challenged traditional beliefs.…
- 1041 Words
- 4 Pages
Improved Essays

Read More
Superior Essays
Compare And Contrast Rome And Greek Empires
- 1442 Words
- 6 Pages
Compare And Contrast Rome And Greek Empires

Several various forms of cults along with Judaism and Christianity were the main challengers of the traditional religious beliefs. Jews and Christians faced enormous scrutiny in their early beginnings due to the emperors and common people blaming them for many misfortunes that happened to the empire. During the course of the Jewish Wars, Titus devastated Jerusalem and killed several thousands of its residents. Christians were blamed for ending the peace of the gods which resulted in the commencement of the Great Persecution where countless churches were burned and people killed due to their religious beliefs (Roman Religion). It was not until Constantine that Christianity was recognized, and after his death replaced the traditional values and beliefs held by those in Rome.…
- 1442 Words
- 6 Pages
Superior Essays

Read More
Improved Essays
Han Dynasty Religion
- 1038 Words
- 4 Pages
Han Dynasty Religion

In the time between 98-117 CE, the Roman Empire was only tolerant of certain religions, and feared monotheistic religions. Judaism was much more tolerated than Christianity because it had been around before the empire but Christianity emerged during the period of the Roman Empire and seemed strange. The empire tolerated these religions as long as they abided by the old gods, but Christians were much more resilient. In the fourth century CE, the Roman Empire had the same beliefs, and expected all subjects to worship the correct god. Christians refused to obey other gods, and believed in obedience to God, not a human ruler therefore they were seen as threats, because of their rebellion to the empire.…
- 1038 Words
- 4 Pages
Improved Essays

Read More
Improved Essays
Barbarian Invasions Of Rome Essay
- 1035 Words
- 5 Pages
Barbarian Invasions Of Rome Essay

The fall of the seemingly all-powerful Roman Empire has been blamed on a tremendously long list of mistakes and events that are still heavily debated in today’s society; some examples of the these events include the invasions of various barbaric tribes into Rome, the economic decline and overspending of Roman society, the splitting of the empire into the East and the West, and even the rise of Christianity. While all of these causes likely contributed to the overall downfall of Rome, one in particular stands out—the copious invasions of growing barbarian tribes into Roman territory. The Visigoths, Vandals, and Huns are only a few examples of the plentiful number of barbaric factions that had a hand in Rome’s devastating collapse (Andrews).…
- 1035 Words
- 5 Pages
Improved Essays

Read More
Improved Essays
Christianity In Roman Empire Essay
- 852 Words
- 4 Pages
Christianity In Roman Empire Essay

Christianity made its way through the Roman Empire spreading like fire, despite being persecuted for going against the Greco-Roman beliefs. The prosecutions against the Christians only served to strengthen the religion, as it looked for ways to protect itself by developing a “more centralized organization of its various church communities” ( Spielvogel…
- 852 Words
- 4 Pages
Improved Essays

Read More
Improved Essays
How Did Christianity Affect The Roman Empire
- 483 Words
- 2 Pages
How Did Christianity Affect The Roman Empire

The emperors hated Christianity so much for one main reason. “The Romans tolerated the religions of other peoples unless these religions threatened public…
- 483 Words
- 2 Pages
Improved Essays

Read More

Related Topics