Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Mr. Palcsey
Honors English 10
Centuries ago the Roman Empire was one of the most influential empires in the world.
Ancient Rome has influenced the world and changed throughout the centuries. Rome set up a
good example of trade, had many technological advances, and had a great handful of effective
Emperors. With these things, Rome was strong, but another thing that made Rome powerful was
the change of faith, from Paganism to Christianity. This conversion of faith made a significant
impact on the world. Without the transformation faith of the Roman Empire from Paganism to
Christianity is the most popular religion with at least 2.04 billion followers, and it all began
with one man. Christianity began in Nazareth when Jesus Christ was born and started his
ministry. Throughout the years, people have interpreted Jesus in different forms. Jesus has been
interpreted as a Jewish rabbi and a reformer and as the son of God. Jesus had the 12 disciples and
had many followers. Stories of Jesus began to spread. His miracle acts began to spread like
wildfire. Jesus cured many people. When Jesus was alive, during the time people believed that
congenital disabilities and diseases were punishments from Gods. (Isobuts 24-29). Jesus began to
heal and change the way people thought. By healing, he started to dismiss the idea that people
deserved to suffer. After the Resurrection of Christ, Jesus told his disciples to spread the good
news, and this made Christianity more appealing. The disciples received the gift to speak in
different languages from all parts of the world. Scriptures and stories were being written and told
that Jesus is the Risen One. Christianity was spreading all throughout the world.
The Roman Empire was at its peak. The Roman Empire grew and reached many lands
from Britain, Mesopotamia, China, North Africa, Germany, and parts of Hungary. (Moczar 19).
Romans did not believe in the Christian faith. The people of Rome worshiped Pagan gods and
goddesses. Many Emperors created laws that only allowed the worship of Paganism, meanwhile
some emperors wanted to be praised by the citizens as if they were a god. According to James
O’Donnell, Alexandria, Egypt had many cultures that could have started the trend of Paganism.
(O’Donnell 166). From reading the epistles of St. Paul, Christians learn how the disciples
followed Jesus’ example and orders to go out to the world and preach to “all nations.” (Moczar
1). Paul’s missionary into Rome helped spread the Gospel, and this allowed the idea of Pagan
worship become less prominent. (Zavada 4). Christianity spread from Nazareth to almost all of
the Roman Empire by the fourth century. Besides the Apostles, other Christians who dedicated
their time and effort to spread Christianity also helped influenced many people around them.
Small missionaries formed, and some soldiers from the Roman Army secretly passed down
stories of Christ’s teachings. Romans who believed in Christ had to worship in private because
The very first Roman persecution was A.D. 64, under Roman Emperor Nero. Many
Roman Emperors did not favor Christianity. Nero was an unstable leader. Persecutions continued
over the next centuries. After Nero many emperors like Marcus Aurelius, Septimus Servus,
Decius, Valerian, Maximus the Thracian, Aurelian, Diocletian, and Galerius all persecuted
Christians under their rule. Christians faced many years of suffering and toleration. By year 300,
the underclass majority of Rome were Christians. After these emperors, the first emperor who
truly did not have anything against Christianity was Constantine. Constantine was said to have
seen signs from God. Constantine saw a cross in the sky and heard the words “In this sign, thou
shalt conquer,” while he was on the way to fight a battle. (Moczar 24). Another incident was the
victory at Milvian Bridge. Although Constantine was not baptized, he did harm Christians
because he was influenced by his mother Helena, who was said to be a Christian. (Isbouts 82).
The Roman Empire was later on split into two under his rule, the east, and west. (Jones, Ereira
13-14). Licinius and Constantine who were rivals agreed on the Edict of Milan. The Edict stated
that every citizen had the freedom to worship and that Christians were allowed to practice their
faith. Because of this, Christians were allowed to worship publicly, and soon the construction of
churches began. Constantine began to make improvements for New Rome. Constantine changed
the calendar and established the seven-day calendar, church festivals, and had orders to celebrate
certain feast days. Constantine built a church on top of St. Peter’s grave, which was Old St.
Peter’s Basilica. The St. Peter’s Basilica that exists today started under Pope Julius II.
Catholicism adopted similar pagan traditions. Christians adopted Christmas. Pagans had a
winter festival, and many Aryans would celebrate this because the sun would reach the most
southern part of the equator starting on December 21st ending on December 25th. For Christians,
Christmas falls around the same to the winter solstice. Easter was also adopted by Christians.
The word "Easter" originates from an Anglo-Saxon goddess "Eastra" and in Latin, "Astare."
Astare, the goddess of fertility, is mention in the Old Testament. The Spring festival is celebrated
in her honor and based on the Resurrection of the sun ascending east. The main difference
Christians faced a period of conflicts that started in the 11th century. The Crusades
began. Crusades were military expeditions that were against the Muslims controlling Palestine.
In the 19th century, the selling of indulgences started to become popular in Europe. Martin
Luther wrote a 95 These that attacked the indulgences. Martin Luther started a religious
movement with no intention. Luther wrote the three treaties which is the foundation of the
Lutheran Church. The idea of Reformation soon spread. A French theologian, John Calvin
The Age of Enlightenment, the Discovery of the New World, and the Age of Colonialism
were all affected by religious beliefs. Many Kings and Queens wanted to expand their kingdoms
and spread Christianity. Many missionaries, churches, and schools were built. Throughout the
centuries and different eras, Christianity has affected art, literature, architecture, and music.
(Isbouts 273-320). Today, many catholic schools are all over the world. Because of the
missionaries founded by explorers, nuns, and priests, Catholic education became a trend. Many
schools nowadays are either privet, Public, of Catholic. Catholic education has spread
internationally.
Today, people have easy access to connect with one another. Catholics and Christians
many changes today. Christians can easily connect with one another. Social issues may also be
affected. Catholicism in the United States has grown because of the Latino communities.
the Vatican City is the religious capital of Catholicism. Many people through the years also
converted to Christianity. In Mexico and South America, more than 90% of the population are
Christians, in Southern Africa more than 90% of the population are Christians. In Europe, a
majority of the countries percentage are 75-more than 90% of the population are Christians, and
countries like Philippines and Australia, 35- more than 90% of the populations are Christians.
(Isbouts 352-353).
significant role in the spread of Christianity. Society would be different. Protestant, Anglican
Churches, and other churches would not exist if it were not for the schism from the Catholic
Church. Schools, literature, art, and books would be different. The conversion from Paganism to
Christianity in Rome impacted billions of lives and continues touch many people today.
Works Cited
Moczar, Diane. Converts and Kingdoms: How the Church Converted the Pagan West and
O’Donnell, James J. The End of Traditional Religion Pagans and the Rise of Christianity. New
York:
The Pagan Origins of Jesus Christ and Christianity. The Christian Enterprise, 2002.
15, 2018.
Zavada, Jack. “Who was Caesar Augustus?” ThoughtCo, 17, March 2017,
https://www.thoughtco.com/caesar-augustus-first-roman-emperor-701063. Accessed
April, 16 2018.