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would, later borrow the suns halo, as well as the date of the birthday. Later, Diocletian declared that Mithras, who was very popular with the army, to be the god who was the "protector of the empire" After slaying a bull, Mithras made a sacrificial meal of it: and his followers re-enacted this with a ritual of bread and wine. Although the Christians were outraged at this infringement of their rites it brought one aspect of Christianity to a wider audience.

As the instability of the third century began to be checked by a succession of strong emperors, one in particular played the card that took Christianity from being a small religion amongst many to becoming the main player. As he was marching through the Italian countryside he saw what he thought were the letters CH and R (the Chi-Rho) and the words "in hoc signo vinces" (in this sign shall thou conquer) imposed on the sun. He took it to be a message from the Christian god. When he finally won his fight to control the once fractured Roman Empire, he believed he had done so with the help of the Christian God. On a more practical level he decided that to maintain and control the empire properly he would instigate just one state religion instead of having hundreds of self-governing temples and churches that were beyond his control. The religion he chose was Christianity.

From then on it became the dominant force and eventually the Popes became more powerful that the Emperors. By the time the empire crumbled, Christianity was established in all of its former provinces from Western Europe to Syria and North Africa to northern Britain. As the Dark Ages moved into the Middle Ages, Christianity became and has remained the most powerful force in the western world.

Learn more about this author, Dave Franklin.
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