by Erin Campbell

Created on: August 11, 2010

Imagining life in the ancient Roman Empire invokes images of gladiators, huge armies in leather skirts, and Emperors dramatizing the political process with toga clad men in the senate.  The Romans ruled over an empire that ranged across ethnic, cultural and religious borders.  Maintaining control over this diverse population was a magnificent feat, and the Western world has utilized the foundations of the Roman state for the framework of their political democracy which is upheld by a legal framework.  While the the world has the Roman Empire to thank for these political concepts, Rome also played a vital role in spreading the Christian religion across social, environmental and political barriers.  Without the absolute power held by the Roman Empire, Christianity may never have become the international force that it is today.   

At first glance, the social environment of the Roman Empire would not have welcomed a new religion that demanded strict worship from its followers.  In order to maintaing order, the Romans permitted their citizens to worship their own gods and goddesses, as long as they recognized the Roman Emperor and the state sponsored gods as well.  This meant that the Romans were keen to stay out of the personal beliefs and practices of their people, as long as it did not interfere with the payment of taxes or the show of deference to the Roman elite.  As Rome began to control more and more land, the attention it paid specific communities within it’s empire diminished.  This created an  ideological vacuum that religious organizations began to fill.  

When Christianity first became popular among the common citizens, the Romans viewed it as a Jewish sect.  This was an important detail for the successful spread of Christianity because it allowed the religion to be tolerated by the Romans at first.  Under Roman law, it was illegal to form new religions, and as long as Christianity was a sect of Judaism, it was permitted.  In the beginning, just like throughout history, Christianity appealed to the poor, disenfranchised masses.  Early Christianity promoted equality, despite gender or class.  Early Christians were also comforted with the possibility of life after death.  This provided them with a higher purpose than simply living a life of servitude and poverty.  Christianity also provided people with a more personal relationship to the God they worshipped. 

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