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Early Christianity was very different from the many forms Christianity takes today. Before the time of Constantine, it was illegal - or, rather, not worshiping the official Roman gods was illegal. Because one of the tenets of Christianity was the concept of a single God and no other, Christians often refused to offer sacrifices to Roman gods and were sometimes killed for this crime. They became martyrs within the community of the Church, and their deaths were powerful witnesses to the strength of their beliefs. There were no "wishy-washy" believers - to be a Christian was to risk one's life and reputation.

How did this dangerous religion spread so successfully? For starters, the same strong faith that led many believers to their deaths also appealed to many people who were not satisfied with the official Roman religion. Christianity offered a promise of life after death, a judgment day where all would be turned right, and hope for those who suffered injustice on earth. Christianity also gave people a more intense, emotional, personal religious experience than official Roman religion, and in this respect it was similar to so-called "mystery religions" such as Orphism and the cult of Mithras. Lastly, people such as Paul were vital to the spread of Christianity. His letters urged Christian communities to grow and stay true to the basic teachings of the Church. He also spread this religion among everyone, rather than only among Jews, which was a momentous decision that allowed Christianity to become as popular as it did.

Three hundred years later, Constantine converted to Christianity and it, like the Roman religion before it, became the official religion of the state. This changed Christianity from a somewhat subversive underground movement concerned with social justice to an official, powerful religion associated with emperors and kings. This dual nature of Christianity still exists today - many modern monks, nuns, and laypeople give up possessions and devote themselves to helping the poor and the sick, while the Vatican maintains a strong church hierarchy and owns many priceless works of art and manuscripts.

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