Christianity began in the first century CE with the birth and death of Jesus Christ. Small pockets of the religion began to form in the eastern region of the Roman Empire. As the apostle Paul began spreading the word, so too did the religion. Eventually, the rulers of the Roman Empire began to see its rising popularity as a threat, as it challenged the beliefs set forth that named the emperor as a god. Under the rule of Emperor Nero, Christians were brutally prosecuted. This prosecution continued until the empire became unstable. The failing economy caused the empire to split, and many people began to turn to Christianity as an answer to their troubles. Eventually, Emperor Constantine became the only ruling entity of the Roman Empire, thus