Final Portfolio In little over some centuries, Christianity grew from vague beginnings in a small Roman province to become the official religion of the empire. Christianity’s eventual association with western civilization changed the religion in profound ways vice versa influencing western civilization at the same time. The establishment and development of Christianity within the western Europe has thought many feautres such as gender, politics, social aspects and military. Women found that the doors of the Church were open to them; and the organization of the Church gave strength to a religion the Romans had considered to be "just another mystery cult. Most mystery cults stressed the rebirth of the individual through spiritual transformation, but Christianity emphasized the importance of Community. By the middle of the second century, the Christian church at Rome had a recognizable. Structure, headed by a bishop and lesser officeholders, including priests, deacons, confessors, and exorcists. Women were extremely prominent in these churches, not only as patrons and benefactors but also as office holders. This high status accorded to women was unusual. In other western religions and societies, women could be priests and officeholders—but only in cults open solely to women; they never took …show more content…
Indeed, many of the men whom Dante imaginatively placed in Hell were popes, those who had held high offices in the Church, who sought to subjugate or rapacious princes and factional leaders who fought among themselves—all who were creating a state of permanent warfare amongst and within cities, as in Dante’s native Florence. But despite the weakening authority of the papal office, which caused violent divisions within the Church popular piety arguably achieved its strongest expressions during this