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Rise Of The Roman Empire Essay

511 Words3 Pages

The fall of the Roman Empire and the rise of Christianity were undoubtedly linked. They weren't the sole cause of each other, (i.e; The rise of the Christian faith did not cause the empire to fall and vice versa,) but the economic, political, and social problems cleared they way for the beliefs of Christianity. Roman religion had been stripped down to mere ritual worship. Christianity offered hope to unfulfilled worshipers: hope for the oppressed, hope for the poor, hope for the sick, hope of eternal life and healing. As the Romans attempted to stamp out Christianity, the bravery and strong faith of the martyrs was admired by many. The chaos that ensued the civil wars and battles made the calm of the church even more outstanding. Constantine's …show more content…

As the Empire expanded, it depended on large amounts of slave labor. The massive influx of slaves put small farmers and common workers out of business. These people formed the urban poor. They had prospered in the early Republic, but, cast into poverty, they were attracted to the message of salvation and the spurning of earthly possessions the Christian faith offered.

Rome became more unstable during the third century. Plagues killed thousands of people, the Empire was raided by barbarians, and there were plenty of bloody civil wars. In this setting, people were likely attracted to the promise of an afterlife, which traditional Roman religion did not believe in. In addition, the idea that the woes of life are only a test from God was probably reassuring to many people. Such an idea would not have been as enticing during Rome's golden years of peace and prosperity.

Due to Constantine's conversion to Christianity, the Church was given great patronage by the Emperors. Churches were funded by the state government, bishops were allowed to use the state infrastructure for their own purposes, and church councils had legal authority. Money was spent on some of the most extravagant churches ever built at times when it was desperately needed to pay for military forces. These grand churches were built, attracting people to the beauty of the church, thus spreading Christianity at the expense of the

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