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Rise Of The Roman Empire Essay

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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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The economy of Rome was failing because trade and business had begun to fade. As stated in document 1 “Commerce had largely disappeared owing to the lack of customers, to piracy on the seas, and to insecurity of the roads on land.” Due to the lack of customers and the dangers of the road and the sea, there

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One of the main reasons that caused the Roman empire’s downfall was due to their financial strains. This can be shown in the text where it says, “There was a noticeable decline in trade and small industry, and the labor shortage caused by the plague affected both military recruiting and the economy. Armies were needed more than ever, but financial strains made it difficult to pay and enlist more soldiers. By the mid-third century, the state had to hire Germans to fight under Roman commanders.” (Document 1).

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In the Roman Empire, Christianity was not freely practiced until Constantine became emperor and converted to Christianity. Romans were polytheists, and Diocletian, who was emperor of the Roman Empire before Constantine, increased the persecution of Christians. In his Life of Constantine, Eusebius recorded Constantine’s conversion to Christianity after he heard God’s command, “Use in his Wars a Standard made in the Form of the Cross” (Eusebius Ch. XXVIII) before battle with Maxentius, and after he won that battle Constantine converted to Christianity. In Life of Constantine, Eusebius only portrays Constantine as a good Christian emperor.

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The map of Foreign Invasions of the Roman Empire shows the territory of the Roman Empire and how many different people were migrating near Rome, some even reaching the city itself. All of these migrations of people led to Rome being invaded often, as everyone wanted a piece of Rome’s riches. (Doc C) This evidence means that Rome suffered greatly from the migrations of people around them. The constant invasions and attacks Rome had to defend itself against contributed to their fall.

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The more Christianity spread, the more fear the Romans had for the religion. The spread of Christianity caused the Romans to take action with violence, but the rapid spread and strong commitment were something the Romans could not beat. To start, looking at the apparent differences between Christianity and Roman ideology, it is understandable that Christianity intrigued the common people and became popular. Christian ideology is a little, with a strong

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The evidence above shows why Christianity took hold in the ancient world. Christianity gave an escape from the Roman hierarchy and let people of all backgrounds come together. Christianity also gave people a way of thinking so that they did not have to follow the Roman way to

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As the rise of Christianity and the influence of Christ grew in popularity, it initiated the decline of the Roman Empire by distracting the government. First off, the government was to focus on how citizens were coming to know about Christianity and adopting its ways. According to History.com, Christianity shifted the religion of Rome and focused the Empire, not on its grandeur, but its supreme being. The Roman government made Christianity its main concern. While they focused on Christianity, they didn't realize other problems that were affecting Rome.

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Churches were tax exempt and bishops became powerful. They were governors of the poor and even judges for small disputes. Constantine and his successors were impressed by the unity and expansionist goals of the Christian Church and wanted to increase the unity of his empire by fostering the universal outreach of the Christian church. The legacy of Constantine included his conversion to Christianity and the conversion to Christianity of the Roman Empire.

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