FREE ESSAY ON RISE OF CHRISTIANITY IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE

RISE OF CHRISTIANITY IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE

Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire
In St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans, he explains that God's justice is "God's way of
righting wrong". St. Paul says in Jesus' sacrificial death God " meant by this to
demonstrate his justice". According to Paul, human pride is excluded because "the keeping
of law would not exclude it, but faith does". St. Paul's reason for this is "that a man
is justified by faith quite apart from success in keeping the law.
St. Paul also discusses that a person must use their gifts for the good of people. We
have to use our gifts because "the gifts we possess differ as they are allotted to us by
God's grace". "A teacher should employ his gift in teaching".
In Paul's last selection, he explains that "every person must submit to the supreme
authorities". He explains that God institutes all authorities, and if you don't follow
the law you are resisting "a divine institution". Paul says that if you do right you have
no reason to fear the authorities. We pay taxes because "the authorities are in God's
service and to these duties they devote their energies." Paul also explains that if you
love your neighbor has "satisfied every claim of the law". "Love cannot wrong a neighbor;
therefore the whole law is summed up in love."
Diocletion was a Roman emperor that persecuted the Christians. He persecuted them by
sending out edicts to all the empire saying that all churches be destroyed, Scriptures be
burned, people that were Christian and held places of honor be degraded, and citizens
that practiced Christianity after the letters went out be taken to prison. 
Soon after other letters were issued "commanding that all bishops of the churches
everywhere" be put in prison and be "compelled to sacrifice [to the gods]". The
persecution became worse. The letters demanded that "all the people should sacrifice at
once...and offer libations to the idols". 
In the rise of Christianity, Constantine was the most important contributor to the rise
of the new faith. Constantine was a Roman ruler that claimed he saw the Roman sign for
Christianity and God spoke to him during a battle. He used Christianity as his backbone
of his crusade. He eventually took over the whole Roman Empire and greatly supported
Christianity. Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, giving religious freedom to everyone
.He especially favored Christians by building magnificent churches and exempting clergy
from taxes.