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The Rise of Chrisianity Inth Roman Empire

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Submitted By Marloron
Words 2386
Pages 10
Christianity, a very wide practiced religion, originated about 2000 years ago in Judea, which is now commonly known as Israel. Jesus Christ and his trusting disciples first practiced and introduced the religion to the population. “Jesus first began preaching in Israel during the time of Augustus, trying hard to purify the Jewish religion to establish the kingdom of God on Earth” (Stark, 1996). During the emergence of Christianity, the emperor of Rome was ruler of Judea. The Jewish population was not happy being under Roman rule because they felt as though it represented a historical oppression. During the beginning stages of Christianity, “the religion focused on cleansing the Jewish religion of stiff rituals and arrogant leaders and had little to do with the Roman culture” (Stark, 1996). Due to this, Jesus aroused suspicion among the upper classes and leaders of the Jewish religion. Roman governors were persuaded that Jesus was a dangerous activist and as a result, Jesus was put to death. On the third day of Jesus’ death, his followers believed that resurrected which led them to further believe he was the Son of God. With the resurrection of Jesus, the religion was spreading amongst Jewish communities within the Roman Empire and further beyond. Paul, whose real name Saul, converted into a Christian in A.D 35. It was through Paul that Christian missionaries began to migrate from the strict Jewish law. He proposed that the new standards of faith be universal and open to all members who wished to practice whether or not they were Jewish. Paul’s conversion to Christianity was vital for the development of the religion. Born a Greek, he was Jewish and had the knowledge of Greco-Roman culture. Paul taught the basic beliefs of Christianity in such a way that other supporters would be able to understand. Paul took it upon himself to preach in Italy and Greece and

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