Early Christianity in the Roman Empire

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Early Christianity in the Roman Empire

• HON 197 Eurasian and N. African Civilization
• November 27, 2006

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Growth of Christianity in the Roman Empire
Based on an estimated population of 60 million.
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Since the Jews were continually making
disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus, he
Claudius expelled them from Rome.--Seutonius,
Life of Claudius, ca. 52Seutonius was probably
referring to the quarrels between Jews and
Christian teachers.
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In the meanwhile, the method I have observed
towards those who have been denounced to me as
Christians is this I interrogated them whether
they were Christians if they confessed it I
repeated the question twice again, adding the
threat of capital punishment if they still
persevered, I ordered them to be executed. For
whatever the nature of their creed might be, I
could at least feel no doubt that contumacy and
inflexible obstinacy deserved chastisement.
--Pliny, Letters, ca. 112
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We, too, to that Word, Reason and Power (by which
we said God devised all things) would ascribe
Spirit as its proper nature and in Spirit,
giving utterance, we should find Word with
Spirit, ordering and disposing all things,
Reason and over Spirit, achieving all things,
Power. This, we have been taught, proceeds from
God, begotten in this proceeding from God, and
therefore called Son of God and God because
of unity of nature. For God too is
spirit.--Tertullian, Apologeticus, ca. 197
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1. I believe in God almighty2. And in Christ
Jesus, his only son, our Lord3. Who was born of
the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary . .
.9. And in the Holy Ghost . . .12. The
resurrection of the flesh13. The life
everlasting. --Apostles Creed
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Statue of Constantine at the Capitoline Museums,
Rome
One of Constantines coins with the labarum
Greek letters of the word Christ, Chi (x) and
Rho (p) on the back
One of Constantines coins with the image of Sol
Invictus on the back
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March 303 . . . Imperial edicts were published
everywhere ordering that the churches be razed to
the ground, that the Scriptures be destroyed by
fire, that those holding office be deposed and
they of the household be deprived of freedom, if
they persisted in the profession of Christianity.
. . . not long after other decrees were issued,
which enjoined that the rulers of the churches in
every place be first imprisoned, and thereafter
every means be used to compel them to
sacrifice.--Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History
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in particular it has been our aim to bring back
to the right disposition the Christians who had
abandoned the religion of their fathers . . .
Nevertheless, since many still persist in their
opinions, and since we have observed that they
now neither show due reverence to the gods nor
worship their own God, we . . . are pleased to
grant indulgence to these men, allowing
Christians the right to exist again and to set up
their places of worship provided always that
they do not offend against public order. . . . In
return for this indulgence of ours it will be the
duty of Christians to pray to God for our
recovery, for the public weal and for their
own.--Edict of Toleration, 311
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The worship of God ought rightly to be our first
and chiefest care, and that it was right that
Christians and all others should have freedom to
follow the kind of religion they favored so that
the God who dwells in heaven might be propitious
to us and to all under our rule. 4. We
therefore announce that . . . all who choose that
religion Christianity are to be permitted to
continue therein, without any let or hindrance,
and are not to be in any way troubled or
molested. 6. Note that at the same time all
others are to be allowed the free and
unrestricted practice of their religions for it
accords with the good order of the realm and the
peacefulness of our times that each should have
freedom to worship God after his own
choice.--Edict of Milan, 313
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All judges, city-people and craftsmen shall rest
on the venerable day of the Sun. But countrymen
may without hindrance attend to agriculture,
since it often happens that this is the most
suitable day for sowing grain or planting vines,
so that the opportunity afforded by divine
providence may not be lost. --Constantine, 321
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Establishing Easter

• The Gospels suggest that Christ celebrated the
  Pascal meal with his disciples before his
  crucifixion.
• According to the Old Law, Passover was observed
  on the fourteenth day of the first month (Lev.
  235) of the lunar month of Nisan, which was
  marked by the beginning of spring (Deut. 161).

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Establishing Easter

• Council of Nicea set the date of the spring
  equinox at March 21.
• Council decreed that Easter would fall on the
  first Sunday after the first full moon after the
  spring equinox, but never at the beginning of the
  Jewish Passover.

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According to the apostolic teaching and the
doctrine of the Gospel, let us believe the one
deity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,
in equal majesty and in a holy Trinity. We
authorize the followers of this law to assume the
title of Catholic Christians but as for the
others, since, in our judgment, they are foolish
madmen, we decree that they shall be branded with
the ignominious name of heretics, and shall not
presume to give to their conventicles the name of
churches. They will suffer in the first place
the chastisement of the divine condemnation, and
in the second the punishment which our authority,
in accordance with the will of Heaven, shall
decide to inflict.--Theodosian Code, 380-381
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The choir of San Salvatore, Spoleta (Italy)
occupies the interior of a Roman temple