Spread Of Christianity Throughout The Ancient World example essay topic

The Romans also provided the means for the spread of this new religion. Free movement about the Mediterranean world would have been most difficult for the messengers of the gospel before the reign of Caesar Augustus. With the extension of Roman imperial power during his period of empire building, a period of peaceful occurred in the countries surrounding the Mediterranean. This relatively peaceful world made it easy for the early Christians to move from place to place so that they could preach the g opel to all men everywhere.

The Romans also developed an excellent system of roads radiating out from the golden milestone in the Roman forum to all parts of the empire. The main roads were built to serve for ages. They wen tra ight over hill and dale to the farthest point of th empire. A study of the journeys of Paul indicates that he made great use of the excellent road system to get from strategic center to strategic center of the Roman Empire. Roman roads and strategic cities located on these roads were an indispensable aid in the realization of Paul's mission; the spread of Christianity throughout the ancient world.

The role of the Roman army in the development of the ideal of a universal organization and in the spread of the gospel should not be ignored. The Romans adopted the custom of using provincials in the army as the supply of Roman citizens declined because of war and easy living. These provincials were brought into contact with Roman culture and helped to spread its ideas throughout the ancient world. They often came from regions that were more dominated by what we would refer to as paganism, and when they returned to these areas they taught their newfound belief system, Christianity. Moreover, some of these men that became converts to Christianity would then spread the gospel to areas where they were assigned for military duty.

It is probable that the earliest introduction of Christianity to Britain was a result of the efforts of Christian soldiers or merchants from Rome (Lee). Roman conquests also led to a loss of belief by man peoples in their local pagan gods because the gods had not been able to keep them from defeat by the Romans. Such people were left with a spiritual vacuum that could not be filled satisfactorily by the pagan multi-deity belief systems of the day. Overall, the organization and glory of Imperial Rome became an important aspect of the lives of people throughout Europe, and when Rome finally fell, it left an opening that was fulfilled in the ideals and intricacies of the ecclesiastical system. Greeks also played a huge role in paving the way for Christianity and aiding in its success.

Greek philosophy prepared for the coming of Christianity by destroying the older religions. Whoever came to know its tenets, whether Greek or Roman, soon found that this intellectual discipline made his, or pagan, religion so irrational that he turned away from it to philosophy. But philosophy filled to satisfy his spiritual needs, so he oftentimes sought comfort in the religions of the Roman Empire. At the time of Christ's advent, philosophy had declined from the peak reached by Plato to a system of self-centered individualistic thought. This bankruptcy of philosophy by the time of the coming of Christ disposed men's minds toward a more spiritual approach to life.

Christianity was far more capable of filling the vacuum in the spiritual life of the day than was any tradition.