To The Nations
We’ve looked at a lot of different things this past month. The jews prior to Roman rule and their own resilience to oppression, Christ’s ministry among a Roman governed nation, and the brutal persecution of Christians by Roman leadership. Now, taking all of those weird come to a final moment. This entire blog series was inspired by the truth that because of Rome Christianity fills the world. The very force that destroyed the key player in Christianity is the same force that allowed its survival in the modern world.
The growth of Christianity relied on many factors. The resilience of the people, the universal message, and the ability to spread the gospel. For this final part, we will focus on these three elements.
While Christians themselves do not consist entirely of Jews, they were the base. Peter’s name was literally the rock. As Christ indicated, he would be the foundation. Their resilience to oppression was clear in their testimonies and blood given. Their examples of faith permeated throughout the new members, giving them major figures to look up to. Over time, these men were deemed “Saints” and seen as direct connections to God himself.
These examples became, just as Christ had prophesied, the foundation for the later resilience Christians showed during the persecution of Rome. It was the example of that jewish determination to keep the faith no matter where you were. This example was seen by many. Christians who were chased out of their homes spread the gospel in their new homes. The more Christians were scattered across the Roman Empire, the more they seemed to expand.
What about this message was so intriguing? It was for everyone. The good news of the gospel was not reserved for the jews. It was not reserved for the rich. The gospel was for all people, rich, poor, sickly, and healthy. Christ had come for everyone no matter their statues. The gods of the day required sacrifice, and the greater your riches, the better the sacrifice. Some gods were nation specific, such as the jewish god. Christianity was a message for the world.
That universal message was hard to pass up. That combined with the sacrifice of those believers made for a compelling argument. People would risk their lives pronouncing their dedication to a God who loved them. They believed without a shadow of a doubt that by staying faithful to God, he would raise them from the grave, and they would live with him again. Anyone could be a part of that grace, simply by believing the name of Jesus Christ.
With two of the most important factors for the spread of Christianity covered, the final was nearly set in place. In terms of the ability to spread the gospel many factors come into play, roadways foe easier travel city to city, a universal language for speaking, reading, and writing, the access to Christians who can teach, but the biggest factor was the legalization.
You could have thousands of roads and millions of books, but without legalization, you will have push back. Either you’re forced from society because of breaking the law, or people refuse to listen for their own safety against the government. No matter what side of the fence your own legalization was important. That moment came with Constantine.
The night before a heated battle, Constantine slept uneasy. His dreams were filled with a mix of victories and defeats until a heavenly light filled his mind. That day, he had seen a sign in the sky, a symbol with the words, “in this sign, conquer”. In his dream, a Man appears to him with scars on his hands and feet and tells him to mark that symbol on his men’s shields and it would aid them in the coming battle. The next morning, after doing as he was told, Constantine was victorious.
A year later, he would push the edict of Malin, which granted universal religious tolerance ending the persecution Christians had undergone the last nearly three hundred years. Sixty years later, Christianity would become the official religion of Rome. In the next thousand years, Rome would become a thing of the past, yet Christianity would live on. Through missionary work and the leadership of the pope, new nations converted to Christianity, allowing the church to live on even when the nation that had grown it died.
Today, Christianity fills the world. What was once a small band of twelve following Christ has grown to over two billion who profess Jesus as the Christ. This expanse came from God. God uses whatever tools He must to bring about His word, and Rome was his tool.
Thanks to anyone who’s gone along this little journey with me. It’s been a lot of fun for me to look into all the history and such behind each part of this series. There is so much information I left out. It was impossible to include everything I read. I also didn’t list any sources because this was just a blog. It wasn’t meant for a study tool, just a fun way to explore a simple idea.
Jacob Gittins 