Dbq Christianity

Why Did Christianity Take Hold In the Ancient World?

Have you ever thought about how Christianity took hold in the ancient world? What caused people to alter their religion to Christianity? You might’ve heard the name “Jesus” somewhere. Jesus was not necessarily the founder of this religion, Peter was. To be exact, Jesus’ actions resulted in the founding of Christianity, but he didn’t find the religion. God’s words were transferred through Jesus, and Jesus convinced many people to believe in God. Jesus was born as the “son” of God and played a significant part in spreading the religion. This essay is part of a series that will each go in depth of 5 main religions; Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism. Most or all of

the information will come from the D.B.Q. Packet that includes 10 accurate documents about the spreading of Christianity. The essay will provide examples from the documents that will explain how it was able to take root and spread throughout the world.
What was the powerful element of Christianity hardly no other religion had, that caused the ancient people’s religious beliefs to abruptly alter?

According to Document D, unlike other religions, Christianity was equally treating their followers. For example, “...Here is a community that invites you, which makes you an equal with all other members of that community. Which does not give you any disadvantages. On the contrary, it gives even the lowliest slave personal dignity and status.” Jesus’ most important idea that he shared with others was that all people would be treated equally if they became a follower. They didn’t have to be rich and wealthy to get treated with more care and respect. Hope was starting to reappear into poor and unprivileged people’s minds. Mindsets were changed from “fixed” to “growth”. Everyone had a chance of being treated fairly and feeling important. Fairness and equal treatment appealed to many people who then became followers of

God.
Another main component that added to the growth of Christianity was the preached promise. Christians were promised to have “...immortality, a future life which would be liberation from sickness and from disease and from poverty, and individual isolation. There is a future for the individual...beyond the powers of this world,” according to Document B. Even the people who had been through the hardest times could live an after life, somewhere they could enjoy and live the life they deserved. People who had been isolated because of a sickness, or other reason wouldn’t have to be isolated their entire life. A human’s joy of life would never end, because they would have an after life to look forward to. There was another shot at living a better, happier life.
According to Document E, Roman Ideology (belief) was that violence led to victory, and victory led to peace.

On the other hand, Christianity believed that nonviolence led to justice, and justice led to peace. The Roman Ideology was simply saying that without winning against violence, there was going to be no peace. “There will be peace on earth, said Roman ideology when all is quiet and orderly.” The exact opposite was Christianity’s belief; peace was only able to come from nonviolence. “There will be peace on earth, said Christianity, when all is fair and just.” If anyone had to choose between violence and nonviolence, they would most likely choose nonviolence. It was less harmful, calmer, and more positive than violence, attracting much more attention than other

religions.
In conclusion, Christianity was positive and gave people hope, even if they had lost it. The religion showed that worshipping a god(s) didn’t have to revolve around the amount of money an individual had. Followers would never have to lose hope that something positive was going to happen. The documents pinpointed in the essay clearly show crucial concepts that appealed to followers and helped spread the religion. In the following essays of this series, I will be seeking many points of comparison between Christianity and other religions as I advance into the next 4 main religions I will be studying.