Persecution: Differences Between Rome And Christianity

The reign of the Roman Empire lasted from 31 B.C. to 476 A.D. under the rule of several different rulers. Emperor Nero ruled over the Roman Empire during the start and the persecution of the Christians. Persecution means to hold ill-will to someone and oppress them or a group of people for something that isn’t widely accepted. The liberation of the Christians endured when Emperor Constantine gained power and issued the Edict of Milan (“Prentice Hall World History”). The Roman worshippers were polytheistic, causing a major difference between Christian’s monotheistic way of life and the Roman’s polytheistic life. Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and everything they do reflects back to Him (“Christianity: An Overview”). This difference between Rome and Christianity would lead to the Romans persecuting the Christians. Christianity would go from being illegal to a world wide religion. Christianity flourished despite challenges caused by the Roman Empire

Since Christian faith was looked upon as an outsider, the relationship that the Christians and the Romans had deteriorated. This difference led to Rome persecuting the Christians and ostracizing their faith. Persecution started around 66 A.D. (“Prentice Hall World History”) and lasted about 130 years (“ReligionFacts”). In reaction to this cruel act, the Christians made a plan to protect their faith and themselves. They hid under the system and kept their religion alive by hiding their beliefs from the public eye and worshipping in private. However, some people refused to hide their faith. They preached in public and spread the Word of Jesus Christ, but they would not go unpunished. These strong and devout believers would become martyrs, a person who is killed for their religious beliefs. However, these martyrs would draw more attention to the Christian faith and create more