THE INFLUENCE OF ROMAN EMPERORS ON THE GROWTH OF EARLY CHRISTIANITY (64-395 CE)

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Early Christianity was greatly influenced by the emperors of the Roman Empire both positively and negatively. Emperors like Nero and Diocletian attempted to restrict Christianity, but it continued to grow politically and religiously in part due to emperors like Constantine and Theodosius. Although Nero failed to bring an end to Christianity, his persecution was quite brutal and marked the beginning of Christian oppression in Rome. The last example of Christian persecution occurred during Diocletian’s reign and was the most brutal, yet it still failed to eliminate the faith. When Constantine came to power, he ended Christian oppression and contributed to the spread of Christianity. Theodosius combined the church and state, enforcing strict orthodox beliefs on Romans, which mandated Christianity’s growth.
Nero’s oppression of Christians was brutal but failed to wipe out Christianity; however, it began the first official persecution of Christians and set a precedent for others in the future. In 64 CE, the Great Fire nearly destroyed Rome. Some believed that Nero started the fire. In order to shift the blame away from himself, Nero blamed the Great Fire on Christians. This began the first systematic persecution of Christians in Rome in which Christians were violently tortured and executed. Even though Christians suffered greatly during these years, Christianity continued to gain followers because it offered hope to those living in poverty. Christians in the Roman Empire continued to suffer oppression for many years after Nero’s death.
Diocletian’s persecution of Christians was the last but most brutal; however, Christianity still continued to grow. In the years 303 and 304, Diocletian delivered four edicts that ordered the destru...

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...s article is a good source of facts about Diocletian's life.

Stockdale, Nancy. "Nero." In World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2004-.
Accessed January 31, 2014. http://ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/.

This article contains a lot of information about Nero's life from his birth to his death. It covers topics such as his early life and reign, the positive and negative aspects of his reign, and his decline in popularity. It also talks about the Great Fire and how it affected Nero's reign as well as Christianity.

World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras, s.v. "Constantine I," accessed January 31, 2014. http://ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/. This article discusses the life of the emperor Constantine. It is somewhat brief, and it describes his early life, rise to power, work with the church, and death. It is a very credible overview of Constantine's life.

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