Christianity In Roman Empire Essay, Research Paper

In St. Paul?s Epistle to the Romans, he explains that God?s justice is

?God?s way of righting wrong?. St. Paul says in Jesus? sacrificial death

God ? meant by this to demonstrate his justice?. According to Paul, human

pride is excluded because ?the keeping of law would not exclude it, but faith

does?. St. Paul?s reason for this is ?that a man is justified by faith

quite apart from success in keeping the law. St. Paul also discusses that a

person must use their gifts for the good of people. We have to use our gifts

because ?the gifts we possess differ as they are allotted to us by God?s

grace?. ?A teacher should employ his gift in teaching?. In Paul?s last

selection, he explains that ?every person must submit to the supreme

authorities?. He explains that God institutes all authorities, and if you

don?t follow the law you are resisting ?a divine institution?. Paul says

that if you do right you have no reason to fear the authorities. We pay taxes

because ?the authorities are in God?s service and to these duties they

devote their energies.? Paul also explains that if you love your neighbor has

?satisfied every claim of the law?. ?Love cannot wrong a neighbor;

therefore the whole law is summed up in love.? Diocletion was a Roman emperor

that persecuted the Christians. He persecuted them by sending out edicts to all

the empire saying that all churches be destroyed, Scriptures be burned, people

that were Christian and held places of honor be degraded, and citizens that

practiced Christianity after the letters went out be taken to prison. Soon after

other letters were issued ?commanding that all bishops of the churches

everywhere? be put in prison and be ?compelled to sacrifice [to the

gods]?. The persecution became worse. The letters demanded that ?all the

people should sacrifice at once?and offer libations to the idols?. In the

rise of Christianity, Constantine was the most important contributor to the rise

of the new faith. Constantine was a Roman ruler that claimed he saw the Roman

sign for Christianity and God spoke to him during a battle. He used Christianity

as his backbone of his crusade. He eventually took over the whole Roman Empire

and greatly supported Christianity. Constantine issued the Edict of Milan,

giving religious freedom to everyone .He especially favored Christians by

building magnificent churches and exempting clergy from taxes.