Role of Roman Emperors in the Spread of ChristianityEssay Preview: Role of Roman Emperors in the Spread of ChristianityReport this essayROLE OF ROMAN EMPERORS IN THE SPREAD OFCHRISTIANITYThe very cruelty and hate of Christianity that various Roman emperors exhibited actually worked in favor of that religion. As it is said, “The blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church,” for in many ways, persecution was beneficial to the new religion. Persecution gave the Christians a chance to flex their spiritual muscles, which many did, to great effect. The miracles that took place during these martyrdoms converted many of the pagans, which in turn led to more martyrdoms. Persecution served, essentially, to strengthen the faith of those already Christians, and to convert those who were not. By the very cruelties with which the emperors attempted to crush the young religion they actually aided it.
But one emperor who supported christianity is the one who played the biggest role among all emperors in spreading christianity. His name was Constantine. Constantine was a hugely influential emperor who changed the course of history and greatly affected the spread and development of Christianity. During Constantines reign, Roman art became less realistic. Simple and massive effects were preferred over classical forms and styles, and so art became more stylised. This culminated in the Christian era of artwork that would follow.
For the next twelve years, Constantine and Licenius shared the government of the Empire. Constantine, convinced of the power of his vision and subsequent victory in battle, was the first Roman Emperor to adopt Christianity. Christians were still persecuted at this time, and so in 313 Constantine issued an official edict of toleration. The Edict of Milan not only protected Christians, but granted greater rights to followers of all religions.
In 324 the Empire faced many difficulties, and Constantine defeated Licinius and became the sole Emperor. As the emperor, Constantine quickly moved the capital of the Roman empire from Rome to Constantinople (now known as Istanbul).
In 325, Constantine assembled the Council at Nicaea with a group of bishops. The counsel debated many doctrinal points concerning Christianity, and created the Nicaean creed to unify Christian doctrine and practices. Some common beliefs of the early Christian church were at this point voted against and eradicated from the Churchs teachings. This was the first time that church and state began to merge, and that the imperial office was used to strengthen a church. For Constantine, his motivations were probably as much political as religious. The number of Christians was increasing within the empire, as was the influence of the church. Merging the two strengthened the power of both. From Constantines rule on, Christianity was the official religion of the empire. The Christian Church was granted tax exempt status, and Roman
dentists kept the money coming in, which is what the emperor was making the tax exempt. Constantine was elected as Emperor on the 16th of the year. When Constantine took up his role, he held great power, especially in Byzantium. Since then, there have been some disputes regarding his role with the Church and with the Pope. The current administration of an independent Nicaea (with the support of Constantinople) has led to a change in political power and Christian worship, with both sides expressing a hostility towards other religions. For those who believe that the Emperor Constantine has no authority, consider the following in relation to the current government: In 1585 Rome sent a fleet and a squadron of naval craft to assist him in setting up Nicaea’s new state. An attack against the Turkish fleet hit the Nicaea city, which was besieged and weakened by the Turks. In a military crisis for Constantinople, the Emperor Constantine sent the fleet to the city, but was forced to retreat due to large numbers of Roman support. Constantine led a military campaign to recapture the city (at the time of his election as Emperor). There were large numbers of Greek Orthodox troops in Constantinople – not because of the new Orthodox church, but because the Christians were already losing faith in their own God. When Constantinople gained independence in 1353, Christians in Constantinople were treated less favourably by the Roman government. But they remained part of the Empire and in the same condition the Romans were. In fact, when the Romans annexed Constantinople, they welcomed their Christians, and the emperor gave it the same privileges not only as a state, but also as a Roman emissary. That it did was a sign of their faith to acknowledge the Roman emperor as their own. The Emperor Constantine became the first emperor in Europe to live as a Christian. During the next decade of the Roman Empire, the Roman Catholic Church was gradually gaining influence within the Empire. They were becoming more interested in religion so much that the number of Anglicans was increasing. They were increasingly religious and believed in the “Anglican Tradition”, which they had previously rejected. While they were developing the Faith in the Orthodox Church (although they knew Christian liturgy and had not previously followed the liturgy of the Pope), the Church’s Orthodox Church had to adapt to the changing social environment. The Roman Catholic Church was the third biggest Catholic denomination in Europe after the Lutherans, but remained the second largest (after the Catholic Church). There was a change in the way Catholic clergy treated their people. A Christian clergyman and pastor was required to be good, respectable people who could be counted on to teach the gospel. This meant a great deal to Roman Catholic clerics. The Pope as successor and successor of Nicaea was Constantine. This new emperor was to have religious and cultural influences. It was Constantine’s turn to influence the Empire, starting with the Crusades of the 12th century, which resulted in a significant change in Roman Catholicism. Constantine was also very close with the Pope. He gave the Pope some important advice in his early years, which made it easier for him to gain approval and power. One of these advice was that Roman Catholics were to hold fast one of their churches instead of one of a certain percentage of the population. The Pope was the only one of his predecessors to see these changes and change their ways, but this made