Absolutely not. The roman's were Pagans and opposed to Christianity. They violently suppressed it for a long time. Despite this it flourished as an underground movement and eventually it became the official religion under Constantine who converted in the fourth century.
in what way was Christianity a unifying force in the roman
The main accomplishment of Christianity is to make it to the kingdom of light. And to win people into the Kingdom of light.
Theodosius I was the emperor who made Christianity the official religion of the Roman empire.Theodosius I was the emperor who made Christianity the official religion of the Roman empire.Theodosius I was the emperor who made Christianity the official religion of the Roman empire.Theodosius I was the emperor who made Christianity the official religion of the Roman empire.Theodosius I was the emperor who made Christianity the official religion of the Roman empire.Theodosius I was the emperor who made Christianity the official religion of the Roman empire.Theodosius I was the emperor who made Christianity the official religion of the Roman empire.Theodosius I was the emperor who made Christianity the official religion of the Roman empire.Theodosius I was the emperor who made Christianity the official religion of the Roman empire.
There was only one Roman Empire. Moreover, the Roman Empire did not study Christianity. An empire cannot study. The Roman Empire was where Christianity spread from Judea (which was a part of the Roman province of Syria). Both Catholic and Orthodox Christianity developed in the Roman Empire. Originally the were called Latin or Western Christianity and Greek or Eastern Christianity respectively. The former was the dominant form of Christianity in the western part of the Roman Empire and the latter was the dominant form of Christianity in the eastern part of this empire. There were also dissident Christian doctrines and sects.
Chiefly, Christianity especially the Roman Catholic church.
Christianity developed from a religion among a small group of Jews (who lived in Judea, which was part of the Roman Empire) into a mass religion in the Roman days. It spread around the Roman Empire. It became state religion. Catholic Christianity and Orthodox Christianity developed during the Later Roman Empire. They were originally called Latin or Western Christianity and Greek or Eastern Christianity respectively. The former was the main form of Christianity in the western part of the Roman Empire and the latter was the main form of Christianity in the eastern part of the Roman Empire.
Christianity
You need to specify what is is that we need to compare the rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire to.
After the Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity, that became the official religion of the Roman Empire.
Constantine I
As Roman Emporer, Constantine declared Christianity to be the official religion of the Roman Empire. At the time, the Empire was vast, so Christianity spread quickly.
The emperor Theodosius I declared Christianity to be the official religion of the Roman empire. In fact, he made Christianity mandatory for all.