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In the early days of Christianity, many rumors spread through Rome about the faith. Most of them were based off of misconceptions.
The idea was spread that the Christians were atheists, due to the fact that they did not believe in the wide pantheon of gods that existed at the time. Understandably, this concerned many Romans, particularly since they believed that the gods influenced day to day life and could potentially take offense at the lack of belief.
This, in turn, lead to the Romans believing that Christians hated humanity, because they didn't seem to care about offending the gods, which the Romans believed could lead to the gods punishing Rome by withholding crops or creating natural disasters.
In addition, the Romans did not understand the concept of the Eucharist, or Communion. When they heard that Christians, during their private worship services, were eating the body and drinking the blood of the Son of Man, as Jesus was called, they immediately concluded that Christians were cannibals.
This may seem like a bit of a jump, but let me explain for a minute. Romans in this time period had a practice of leaving unwanted newborns, for various reasons, outside of their homes to be taken by slavers, adopted, or to die. This would usually happen if the family did not have the resources to take care of another child. Christians had a habit of adopting these children, rather than leaving them to die or be enslaved.
From a Roman perspective, knowing that the Christians had a habit of taking children in the night (an exaggeration) and hearing the skewed tales about communion, they jump to the understandable, if incorrect, conclusion that the Christians were cannibals.
So, considering that the Romans believed the rumors that the Christians were atheist, human-hating cannibals, it's no wonder that they felt deep antagonism towards Christians. I hope this answers your question.
-Tharivole
(Feel free to correct any mistakes I've made or add extra examples that I missed)
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
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Under the reign of which emperor did Christianity become 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.Theodosius I was the emperor who made Christianity the official religion of the Roman empire.
What Roman Empire Studied Christianity?
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.
What was a major effect of the fall of the Roman Empire on western Europe?
One of the major causes for the Fall of Roman Empire was the Antagonism between the Senate and the Emperor
What is the connection between ancient Rome and the spread of Christianity?
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.
Who is the roman empire who legalized Christianity and legalized the edict of milan?
Constantine I
What best describes the roman government attitude toward the early christians?
The Roman government saw Christianity as a threat.
In what ways was Christianity a unifying force in the Roman Empire?
in what way was Christianity a unifying force in the roman
Under the reign of which emperor did Christianity become 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.Theodosius I was the emperor who made Christianity the official religion of the Roman empire.
What Roman Empire Studied Christianity?
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.
What was a major effect of the fall of the Roman Empire on western Europe?
One of the major causes for the Fall of Roman Empire was the Antagonism between the Senate and the Emperor
What religion celebrate Easter?
Chiefly, Christianity especially the Roman Catholic church.
What is the connection between ancient Rome and the spread of Christianity?
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.
What religion did Europeans bring to Africa?
Christianity
What did Christianity become to the Roman Empire?
After the Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity, that became the official religion of the Roman Empire.
Compare the rise of Christianity in the Roman emp?
You need to specify what is is that we need to compare the rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire to.
A major effect of the decline of the roman empire was that western Europe?
One of the major causes for the Fall of Roman Empire was the Antagonism between the Senate and the Emperor
Who is the roman empire who legalized Christianity and legalized the edict of milan?
Constantine I
