How did the Gospel spread in the roman empire?

Answer 1

While the Romans might be considered as technologically backward by modern standards, they were highly intelligent and fine engineers. Their road network across Europe was the finest and most extensive the world had ever seen. This was developed not just for trade, but for the movement of troops of Roman soldiers from one part of the Empire to another, in order to keep order and to show a real presence - even if just passing through. The Roman army was large, but not huge, and so it would have been impossible to keep a sufficient presence in all parts of the empire - hence the road system to march troops from one trouble spot to another. This road system was also of great importance for trade and communication - and sadly very efficient in spreading disease too - there were several episodes of the Plague in the empire, spread through people and animals using the road system. As a by the way, I live in the UK, and many modern roads today are still built on the same layout as the original Roman roads, because the originals were remarkably straight, and occasionally the original Roman roads are still excavated and restored - and, after cleaning of debris, still appear as good as new. After the resurrection of Jesus and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, in around AD 30-31, the disciples and others who followed Christ were dispersed throughout the Empire because of the danger of persecution and even death. The road system of the empire was of vital importance to allow such movement, so that in just a few years there were many pockets of Christians worshipping around the Mediterranean area who had been converted after hearing the message of Jesus Christ told to them by the original apostles. By AD 50 or 60, there were many churches (groups of Christians) dotted around the area in what is modern day Turkey, Greece, Italy, Macedonia and many other areas, as well as Israel. We have records of such churches in the New Testament as much of the New Testament in the Bible consists of letters written by Paul to those very churches. In addition to these churches, founded by the ability to communicate along Roman roads, others were founded in the east as far as India, and in Africa as far as Ethiopia. By 100AD there were literally hundreds of groups of Christians meeting, and, of course in a couple of hundred years after that, the Chrictian Church became the official church of the Empire under Emperor Constantine, so that Christianity, then the official religion, could spread across the world as we know it.