-
A point of contention that many people might have
towards Rome’s involvement in the birth of Christianity is that early
Christians in Rome were persecuted by the ruling authority.
-
But a very important question is: Why did Christianity
spread so quickly to Rome – within a few decades?
-
Without modern-day communications it is easy to see how
the true nature of Christianity’s beginning may have been lost, particularly
if the beginning was concealed in local secrecy in Judea.
-
This would not be the first example in history where
something is started for one reason, but develops into something else
entirely with unforeseen consequences.
-
What were the forces behind the seemingly paradoxical
shift of an offshoot of Judaism from Judea to Rome? From the land of the
“chosen people of God” to the land of their oppressors – oppressors who
continued world domination under the eventual banner of Christianity itself.
-
Could it be that Christianity gravitated towards Rome
due to the Western leanings of its teachings and philosophies (see
downloadable journal)?
-
The Christian philosophy was embraced whole-heartedly
by the common people of Rome, but shunned, gradually loosing favor in Judea.
-
As with anything new, the early Christian movement in
Rome was looked upon with caution and disdain by the ruling authority.
-
But they, too, gradually embraced Christianity, making
it the official religion of the Roman Empire under Emperor Constantine over
two hundred years later.
