Impact of Christianity On The Roman Culture :: essays research papers

Christianity came into the world approximately two thousand years ago. It was persecuted at first, but atually became the offical religion in 381 A.D. "It is the spiritual force that conquered the Roman Empire one of the decisive elements in the growth of Western civiliztion (Bunson 9). Throughout history Christianity has compete a major role in changing our society into what it is today. "Christianity won the professed allegiance of the overwhelming majority of the population of the Roman Empire and even the take for of the Roman State (Latourette 65). Not only did Christianity thrive, but it also succeeded in changing the face of Roman culture. Consider the gladiatorial fights. "The huge Coliseum at Rome seated 50 thousand people and was the scene of many bloody gladiatorial combats and even mock naval battles" (Schoder 108). "Hundreds of thousands of slaves shed their blood in the arena in Rome year after year to satisfy the perverted lust of the Roman mob&q uot (Kennedy 148). "Although many Romans descried these blook-letting contests, there persisted a running game of cruelty in Roman public amusements which can scarcely be comprehended, far less condoned, today (81). The message of Christianity helped changed this aspect of Roman life because it gave expenditure and significance every life (Kennedy 149). Jesus told the multitudes to "love your neighbor as yourself" (Luke 1027) He also told the story of the good summaritan to illistrate that any person he came in contact with was his good neighbor (Luke 1030-37). Christianities message contains the golden rule "do to others as you you have them do to you" (Luke 6-3)."The child of today is love and adored. But it was not so in pre-Christian times. The Roman fathers power of his child was absolute. "He could expose it to death he could scourge it, spoil it, marry it, divorce it, see it as a slave, or kill it to satisfy his own blood lust." Quintillion, a roman writer, said that to kill a man was often held to be a crime, but to kill ones own children was sometimes considered a beautiful action (Kennedy 149). The message of Christianity gave set to children. Jeasus said "who ever humbles himself like this child is greatest in my kingdom. If anyone causes these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone around his neck and be drowned in the Sea (Matt 184-6).