资源描述：
《The Growth of Christianity in Rome》由会员上传分享，免费在线阅读，更多相关内容在学术论文-天天文库。
1、TheGrowthofChristianityintheRomanEmpireWhydidChristianitybecomesoquicklypopularintheRomanEmpire?Especiallyatatimewhenitwasillegal?HundredsofthousandsofChristiansweretorturedandkilledbytheRomangovernment,yetmorepeoplekeptfreelychoosingtojointhenewreligion.Whydidtheysoeasilyletgoofthepoly
2、theisticpaganismwhichwastypicaloftheearlyRomans?BythetimeConstantinelegalizedthepracticeofChristianityin313,theempirewasalreadyheavilyChristianized.Bytheyear300perhaps10percentofthepeoplewereChristians,andbythemiddleofthecentury,Christiansmaywellhavebeenamajorityofthecitizens,33millionC
3、hristiansinanempireof60millionpeople.SoConstantinedidnotsomuchensureChristianity’ssuccessasacknowledgeit.Thesewerenot33million“nominal”Christians.InthedecadebeforeConstantine’sedict,theChurchhadsuffereditsmostruthlessandsystematicpersecutioneverundertheemperorDiocletianandhissuccessors.
4、Thepracticeofthefaithwas,inmanyplaces,punishedbytortureanddeath.Inmanyplaces,toliveasaChristianmeant,attheleast,toacceptsocialstigmaandhumiliation.Whatismore,theChristianwayitselfwascharacterizedbyvoluntarilyengagingindemandingdisciplinesinthelifeofprayerandinthemorallife.TobeaChristian
5、wasnoteasyintheyear300.ChristianswerelayingtheirlivesonthelineeverytimetheymettodiscusstheNewTestament,andtheycontinuedtodosothroughthecourseofeveryday.Yettherateofconversionthroughouttheempire—beginningwiththefirstChristians,longbeforeConstantine—wasmostremarkable.InthefirstChristiance
6、nturiestherewasanastonishinggrowthrateof40percentperdecade.Again,Constantinegetsnocreditforthisgrowth.Mostofithappenedintheyearsbeforehewasborn.Mostgrowthcamefromindividualconversions,andnotonlyfromthepoor,butalsofromthemerchantandupperclasses.Mostconvertswerewomen;womenbenefitedgreatly
7、fromconversion;andsomewomenwereinfluentialleaders.TheChristianpopulationgrewby40percentadecade,fromabout1,000Christiansintheyear40to7,530in100toalittleoversixmillionin300and33millionin350ChristianityinRome,page1—growing,inthehundredyearsbetween250and350,fromabouttwopercentofthe
