"Without the Roman Empire, Christianity might never have spread so successfully. You could say the empire was a tinderbox awaiting the spark of Christian faith.
The empire’s unifying elements aided in the expansion of the Gospel: Roman roads made travel easier than it had ever been before; throughout the realm, people smoke Greek; and the mighty Roman army kept peace. As a result of the increased mobility, pockets of migrant craftsmen settled for a time in a major city - Rome, Corinth, Athens, or Alexandria - then moved on to another.
Christianity stepped into an open climate, religiously. In a sort of “new age” movement many people had begun to embrace eastern religion - the worship of Isis, DIonysus, Mithras, Cybele, and others. Worshipers searched for new beliefs, but some of these religions had been declared illegal, because they were suspected of offensive rituals. Other faiths were officially recognized - like Judaism, which had enjoyed a protected position since the days of Julius Caesar, though its monotheism and biblical revelation set it apart from the other ways of worship.
Taking full advantage of the situation, Christian missionaries traveled throughout the empire. In the Jewish synagogues, craftsmen’s quarters, and tenements, they shared their message and won converts. Soon all the major cities, including the imperial capital, had churches.
Rome, center of the empire, drew people like a magnet. Paul had wanted to visit the city (Romans 1:10-12: *In all my prayers, I ask God to make it possible for me to visit you. I want to see you and share with you the same blessings that God’s Spirit has given me. Then you will grow stronger in your faith. What I am saying is that we can encourage each other by the faith that is ours.*) and by the time he wrote his letter to the Roman church, he could greet many Christians there by name (Romans 16:3-153 *Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila.They have not only served Christ Jesus together with me, but they have even risked their lives for me. I am grateful for them and so are all the Gentile churches. Greet the church that meets in their home. Greet my dear friend Epaenetus, who was the first person in Asia to have faith in Christ.Greet Mary, who has worked so hard for you. Greet my relatives Andronicus and Junias, who were in jail with me. They are highly respected by the apostles and were followers of Christ before I was. Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend whose faith is in the Lord. Greet Urbanus, who serves Christ along with us. Greet my dear friend Stachys. Greet Apelles, a faithful servant of Christ. Greet Aristobulus and his family. Greet Herodion, who is a relative of mine. Greet Narcissus and the others in his family, who have faith in the Lord. Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who work hard for the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis. She also works hard for the Lord. Greet Rufus, that special servant of the Lord, and greet his mother, who has been like a mother to me. Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, and Hermas, as well as our friends who are with them. Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all of God’s people who are with them.*) - perhaps because he had met them on his travels.
When Paul arrived in Rome, he did so in chains. The book of Acts closes with the apostle under rather loose house arrest, receiving guests and teaching them. (Acts 28:16-31 *We arrived in Rome, and Paul was allowed to live in a house by himself with a soldier to guard him. Three days after we got there, Paul called together some of the Jewish leaders and said: My friends, I have never done anything to hurt our people, and I have never gone against the customs of our ancestors. But in Jerusalem I was handed over as a prisoner to the Romans. They looked into the charges against me and wanted to release me. They found that I had not done anything deserving death. The Jewish leaders disagreed, so I asked to be tried by the Emperor. But I don’t have anything to say against my own nation. I am bound by these chains because of what we people of Israel hope for. That’s why I have called you here to talk about this hope of ours.
The leaders replied, “No one from Judea has written us a letter about you. And not one of them has come here to report on you or to say anything against you. But we would like to hear what you have to say. We understand that people everywhere are against this new group.” They agreed on a time to meet with Paul, and many of them came to his house. From early morning until late in the afternoon, Paul talked to them about God’s kingdom. He used the Law of Moses and the Books of the Prophets to try to win them over to Jesus.
Some of the leaders agreed with what Paul said, but others did not. Since they could not agree among themselves, they started leaving. But Paul said, “The Holy Spirit said the right thing when he sent Isaiah the prophet to tell our ancestors,
‘Go to these people
and tell them:
You will listen and listen,
but never understand.
You will look and look,
but never see.
All of you
have stubborn hearts.
Your ears are stopped up,
and your eyes are covered.
You cannot see or hear
or understand.
If you could,
you would turn to me,
and I would heal you.’”
Paul said, “You may be sure that God wants to save the Gentiles! And they will listen.” For two years Paul stayed in a rented house and welcomed everyone who came to see him. He bravely preached about God’s kingdom and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ, and no one tried to stop him.*)
Tradition tells us that Peter, too, spent time with the Roman church. Though we have no definite numbers on it, we can guess that under the leadership of these two men the church grew strong, including nobles and soldiers as well as craftsmen and servants.
For three decades the Roman officials perceived Christianity as a branch of Judaism - a legal religion - and had little interest in persecuting the new Jewish “sect.” But many Jews, scandalized by the new faith, went on the attack, even trying to draft Rome into the conflict.
Roman obliviousness to the situation may be shown in the report of the Roman historian Tacitus. In one of the tenements of Rome he reports a disturbance among the Jews at the instigation of a certain “Chrestus.” Tacitus could have misheard; the people were probably arguing about Christos, that is, Christ.
By A.D. 64, some Roman officials had begun to realize that Christianity differed significantly from Judaism. The Jews rejected the Christians, and more and more others saw Christianity as an illegal religion. Even before Rome’s fatal fire, public opinion may have begun to turn against the fledgling faith. Though the Romans eagerly accepted new gods, Christianity was not willing to share honors with any other faith. As Christians challenged the deep-set polytheism of Rome, the empire struck back.
On July 19 a fire broke out in a working-class section of Rome. For seven days it raged, consuming block after block of crowded tenements. 10 of the 14 wards were destroyed, and many people died. Legend has it that Emperor Nero “fiddled” while Rome burned. Many of his contemporaries thought Nero was responsible for the fire. When the city was rebuilt, at great public expense, Nero seized a substantial chunk of land for himself and built his Golden Palace on the site. The fire may have been a quick way to achieve urban renewal.
Deflecting the blame from himself, the emperor established a convenient scapegoat - the Christians. They had set the fire, he charged. As a result, Nero vowed to hunt them down and have them killed.
The first wave of Roman persecution lasted from shortly after the fire until Nero’s death in 68. With barbaric bloodthirstiness, he had Christians crucified and set afire. Their bodies lined the Roman roads, providing torchlight. Christians dressed in animals skins were mauled by dogs in the arena. According to tradition, both Peter and Paul became martyrs in Nero’s persecution; Paul was beheaded, and Peter was crucified upside-down.
But persecution occurred sporadically and remained localized. An emperor might heat up the persecution for ten years or so, but a time of peace would follow, only to be abruptly broken when a local governor lashed out at the Christians in his area - with Rome’s blessing. This pattern lasted for two and a half centuries.
Tertullian, a second-century Christian writer, said “Blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.” Amazingly, each time persecution erupted, there were more Christians to persecute. In his first letter, Peter had encouraged Christians to endure suffering, confidence of the ultimate victory and rule that would be established in Christ (1 Peter 5: 1-11 *Church leaders, I am writing to encourage you. I too am a leader, as well as a witness to Christ’s suffering, and I will share in his glory when it is shown to us. Just as shepherds watch over their sheep, you must watch over everyone God has placed in your care. Do it willingly in order to please God, and not simply because you think you must. Let it be something you want to do, instead of something you do merely to make money. Don’t be bossy to those people who are in your care, but set an example for them. Then when Christ the Chief Shepherd returns, you will be given a crown that will never lose its glory. All of you young people should obey your elders. In fact, everyone should be humble toward everyone else. The Scriptures say,
“God opposes proud people,
but he helps everyone
who is humble.”
Be humble in the presence of God’s mighty power, and he will honor you when the time comes. God cares for you, so turn all your worries over to him. Be on your guard and stay awake. Your enemy, the devil, is like a roaring lion, sneaking around to find someone to attack. But you must resist the devil and stay strong in your faith. You know that all over the world the Lord’s followers are suffering just as you are. But God shows undeserved kindness to everyone. That’s why he appointed Christ Jesus to choose you to share in his eternal glory. You will suffer for a while, but God will make you complete, steady, strong, and firm. God will be in control forever! Amen.*). The growth of the church under such pressure in part proved his words.
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