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

Christianity came into the founding approximately two thousand years ago. It was persecuted at first, but atually became the offical faith in 381 A.D. "It is the spiritual force that conquered the Roman Empire one of the important elements in the growth of Western civiliztion (Bunson 9). Throughout history Christianity has played a major role in changing our society into what it is today. "Christianity won the professed committedness of the overwhelming majority of the population of the Roman Empire and even the live of the Roman State (Latourette 65). Not only did Christianity thrive, but it as well as succeeded in changing the face of Roman culture. Consider the gladiatorial fights. "The huge coliseum at Rome seated 50 thousand people and was the paroxysm of umteen bloody gladiatorial combats and even mock naval battles" (Schoder 108). "Hundreds of thousands of slaves hurl their blood in the arena in Rome year subsequently year to satisfy the pervert ed lust of the Roman mob" (Kennedy 148). "Although many Romans descried these blook-letting contests, there persisted a streak of cruelty in Roman exoteric amusements which can scarcely be comprehended, far less condoned, today (81). The pass on of Christianity helped changed this aspect of Roman career because it gave worth 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 forgather with was his good neighbor (Luke 1030-37). Christianities message contains the golden rule "do to others as you you hold up them do to you" (Luke 6-3)."The child of today is loved and adored. moreover it was not so in pre-Christian times. The Roman fathers federal agency of his child was absolute. "He could expose it to death he could scourge it, dispatch it, marry it, divorce it, see it as a slave, or start it to satisfy his own blood lust." Quintillion, a roman writer, said that to massacre a man was often held to be a crime, but to kill ones own children was sometimes considered a beautiful achievement (Kennedy 149). The message of Christianity gave value to children. Jeasus said "who ever humbles himself like this child is superlative 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).