Beginnings Of Christianity
Submitted by on January 1, 1999
Category: Religion
Words: 361 | Pages: 2
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By the time Constantine declared himself a Christian in 313 CE, almost half of the Roman population had abandoned the traditional Roman gods for Christianity (Galloway 4). The reason for the spread of this particular religion was because the ideas behind it were simple and easy for the people of the Roman world to embrace.
Christian rituals offered equality to its members (Renan 239).
Upper and lower classes as well as slaves and women were able to participate together. This was a welcome change from the Roman way of things for many. In Roman religion, women had no part in any of the ceremonies. They led primarily unreligious lives. Christianity offered these women the chance to stand on higher ground than non-Christian women. Christianity was also appealing to women because there was an important female figure that they could relate to. The Virgin Mary symbolized the...