These people found comfort in his message of love, as well as in Christian teachings about equality and a better life beyond the grave.

As they did their work, Christian missionaries like Paul added ideas from Plato, the Stoics, and other Greek thinkers to explain Jesus' message. Educated Romans, in particular, were attracted to a religion that incorporated the discipline and moderation of Greek philosophy.

The unity of the Roman empire also eased the work of missionaries. Christians traveled along Roman roads and across the Mediterranean Sea, which was protected by Roman fleets. Early Christian documents were usually written in Greek or Latin, languages that many people across the empire understood.

Even persecution brought new converts. People who witnessed the willingness of Christians to die for their religion were impressed by the strength of their beliefs. “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the [Christian] Church,” noted one Christian.

Renaissance painter Raphael depicts the cross in the sky that Constantine saw before a battle. After his victory, Constantine ended the persecution of Christians.

Rome Embraces Christianity

The persecution of Christians finally ended in A.D. 313, when the emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan. It granted freedom of worship to all citizens of the Roman empire. By the end of the century, the emperor Theodosius (thee uh DOH shus) had made Christianity the official religion of the Roman empire and repressed the practice of other faiths. Gradually, the Christian Church emerged as a well-organized, powerful force in the Roman world, sending missionaries to distant lands to win more converts to the faith.

The Growth of the Christian Church

Early Christian communities shared a common faith in the teachings of Jesus and a common way of worship. Only gradually did these scattered communities come together under the authority of a well-organized Christian Church.

This baptismal font survives among the ruins of the Church of St. Mary in Ephesus, Turkey.

Early Christian Communities

To join the Christian community, a person had to be baptized, or blessed with holy water. Baptism at first signified acceptance of Christian teachings along with purification, or the forgiveness of sins. Members of the community were considered equals, and they addressed each other as “brother” or “sister.”

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