Rise of christianity:
- jesus spends 3 years preaching, and then is killed
- followers believe he is messiah and savior who has risen from dead
- saul (persecutor) becomes paul (evangelist) spreading jesus' message
- christianity goes from cult status to official religion
- priest, pope, bishop (bishop of rome)
- christian and jewish: monotheistic
- conflicted with roman beliefs
- persecution against both was common
- christianity appealed to the poor
- as it grew, roman leaders embraced chrstianity
- AD 313: constantine has battlefield conversion
- issues edict of milan
- not only no persecution, but actual approval of christianity, eventually making it the official religion of rome
- roman empire and christianity now linked in power and influence