How long did it take for Christianity to become an accepted religion?
Social Studies · Middle School · Tue Nov 03 2020
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- Christianity began as a sect within Judaism in the 1st century in Roman Judea with the ministry of Jesus Christ. It spread among the peoples of the Roman Empire despite initial persecution. However, Christianity's road to becoming an accepted religion was gradual and took several centuries.
- By the early 4th century, after almost 300 years of existence, Christianity was still a minority religion and often suppressed or persecuted in various parts of the Roman Empire. The turning point for Christianity came in the year 313 AD with the Edict of Milan, where the Roman Emperor Constantine and his co-emperor Licinius declared that Christians should be allowed to practice their religion freely throughout the empire. This was a major milestone in the acceptance of Christianity.
- Further cementing its status, in 380 AD, under Emperor Theodosius I, Christianity became the state religion of the Roman Empire through the Edict of Thessalonica. This edict stated that the version of Christianity taught by the Pope in Rome and the other bishops aligned with him (what would become the Roman Catholic Church) was to be the Empire's official religion. This effectively meant that Christianity was not only accepted but also became dominant throughout the Empire.
- Therefore, it took over 300 years from the time of Jesus for Christianity to transition from a persecuted sect to an accepted and then state religion within the Roman Empire. Afterward, the spread and influence of Christianity continued to grow, becoming a major shaping force in Western civilization.