The Rise and Fall of Christendom 1D - Growth and Triumph

Growth and Triumph

Counterintuitively, persecution of the Christians did not seem to reduce their numbers or influence. In some instances, persecution may have fueled the growth of the faith. “And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria” (Acts 8:1). Apparently when the Christians scattered, they took their faith with them and spread it. The Christian population continued to grow, and Rodney Stark in The Rise of Christianity estimated that it was greater than 10% of the Roman Empire by the year 300.

     The Great Persecution (303 – 312) under Diocletian (286-305) and his successor Galerius (305-311) was the last and worst of persecutions prior to Christendom. It required churches to be razed, scriptures to be burned, and sacrifices to be offered to pagan gods. The persecution was reinforced with four separate edicts, and led to much loss of life. However, Galerius had limited influence in the western part of the Empire and enforcement of the edicts was uneven. By 311, on his deathbed, Galerius admitted the persecution had failed and issued the Edict of Serdica, or Edict of Toleration, bringing the persecution to a close. The death of Galerius and the struggle for succession lead to the war between Constantine and Maximius.

     Perhaps Constantine may have made the calculation that Christian support could be politically valuable. But whether by calculation or by divine vision, Constantine’s decision to align himself and his army with the Christian faith marked a sudden and fateful turn in the course of History. Christianity was no longer just tolerated, but was actually preferred, and had state support. In 321, Constantine made Sunday a day of rest for all citizens. He sent his mother, Helena, on a tour of the Middle East to identify and memorialize important Christian sites. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, consecrated in 335, survives to this day. Constantine’s son Constantius (330-355) was a Christian, though he promoted Arian Christianity. Julian II “The Apostate” (355-363), the last non-Christian emperor, briefly attempted to turn the clock back, restricting some Christian rights. These efforts were short-lived, and in 380, the Emperor Theodosius I issued the Edict of Thessalonica, making Nicene Christianity the Empire’s state religion. Christendom had arrived.