Rome's Influence on Early Christianity

Will Durant states that "the Empire was greater than Rome..." (Durant 453). In much the same way, Christianity was greater than its ideal, Jesus. In a sense, what this statement also refers to is that the Empire was vast and far more meaningful outside Rome itself. And one can say that early Christianity and its spread far exceeded the very early beginnings which led from Israel to Rome and then beyond.

At its height, the Roman Empire was proud of- and determined to uphold- its laws. And yet, not every ciutizen was equal. And, one might even be inclined to think of Caesar Augustus as the Roman Empire's version of how early Christians felt about Jesus- a savior and a symbol of goodness and caring. What Romans considered their "patriotism" early Christians thought of their unswerving devotion to the original gospels: prepared to lay down their lives (as many did) to defend the right to worship the Son of God. There is something perhaps similar in the principle of love of country: then willingness to sacrifice one's life if necessary to protect the nation. In Livy, one supporter of peace for Rome stood in the face of the enemy: "I am a citizen of Rome...I have much courage to meet death as I had to live it....I am not alone in having this resolve, behind there is a long list of those who aspire to the same action" (Livy 93).