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RISE OF CHRISTIANITY

• Jesus spends three years preaching, is killed by Roman leaders
• Jesus' followers believe he is the messiah and savior who has risen from the dead
• Saul (the persecutor) becomes Paul (the evangelists), spreading Jesus' message (one true God, not Roman gods)
• Christians and Jews were monotheistic (believing in one God)
• this conflicted with Roman beliefs
• persecution against both was common
• Christianity appealed to the poor, and since there were many poor, their numbers grew
• as it grew, even some Roman leaders embraced Christianity
• AD 313: Constantine has a battlefield conversion
• he issues the Edict of Milan
• Not only no persecution, but actual approval of Christianity, eventually making it the official religion of Rome
• The Roman Empire and  Christianity are now linked in power and influence