In Ancient Roman culture, almost all religions were tolerated, except Christianity. Although Christianity is not the origin of Rome’s fall, it is related in its perseverance to prosper well beyond the end of Empire. According to Dr. Schaeffer’s (n.d.) video presentation, How should we then live?, the decline of the Roman Empire is attributed to the relativistic basis of morality and values within Roman culture. That is, they worshiped many Gods that were insufficiently limited to their societal desires (Shaeffer, n.d.). For Christians, God's revelation fulfilled through
Jesus Christ provided absolute truth and values that were universal. Followers of Christ did not get caught up in the relativistic culture of Roman society, as they declared their allegiance to only one God (Shaeffer, n.d.). This refusal opposed the unity of other religions, which maintained the worship of the Emperor (Shaeffer, n.d.). Christian rejection of false gods and all forms of syncretism was seen as a threat to the Roman Empire (Shaeffer, n.d.). This “rebellious nature” lent to the strength of Christian values; however, it unwarranted a loss of support from Jewish synagogues that received immunity from the time of Julius Caesar (Shaeffer, n.d.). (Words:192)
Reference:
Schaeffer, F. A. (n.d.). How should we then live?
[Flash presentation]. Retrieved from http://download.liberty.edu/courses/cstu101howshouldwethenliveromans.m3u8.
