History: Christianity in the Roman Empire
It was not long before Christianity started spreading even though it began in Jerusalem with just a handful of followers. The Christian cause had penetrated through much of the Roman Empire as the 1st century came to an end. As a result, political authorities reflected on the emerging faith. During the 4th century, Christianity was accepted as the formal faith of the Roman Empire. Various aspects contributed to the rise of Christianity in the region. First is the ease of travel to neighboring territories. Technological advances in Rome allowed people to develop a dependable road network all over the Empire. Christian missionaries such as Apostle Paul were able to utilize the advanced transport system to distribute the word of the faith and to establish new churches. These Roman roads made it simple for missionaries to move and that mobility enabled innovative concepts to spread rapidly throughout the Empire. Second is the peace that prevailed in Rome during the first century when Christianity was gaining its roots. The strong capacity of the Roman army to preserve stability throughout the Empire ensured the word of Christianity could travel far and substantial without the possibility of physical threat and spread of misinformation that frequently led to war. Therefore, early Christians used Rome’s well-known ‘pax Romana’ to expand Christianity. Lastly was the presence of a common language. There were two main languages in the Mediterranean world, Greek in the East and Latin in the West. Yet Koine Greek (or popular Greek) was the language of exchange or business. This was the exact vocabulary used during the composition of the New Testament. Thus, in a way, the New Testament language has functioned as the primary language of the Mediterranean region. Therefore, it was beneficial to be able to express the word of faith without a language barrier. The whole Mediterranean community was able to converse in the very words of the Christian Scriptures.