VOCABULARY
Someone killed for their religious beliefs
Martyr
Christians refused to worship this Roman leader
The emperor
Emperor who legalized Christianity
Constantine
Local Christian community leader
Bishop
Persecution → result
Stronger faith / converts
Mistreatment of a group because of their beliefs
Persecution
Romans thought Christians were dangerous because they would not do this
Worship Roman gods / participate in sacrifices
Constantine supported Christianity after this
His battle vision / conversion experience
Why organization helped Christianity survive
Leadership / structure / teaching consistency
Legalization → result
Open worship
Making something officially allowed by law
Legalization
Christians met in private which made Romans think this
They were secretive / plotting rebellion
Law that allowed Christians to worship freely
Edict of Milan
Cities became centers of Christianity because
Bishops led communities
Church structure → result
Stability and growth
Local church leader in early Christianity
Bishop
Roman value that conflicted with Christianity
Loyalty to the state / emperor worship
What Constantine hoped Christianity would bring to Rome
Unity / stability
After legalization Christianity changed from persecuted to
Supported / accepted
Constantine → therefore
Christianity spreads across empire
Helping the poor, sick, and needy
Charity
Why persecution sometimes increased Christianity
Inspired converts / showed strong belief
Big change after legalization
Christianity could grow openly / churches built
Structure helped Christianity spread because
Clear authority + communication
Christian charity → result
People attracted to religion