World History › Section F · Life in the Roman Empire › Topic F.4
Religion in the Roman Empire and early Christianity
Romans shared their world with countless gods and welcomed new ones, yet they persecuted a small new faith. This topic explains how Roman religion worked, why Christians did not fit it, and how Christianity went from a suspect sect to the emperor's favoured faith.
In this topic
- Ritual, priests and the peace of the gods
- Religion at home
- Welcoming new gods, within limits
- The imperial cult
- Mystery cults
- Jesus, Paul and the first Christians
- Why Romans distrusted Christians
- Worked example: Pliny asks Trajan
- From persecution to toleration
- Worked example: why did Christianity spread?
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
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