Western Civilization

Finally, Christianity fulfilled the human need to

belong. Christians formed communities bound to one

another in which people could express their love by

helping each other and offering assistance to the poor,

the sick, widows, and orphans. Christianity satisfied

the need to belong in a way that the huge, impersonal,

and remote Roman Empire could never do.

Christianity proved attractive to all classes. The

promise of eternal life was for all—rich, poor, aristo-

crats, slaves, men, and women. As Paul stated in his

Epistle to the Colossians: “And [you] have put on the

new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the

image of its Creator. Here there is no Greek nor Jew,

circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian,

slaveorfree,butChristisall,andisinall.”^17

Although it did not call for revolution or social

upheaval, Christianity emphasized a sense of spiritual

equality for all people.

WOMEN AND EARLY CHRISTIANITY First-century Christian

communities had allowed both men and women to play

significant roles, often as preachers for the community.

By the second century, however, men had gained con-

trol of church organization and relegated women to

secondary roles. Women, as Paul had argued, should be

subject to men.

Nevertheless, many women found that Christian-

ity offered them new roles and new forms of compan-

ionship with other women. Christian women fostered

the new religion in their own homes and preached

their convictions to other people in their towns and

villages. Many also died for their faith. Perpetua was

an aristocratic woman who converted to Christianity.

Her pagan family begged her to renounce her new

faith, but she refused. Arrested by the Roman author-

ities, she chose instead to die for her faith and

was one of a group of Christians who were slaugh-

teredbywildbeastsinthearenaatCarthageon

March 7, 203.

THE FAILURE OF PERSECUTION As the Christian church

became more organized, some emperors in the third

century responded with more systematic persecutions,

but their schemes failed to work. The last great perse-

cution was by Diocletian at the beginning of the fourth

century. But even he had to admit what had become

apparent in the course of the third century: Christian-

ity had become too strong to be eradicated by force.

Chapter Summary

The Roman republic had cre-

ated one of the largest empires in

antiquity, but its republican insti-

tutions had proved inadequate

for the task of ruling an empire.

After a series of bloody civil wars,

Augustus created a new order

that began the Roman Empire.

Although he never declared the

republic dead and continued to

give the senate a role in governing, most political power remained

in the hands of the princeps, or chief citizen, as Augustus called

himself. Significantly, the army swore loyalty to him, and the res-

toration of peace soon made the new political order acceptable to

most people in the empire.

Augustus established the Julio-Claudian dynasty, which lasted

until 68. In 69, Vespasian, a successful general, founded the Fla-

vian dynasty after a year of civil war. This dynasty began to

openly use the title of imperator, or emperor. In the second cen-

tury, five “good emperors” maintained a period of peace and

prosperity when trade flourished and the provinces were

governed efficiently. Within their empire, the Romans were

responsible for a remarkable series of achievements that were

bequeathed to the future.

These achievements were fundamental to the development of

Western civilization, a civilization that would arise for the most

part in the lands in Europe conquered by the Romans, where

Roman culture and political ideals were gradually spread. The

Romance languages of today (French, Italian, Spanish, Portu-

guese, and Romanian) are based on Latin. Western practices of

impartial justice and trial by jury owe much to Roman law. As

great builders, the Romans left monuments to their skills

throughout Europe, some of which, including aqueducts and

roads, are still in use today. Other monuments provided models

for public buildings in the West for hundreds of years. Aspects

of Roman administrative practices survived in the Western

world for centuries. The Romans also preserved the intellectual

heritage of the Greco-Roman world of antiquity.

By the third century, however, the Roman world was suffering

an era of decline. Generals fought each other in civil wars.

Chapter Summary • 143

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