Christianity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Christianity - Essay Example 2. Why were the Romans initially threatened by Christianity? The Romans were initially threatened by Christianity because leaders who stood and believed in the status quo did not encourage any shift of power from one social group to another. In fact, a shift in power would amount to quite big problems; it all boiled down to money. Without enough people to make sacrifices at the temple, people who worked in temples and made money as money changers in the temples did not make money off to Christians, who refused to participate due to the new wave of thinking brought in by Christianity. Christians were viewed as overly exclusive and hence, dangerous to the society in general and public order. Christians had no respect for other gods and they therefore refrained from public festivals that were meant to honor public deities. In fact, they never worshiped state gods and the imperial cult. They neither worshipped nor recognized the emperor as the leader of religion. This turned out to be un fortunate for the Romans, who wanted to stay powerful. Therefore, they were treated with suspicion and regarded as stubborn and somewhat subversive to the State solidarity. 3. What do the world-views of Christianity and Greco-Roman humanism have in common? How are they different? Christianity and Greco-Roman humanism share many common elements. ... This means that both Christianity and Greco-Roman humanism had several things in common and maintained differences at the same too. 4. Explain the importance of these individuals: 1- Saint Paul: Saint Paul was important because he was one of the Apostles of Christ. Initially, Paul was a persecutor of Christians who got converted while on his way to Damascus (the Lord converted him from Saul to a Roman name Paul) thus becoming one of the greatest Christian missionaries. He traveled far and wide within Greece and other places in order to spread the Gospel, ultimately shaping the way we understand the Bible today. 2- The Bishop of Rome: The Bishop of Rome was very important because he made important decisions regarding Christianity-before Christianity in Europe was split into the warring factions of Protestantism with Martin Luther and Rome’s Catholicism. The Bishop of Rome rose to a position of preeminence in the hierarchical structure of the church to be identified as the leade r of the church. 3- Saint Augustine: Saint Augustine was the first archbishop of the church of Canterbury. He was also a writer, rhetorician, and devout Christian whose writings upon several topics regarding faith were highly-regarded in the Christian faith. St. Augustine’s works are respected by both Protestants and Catholics alike. 5. What was monasticism and why was it important to the people of this period and to Western Civilization in general? Do monastic communities still exist? Explain. Monasticism was a form of asceticism practiced by Protestant, Christian, and Orthodox monks (men) and nuns (women). In a gender-neutral term they are known as â€Å"monastics†. The Monastics lived alone in the