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In the year before the First Council of Constantinople in 381, Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire when Theodosius I, emperor of the East, Gratian, emperor of the West, and Gratian's junior co-ruler Valentinian II issued the Edict of Thessalonica in 380, [1] which recognized the catholic orthodoxy [a] of Nicene Christians as the Roman Empire's state religion.
This was the context for Rome's conflict with Christianity, which Romans variously regarded as a form of atheism and novel superstitio, while Christians considered Roman religion to be paganism. Ultimately, Roman polytheism was brought to an end with the adoption of Christianity as the official religion of the empire. [citation needed]
Roman historians, such as the classicist J. A. North, have written that Roman imperial culture began in the first century with religion embedded in the city-state, then gradually shifted to religion as a personal choice. [32] Roman religion's willingness to adopt foreign gods and practices into its pantheon meant that, as Rome expanded, it also ...
Most influential people in the empire, especially high military officials, had not been converted to Christianity and still participated in traditional Roman religion; Constantine's rule exhibited at least a willingness to appease these factions. Coins minted up to eight years after the battle still bore the images of Roman gods. [20]
This is a timeline showing the dates when countries or polities made Christianity the official state religion, ... 364 – Rome returns to Christianity, specifically ...
Rome has, for more than two millennia, been an important worldwide center for religion, particularly the Catholic strain of Christianity. The city is commonly regarded as the "home of the Catholic Church ", owing to the ecclesiastical doctrine of the primacy of the Bishop of Rome .
Theodosius I, who established Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire, died in 395 and was the last emperor to rule over a united Roman Empire; following his death, the division into western and eastern halves, each under its own emperor, became permanent.
The Armenian Apostolic Church church puts its founding at 301, with the conversion of Tiridates and declaration of Christianity as the official state religion, although the date is disputed. [28] In 380, three Roman emperors issued the Edict of Thessalonica ( Cunctos populos ), making the Roman Empire a Christian state, [ 5 ] and establishing ...