Roman Law, Latin, and Christianity

In the first century CE, followers of Jesus formed communities in Judea, within the Roman Empire. Christianity grew from Jewish traditions. Over time, it gained followers outside Jewish communities too.

Communities could stay in contact even when they lived far apart. Paul visited cities and wrote letters to Christians. These letters helped communities discuss their beliefs. Roads and sea travel made contact between distant places possible.

Belonging to a Christian community could bring danger. Some authorities punished Christians for their faith. At other times and places, authorities left them alone. Christianity spread under these changing conditions before it received support from emperors.

Protecting worship and choosing an official religion are different actions. A government can allow people to follow a religion without making that religion its own.

In 313 CE, Constantine and Licinius agreed to protect religious worship, including Christian worship. Their agreement also provided for returning property taken from Christians. It did not make Christianity the Roman Empire's official religion.

The later decision came in 380 CE. Theodosius I made Nicene Christianity the official religion. This form of Christianity followed beliefs expressed in a statement called a creed.

These decisions changed Christianity's relationship with Roman government. They did not mean every person immediately changed their beliefs.

The name Constantinople comes from Constantine. He rebuilt and expanded an existing city called Byzantium, rather than starting on an empty site. Constantinople was dedicated in 330 CE and became an imperial capital. It stood in what is now Turkey, near routes used for trade and travel.

During the fifth century, Roman government lost control of western territories. Germanic groups had different relationships with Rome. Some fought Roman armies, while others served as allies. Kingdoms took control of parts of the west.

Roman government continued in the east for many centuries. Historians often call this the Byzantine Empire. Its people still called themselves Romans. The end of western imperial rule did not end the whole Roman Empire at once.

Imagine a traveler arriving in another Roman city by ship. The traveler meets people there and talks about Christian beliefs. This is an imagined example of how a sea route could help a religion spread.

The route makes a meeting possible. It does not prove that every traveler shared those beliefs or that everyone they met accepted them.

Paul's journeys and letters provide historical examples of Christians communicating across distances. A letter tells us more about that communication than the existence of a road alone.

Keep the order of events in mind. Christianity was spreading before Constantine supported it. Imperial support changed the conditions for believers; it did not begin the religion's spread.

A language family tells us about a language's origins. French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Romanian developed from spoken Latin over many generations. They are Romance languages. They did not develop one after another in the order of that list.

A word can enter a language from somewhere else. English belongs to the Germanic family, yet many English words have Latin roots. Some reached English through other languages. Annual is linked to annus, Latin for year. Exit, video, and education also have Latin roots.

These are two kinds of history: the development of a language and the borrowing of words. Finding a Latin-root word in English does not make English a Romance language.