12-26-2022, 08:46 PM
The Christianisation of Rome was a lengthy process which spanned several centuries. In AD 200, Christianity was restricted to the main urban centres - but by AD 500, it was the majority religion across the whole empire. There were several reasons for this; however, the most important factor was probably the conversion of Constantine the Great, who reigned from 306 to 337. This allowed Christians to practise their religion freely - and indeed, become dominant within the Empire.
Nevertheless, paganism persisted a while longer - as some who presented as Christian in public continued to adhere to the old ways in secret. During the reign of Justinian the Great (527-565), the last of these 'crypto-pagans' were purged from the council; temples were closed; and pagan texts were burned in public. But even this persecution didn't end paganism - especially in rural areas, which were culturally and linguistically isolated from the cities. Almost half a century after, Pope Gregory I (590-604) reported that he had to convince peasants around Rome to stop worshipping trees - and even in the late 9th century, there were reports of polytheists in remote parts of Greece. However, paganism lasted longest in the Near East, in the border town of of Harran - which acquired the nickname "Hellenopolis" (or "City of Heathens") due to its strong pagan traditions. Even after Harran was conquered by the Arabs, its people continued to worship the old pagan gods - until the city was destroyed by nomads in the 11th century.
Of course, even once the religion was no longer practised, some vestiges of it persisted. For example, many of the temples still stood, some of which were converted into churches (albeit usually after a period of abandonment). Furthermore, some pagan festivals survived after the population had converted to Christianity (for example, there was the festival of Lupercalia, in which naked men would run around Rome, and lash women with goat's skins . Some believe it was a kind of "match-making festival" - and as it took place on 15th February, some have theorised that it eventually evolved into Valentine's day - although there's no conclusive evidence that the two are linked!)
So, does anybody have any questions about the surviving Roman pagans during the early days of Christianity - or do you have anything else to add?
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