The Roman Empire and Christianity in the 1st‑3rd Centuries

On the territory of the Roman Empire in the first centuries AD, there was real religious pluralism, the basis of which was the Greek Olympic pantheon, formed at the dawn of Roman history, which around the 3rd century BC actually merged with the Roman-Italian pantheon and received a new, Roman interpretation. The religion of the empire also absorbed many cults of the conquered peoples. Local beliefs were preserved in Gaul and Spain, in Egypt and North Africa, in Asia Minor and the Danube region. However, the 3rd century political crisis also affected religious and cultural sphere. The Olympic religion, still significant in the 2nd century AD, was sharply losing its position. The 3rd century was a time of active advancement of eastern elites and of eastern religions (cults of the Sun, Isis, Mithras, etc.). Christianity turned out to be more and more in demand: faith in Christ created a way out of the spiritual impasse, and the organisational power of the Church could become a factor of unification. However, the empire did not immediately accept Christianity, having organized and carried out in the 3rd century several mass persecutions of Christians. This article is devoted to the external context, causes and consequences of the persecution.