How did Christianity become a widespread region amidst the competitions from a myriad of religions and philosophies in the Roman Empire?

From Acts of the Apostles 2.42 (after Jesus's resurrection, people gather together to choose the successor of Judas)

• "They remained faithful to the teachings of the apostles, to the brotherhood, to the breaking of the bread, and to prayers."

The scripture implies the existence of community, like a corporate group with a corporate responsibility.

Paul, the Apostle ca. 10 - ca. 67 A.D.

He found communities, converted groups of people instead of individuals, and corresponded to leaders of community, therefore forming a network.

Three Kinds of Officials:

• Overseers: Bishop (Episcopos, Epi+Scopos, "to look down upon")
• Elders: Priest (Presbyteros, "Elder, ambassador, wise man")
• Servants: Deacon (Diakonos, "One who serves")

Official Duties

Bishops and Priests:

• Presided at worship
• Taught
• Responsible for new converts

Deacons:

• Usually, but not always, men
• Worked to serve the leaders of the community

• 100 A.D.; Bishop Ignatius of Antioch spoke of "Monarchical Bishops."
• ca. 200 A.D.; "Metropolitan Bishops"

?The expanding Christian churches were adapting itself to the administrative geography of the Roman Empire. It was an urban phenomenon at the early stage.

Early Christian Communities:

• The oldest priest comes to have a hierarchical and supervisory role over the communities in his town. He becomes and overseer (episkopos).
• The oldest priest of the metropolitan city of a province of the Roman Empire came to have ruling responsibility over the urban priests (overseers, bishops) of the individual towns of the Roman Empire. (These metropolitan bishops will become to be called archbishops. There came the system of archbishops, bishops and priests)

2nd Century A.D. (post-apostolic age; Post-biblical age)

• A group of Christian apologists began to explain the new faith to the ancient world. It was a movement of a clear definition or delineation of the ideas, teachings and doctrines.
• Apology: A careful, principled defense of a position

Justin Martyr ca. 100 - ca. 165 A.D.

A Dialogue with Trypho the Jew

• to differentiate between Christianity and Judaism
• to tell the emperor Antoninus Pius that Christians were loyal subjects of the empire

Bishop Ignatius of Antioch ca. 35 - ca. 107 A.D.

Some reasons of the early success of Christianity

• The great writings of Christians
• The sincere and not hypocritical life of Christians
• The heroism of martyrs
• A universal faith opened to all ethnic groups, social classes and both genders, in contrary to the exclusive ancient religions
• A gentile phenomenon without excluding the Jews
• But also a exclusive faith with respect to monotheism
• Compatible with many aspects of classical cultures, especially stoicism
• A strong appeal to women
• A large-scale highly articulated organizational structure
• The peace, the security and the ease of transportation provide by the Roman Empire