The Quest of Rome

Rome was like many other countries that sought greatness through expansion and the taking of riches from those they conquered. Their wealth and power came by taking the fruits of the labor of others, making armies instead of farmers, and looting from those that were not loyal to the Roman Empire. The Roman's started from humble beginnings as Latin's from small flat land called Latium. Many did not understand their past and relied on stories to provide them with this need. Politics became a new road to travel in order to achieve a good society and a good life. Little did they know that their future would find them no longer seeking, but finding the good and satisfying life through the one's they scoffed and persecuted. God had a plan that they never expected.

Good Life through Politics

The beginning of the empire was 509 B.C. where land was owned by the aristocrats who served Rome as Senators. The struggle for power was prominent among these men and set up a government into three systems, monarchial, oligarchical, and democratic. The reason for this was to avoid and prevent a person or group of persons that wanted to gain power and establish a monarchy.

According to Western Civilization 1, "relations between the kings and the senate were strained", and that "the Senators decided to dispense with kings and govern the city themselves" (HIST 101, section 1).  It was the beginning of the Roman Republic. The monarchical was not like its name. It consisted of Consuls who were the chief magistrates that delegated and directed government, issued edicts, and were chief priests for the pagan gods. The oligarchical or the senate controlled the budget of the state, passed laws,

and were derived from wealth. The assemblies were common citizens elected to approve or reject laws and were the court system and often bribed by the elite.

Many from the Roman Republic system became corrupt because of money and power. It became a game of politics for the wealthy that were called the aristocrats.

Looking for the good life by getting what you need and want through this game did not leave much room for trust. The poor man was left out unless he had something that the politicians needed, and the poor man or commoner had little choice but to seek protection and support from magistrates who were also corrupt. Many of these commoner 's thought that if they had money, they would have the keys to the good life. Men involved in the Roman Republic system sought the good life through greed, power, and corruption which left many of them still wanting more. Paul wrote to Timothy during the reign of the Roman Empire, "For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil" (2Timothy 6: 10 NAS). No contentment was ever found through this continual corruption.

During the reign of Tiberius Claudius Nero, Jesus taught of compassion and love for others, especially for the ones that persecute you for His name's sake. After Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection,  Christianity began to spread. It spread through the families of the wealthy in Rome as well as the commoners. Many Romans, including Nero, thought that they had the answers to the good life and wondered why anyone would follow the teachings of a convicted man. According to Western Civilization 1, "Christian denial of other gods caused them to be tagged as 'atheist' and was one reason behind the

empire's intermittent persecution of Christians" (HIST 101, section 12).  The Romans did not believe that Jesus was the incarnation of the son of God and therefore is God. John, one of Jesus' apostles said, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God" (John 1:1 NAS). Only through the lives of Christians, especially during persecution, did they see the power of Jesus.

Perpetua was a woman that was martyred in Carthage who died because of her belief in Christ. In her prison diary she wrote, "I tried to comfort him saying" speaking to her father, "It will all happen in the prisoner's dock as God wills; for you may be sure

that we are not left to ourselves but are all in His power" (Musurillo, 1972). Perpetua's father pleaded with her to deny Christ, but she stood firm as well as gave a testament of her faith through her actions. Many died during the games at the arena through maiming from wild animals for Roman citizens and the Emperor 's pleasure. But their lives showed the testament of Jesus and the good life through their actions. Many came to the aide of non-believers, and "when disasters, such as epidemic disease ...hit, Christians demonstrated Christian charity" (HIST 101, section 12). It was a true testament of the  love of God and of lives changed because of Christ. It is what a good life and a good society should be.

In 300 A.D., Christian and non-Christian citizens of Rome "witnessed the conversion of the Emperor Constantine" (HIST 101, section 13). The Emperor claimed that a voice was heard to put the Christian symbol on the shields of the Roman army. According to Western Civilization 1 "The voice commanded him: 'In this sign, conquer' Constantine did as he was instructed" (HIST 101, section 13). His army won the battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312 A.D. Many speculated his sincerity of conversion due to the fact he waited for baptism on his death bed. Constantine saw by example, the life of the Christian and realized that their lives were filled with contentment and Christianity was no longer a warrant for death.

Conclusion

The Romans continually sought the good life and to achieve a good society while the Empire expanded. They continually ran into problems with corruption due to greed and the struggle for power never ended. Only after the crucifixion of Christ and his resurrection did the people begin to get a glimpse of what the good life and what a good society is all about. The power of the Christian testimonies during their life of persecution helped the Roman Empire begin to see with new eyes, and the spread of Christianity continues.