) Discuss the shifting nature of Christian-Roman relationships from the time of Jesus until the Middle Ages and the Byzantine Empire. .
The Romans initially regarded the Christians as a Jewish division. As faith expanded, Christians began to face trouble from the Romans. They were punished if they wouldn't denounce their beliefs. This continued through the mid-third century. Survival of the Christian church was in doubt. Later, the Christian church gained millions of followers. The Byzantine Empire, which was formerly known as the Eastern Roman Empire, formed what came to be known as Orthodox Christianity. Though there became many differences between the two Christian churches, the overall Christian-Roman relationships improved due to the number of Romans joining the Christian Church. The Christians became the majority of the empire. .
2.) In what ways were the Early Middle Ages the "Dark Ages" and in what ways were they not?.
The Early Middle Ages have been named the "Dark Ages" because life was dangerously insecure for most people. There was a decline in commerce and in the standard of living. Usually referred to as 450-750, this period had few historical records and life was comparatively uncivilized. It was a period marked ` by a lack of enlightenment or advanced knowledge. The ways Early Middle Ages were not the "Dark Ages" were: The collapse of the Roman Empire caused Christianity to become the standard- bearer of Western civilization. The papacy gained secular authority, monastic communities had the effect of preserving antique learning, and missionaries spread Latin civilization. The ideas and institutions of western civilization largely come from the chaotic events of the Early Middle Ages. The importance of the Middle Ages has been recognized as scholarship based on newly published source material, archaeological findings, and studies of demographics and migration patterns.