The expansion of the Roman Empire brought with it, many new concepts that were able to change; not only the concepts itself, but also the people of that era. Christianity, for example, was one of the life altering concepts. Christian beliefs go back many centuries to the time of Jesus. The basis of Christianity was formed primarily by him and Saint Paul, and surely gained followers thereafter. This belief came about in Rome during a chaotic time, when people were desperately searching for a form of salvation, and Christianity was the perfect solution. Who would have thought that centuries later Christianity would become the major religion of the Roman Empire.
Jesus of Nazareth was born in Judea, sometimes around the beginning of the Christian era. He lived during an extremely chaotic time, when people were bombarded with many religious concepts, and were filled with discontent toward the political system. There were groups of people who focused on preserving Jewish laws and concepts, and predicted the coming of a figure who would rescue the Jews for Tome. They were known as the Pharisees. The Zealots, who wished to destroy the Romans by armed forces, were also in existence. The Essences, who practiced asceticism, was another group that had influence among the people of that era. In addition to these influential groups of religious figures, the preaching of Jesus had taken such a place during these times as well.
"Believing he had a mission to save humanity from sin, Jesus denounced greed and licentiousness and urged the love of God and thy neighbor" (Lerner 195). Jesus and his twelve disciples preached among the land of Judea, speaking against the beliefs of the Pharisees. The preaching of his beliefs began the spread of Christianity. At this time, Jesus was regarded as the Messiah. However, He was not the kind of messiah that would save the Jews from Rome, but the Son of God that would bring with him the opportunity of the living in an eternal heaven after death.
