What were your options back then?

[JohnB445]

I'm curious mostly for the time of Rome 300-1000AD around that time period. If you wanted to become Christian what were your options? And for any location in general outside of Rome if you happened to live outside the West? Were there secret monasteries back then where monks would go into hiding and teach what they thought to be true? And if they were caught?

 

[JackRT]

I'm curious mostly for the time of Rome 300-1000AD around that time period. If you wanted to become Christian what were your options? And for any location in general outside of Rome if you happened to live outside the West? Were there secret monasteries back then where monks would go into hiding and teach what they thought to be true? And if they were caught?

I think you have your historical time lines messed up. By AD 325 Christianity had become the dominant faith in the Roman world. Following that came a many centuries long persecution of the pagans by the Christians ---- and we were very good at it.

 

[JohnB445]

whats the purpose of the protestant reformation for?

 

[Paidiske]

I think most people had few options in general; most lived their entire life within a very small distance from where they were born. The local parish church might be the only one they ever visited.

I'm not sure what you mean by "outside the west." That covers a lot of ground; do you mean in the southern part of Africa, or the eastern part of Asia, or... ?

 

[JohnB445]

Greece, Asia, Isreal, and Africa. I'm not sure if Christianity spread beyond that during these time periods until the exploration age.

 

[Paidiske]

Well, of course Greece was part of the cradle of Christianity. Israel was under largely Christian influence until the rise of Islam. I'm no expert on Christian experience under Islamic rule during that time, but I understand Christians were allowed freedom of religion.

Asia's still really big. I know there was very early Christian influence in India, possibly earlier than your timeframe (although that is disputed). There was Christianity in China from the 7th century. Not in Indonesia until after your time period, when it was brought by traders.

And African history is also really complex; the north of Africa was part of the Roman Empire, and so Christianity was able to spread there relatively easily. Further south it seems to have depended on trade, colonisation and missionary activity.

 

[StephenDiscipleofYHWH]

whats the purpose of the protestant reformation for?

To correct Catholic Doctrine that they believed was in error, and barring that to live outside of the Catholic Church and hold the doctrine that they believed was true. It began in the 1100s(possibly earlier for the Waldensians 500 AD or even earlier by some accounts)with the Waldensians, Cathars, Petrobrusians, and many others.

 

[W2L]

You cant trust history. I remember watching a documentary about a monk historian who gave his church credit for starting a church in what is now England. However modern historians found evidence that there was a church there before this monk arrived in this "new" land. This ancient historian basically lied.

 

[~Anastasia~]

I'm curious mostly for the time of Rome 300-1000AD around that time period. If you wanted to become Christian what were your options? And for any location in general outside of Rome if you happened to live outside the West? Were there secret monasteries back then where monks would go into hiding and teach what they thought to be true? And if they were caught?

Christianity had spread to many areas. If you wanted to become a Christian you became part of the local Church.

I know people often think the Catholic Church was "the" Church during the early period, but Rome was only one see. Byzantium and other areas have a rich history.

There were at first the desert fathers who realized that when persecution ended, many Christians were becoming lax. They retreated to the desert in order to pursue asceticism which helped reintroduce some rigor to replace the persecution which had served to grow the Church. It wasn't long before monasteries began to be established as well. There was no reason for them to be secret though. Some of them still stand - some with populations of monks which have lived in continuity with the ancient establishment. Some are being restored. Some are being destroyed when Islam moves in.

 

[JackRT]

Greece, Asia, Isreal, and Africa. I'm not sure if Christianity spread beyond that during these time periods until the exploration age.

Don't forget the Thomist Christians in south India.