Rome continues its absorption of foreign religions…

Along with Isis worship and in about the same period of time (1st -2nd centuries), Rome became embroiled in a series of revolts in one of the minor eastern provinces. The province was Palestine, and the revolts were related to the conflict between a religiously zealous native population, and the Roman colonial authorities, who at times offended the local religious sensibilities. The “natives,” were of course, the Hebrews who practiced the Jewish faith. Simultaneous with the various uprisings of the time, there was also a strange new sect of Jews which had popped up and was based on the belief that a recently executed Rabbi, was some sort of messiah. Bizarrely, the followers of this rabbi were entirely pacifist and lived in small communities wear belongings were shared and a doctrine revolving around love & forgiveness was central. the sect attracted many disaffected and poor people as well as other outcasts. Eventually they would be rejected by Jewish authorities & later come to be known as Christians. As a secret “underground” movement they would spread throughout the Roman Empire over the course of a century or two, and eventually be severely oppressed by Roman authorities as seditious. Nonetheless, within 200 years of its founding, the Christian sect would eventually dominate the Roman World and be adopted as the State Religion of Rome.
This would have long reaching ramifications for the rest of western History….