EDWARD GIBBON

The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

1. The inflexible zeal of the Christians.  They really believed that Jesus was the Son of God, and they wanted other people to know this.

2. The doctrine of a future life.  Christians taught that Jesus’ death on the cross provided a way for forgiveness of sins and eternal life in heaven. This attracted people.

3. The miraculous power attributed to the early church.  It was not only Jesus who worked miracles, but also Peter and Paul and other Christians in the first century. 

4. The pure and austere morals of the Christians.  The Christians in the First Century stood out.  While Roman society was degenerating into “wine, women and song,” Christians were seeking purity.  They did not indulge in the decadence and debauchery that was increasingly spreading in the Roman Empire

5. The union and discipleship of the Christians.  The unity of Christians attracted people.  The early Christians displayed love and loyalty for each other.  Their discipleship, their devotion to following the teachings of Jesus and the writings of Paul in the New Testament unified them and gave them powers in numbers.