In much of the Mediterranean world, the Romans encountered religions that had much in common with their own beliefs and practices, a fact that helped facilitate the spread and acceptance of Roman political power. However, as you discovered in the Windows On (Ancient Jewish Life) box on page 178, Judaism as practiced in the first and second centuries CE was based on beliefs and forms of worship very different from those at the heart of Roman religion. This, in part, explains the difficulty the Romans had in establishing stable rule in Judea. Assess the evidence relating to the relationship between Pagans, Jews, and Christians in the first five centuries CE below and then respond to the essay question that follows. Read the excerpts from the writings of Livy, Plutarch, and Lucretius on page 169 and examine the images of animal sacrifice on page 172. According to Roman religion, what role did divine intervention play in the lives of believers? How did humans influence the gods to act on their behalf? Did most Romans share the skepticism of Lucretius, or was his an isolated opinion? Roman temples played an important role in the Empire's public life. Take a look at the images of the Pantheon on pages 170 and 171. Should we see these structures as religious edifices, political edifices, or both? The table on page 172 depicts the major trends in Roman religion. Why did Romans become interested in foreign religions? What significance should we attach to this development? Compare the sculpture of Isis and Horus on page 174 with the mosaic of the Virgin and Child on page 175. In what ways are they similar? What conclusions can you draw on the basis of this similarity? Examine the map of Jewish migration and settlement on page 176 and read the excerpts describing the destruction of the temple in 70 and 587 BCE on page 177. What role did foreign conquest play in the history of Judaism? How might this history have shaped the responses of Jews to the Romans? Take another look at the images of the Arch of Titus and the Wheeled Ark of the Covenant on page 178. What significance did Romans and Jews attach to the capture and destruction of each other's religious symbols and artifacts? Did the two groups interpret such actions in the same way? Explore a Library of Congress exhibit on the Dead Sea Scrolls. What light do the scrolls shed on the relationship between Judaism and Christianity? Read the descriptions of Christian martyrdom on page 188. Why did some Roman leaders come to see Christians as a threat to the Roman state? Did early Christians actively seek martyrdom? Is so, why? The map on page 182 depicts the growth and spread of Christianity. Study the map and then examine the mosaic of Christ and the statue of Augustus on page 184 and the excerpts relating to the victory of Christianity on page 191. What made the "Christianization" of the Empire possible? How did the shift from the margins to the mainstream change Christian practice and belief? When you have finished reviewing the evidence, write a well-organized essay on the rise of Christianity. What conditions in Judea and in the rest of Roman world made the development and ultimate success of the new religion possible? Use the evidence you have just examined to support your claims and observations.