Christianity spread continuously over the first four centuries. But around 200 AD, the number of Christians was still astonishingly small. The third century was both an age of crisis in the Roman Empire and a watershed in the history of Christianity. One of the most remarkable reflections of Christian expansion is the growth of Christian burial complexes – the catacombs – in Rome in the later third century.
VIDEOS
KEY FIGURES AND TERMS
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
THE LESSON
LESSON 22 HANDOUT (PDF)
KEY FIGURES & TERMS
Catacomb, Antonine Plague, Plague of Cyprian, Crisis of the Third Century, Decius, Claudius II, Aurelian, Diocletian