Christianity has had a rather complicated history of development in Europe. It has experienced a rather complicated path from being ostracized due to paganist beliefs to being widely acknowledged by many people. The following text will reference 6 historical documents: Eusebius, The Edict of Toleration, The Edict of Milan and The Codex Theodosanius, The Rule of St Benedict, The Life of Anskar and The Conversion of Clovis.
At first, Christians were viewed as inferior compared to the polytheists of Rome and were expected to conform to the deities of antiquity. This lead to bloodshed, as most of God’s followers would remain faithful to Him. Eventually, both pagans and Christians were allowed to coexist to avoid further casualties. The religion became more influential, as the emperor required help from a deity in the battlefield. Using a cross as a symbol helped him achieve victory, which motivated him to follow the word of God.
Christianity became more valuable, as sacrifices, bloody spectacles and leisure activities on the first weekday were banned. In Italy, texts similar to The Rule of Benedict would become the ground for the daily lifestyle of Christian religious figures in the West. The religion then spread into the kingdom of the Franks. Believing in God helped Clovis expand his kingdom and encouraged him to learn more about the sacred texts and challenge the views of people.
The word of God in Scandinavia, however, faced a more rough start. While the first few years under Anskar’s teachings were rather productive, Sweden then came back to paganism. The Apostle would then be assigned to promote Christianity in Bremen, return to Sweden to restore the word of God there and become a saint after his death. As a result, Anskar went on to become the saint of Scandinavia.