Almost 300 years separated Ignatius of Antioch and Augustine of Hippo, during that time many things changed for Christians in the Roman Empire. The church went from being a criminal religious organization to a legal religious organization to the only legal public religion. Christians in this period were always engaged in the culture around them: religion, politics, literature, education, etc. This article will describe the Roman Christian religion before and after Constantine. First, I will explain Roman culture before Constantine. Ignatius of Antioch played an important role in this period. Saint Ignatius believed that bishops played a very important role in Christian communities. They were thought to be a leader or “overseer” of the early church. Ignatius declared: “My prayer is that you will love him in the spirit of Jesus Christ and that all will be like him. Blessed is He who has granted you to have such a bishop. You deserve it" (First Christian Fathers, 88). Everything done in the Christian church had to be done with the approval of the bishop. Ignatius believes that Jesus is the Son of Christ who came to save everyone from their sins. Ignatius says: «He is truly raised from the dead, because his Father raised him, just as his Father will raise us who believe in him, through Christ Jesus, without whom we have no authentic life» (Early Christian Fathers, 100). ). He did not find it appropriate for Judeo-Christians who believed that Jesus had come and yet still followed Jewish customs. Didache is the teaching of the twelve apostles. These people had rituals of baptism and eucharist. Before anyone was baptized, they were given the “ways of life” and the “ways of death.” The ways of life, were the Ten Commandments while the......middle of paper......accepted the Roman religion. Constantine was converted to Christianity by his mother, but did not call himself a Christian until he was forty. He was baptized only shortly before his death. If it were not for Constantine, it is difficult to say where Christianity would be today. He influenced all the people discussed in this article, plus many others. In conclusion, religion played a vital role before and after Constantine. The church has changed, but people's views of God have remained the same. Most of these people didn't believe in God at first but, after some faith, they all converted to Christianity. The people included in this document are extremely important people who lived their lives differently than others because of what they believed. They are all great examples of how Christianity has changed their lives since they converted.