The history of the distribution of Christianity in Syria in the I century A.D. in the context of the Helinistic regional culture

Abstract

One of the important episodes in the history of the Ancient World is the history of the spread of Christianity, a new world religion that originated in the Middle East. The Abrahamic monotheistic religion managed to gain wide popularity among the population of the Roman Empire and spread along the entire Mediterranean coast - the traditional area of the ancient Greco-Roman civilization. Antioch, Ancient Syria, was one of the oldest centers of Christianity, and the Church of Antioch was one of the main Christian churches. This article examines such a factor in the spread of Christianity in Ancient Syria as the cultural phenomenon of Hellenism that survived after the Roman conquests. It manifested itself in the common language of the educated elite - Greek, as well as in some other moments. Moreover, the Hellenistic environment not only became the basis for the spread of Christianity, but also influenced the formation of the image of religion. The article uses domestic and foreign sources and historiography. The use of Arabic-language researches updates the article.