Christianity
Classical Antiquity
Gustave Doré, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
During the reign of Caesar Augustus and his successor Tiberius, a man named Jesus of Nazareth lived in the Roman province of Judea (which had once been ancient Israel.) After a few brief years teaching and purportedly performing miracles in Jerusalem and around the Judean countryside, Jesus was executed by crucifixion in 33 AD. According to a number of historical sources, however, his tomb was found empty three days after his death, and over the following several weeks, hundreds of people claimed to have seen him raised from the dead. His followers soon became known as Christians (from the Greek word χριστός, which means "anointed") and believed him to be the Jewish messiah and divine Son of God, although there was some early disagreement about the implications of these beliefs.
From its earliest days, Christians were persecuted to varying degrees by both Jewish and Roman authorities, particularly under Nero (54-68), Trajan (98-117), and Diocletian's co-emperor Galerius (303-311). Despite this, it grew increasingly popular, especially among the urban poor. Galerius gave up and issued the Edict of Serdica in 311, ending the persecution, and Constantine issued the Edict of Milan two years later, legalizing Christianity throughout the Roman Empire. Constantine eventually became a Christian himself, calling the Council of Nicea to resolve doctrinal disputes in 325 AD and receiving baptism shortly before his death in 337. In 380, Emperor Theodosius made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire.
The attitude of early Christians toward the use of liturgical music (music used for worship) was cautious at first, but became more comfortable over the first few centuries. Soon, music became commonplace in Christian worship and many Church Fathers wrote about its proper use and effects.
He who sings well prays twice... he who sings praise is not only praising, but praising joyously; is not only singing, but loving Him about whom he sings."
When God saw that many men were lazy, and gave themselves only with difficulty to spiritual reading, He wished to make it easy for them, and added the melody to the words, that all being rejoiced by the charm of the music, should sing hymns to Him with gladness."
Early Christian music consisted of simple monophonic vocal music, sung in an unornamented, syllabic style. Saint John Chrystostom saw a theological significance in this, writing, "There must always be but one voice in the church, as there is one body. Thus the reader alone speaks, and he who holds the episcopacy sits and maintains silence, and the singer sings psalms alone, and, when all respond, the sound issues as if from one mouth, and only he preaches who gives the homily."
As the power of the Roman state declined, the Bishop of Rome, also known as the Pope, rose to a place of great influence both spiritually and politically. In the sixth century, Pope Gregory the Great attempted to standardize liturgical music throughout Christendom; thus, early Christian music became known as Gregorian Chant. Future composers would often quote Gregorian melodies in their works.
Over the next several centuries, Christianity became the dominant religion throughout Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. It became the vehicle for the spiritual and intellectual traditions of Jewish, Greek, and Roman thought and assimilated into many different cultures that encountered it. The Christian faith remains to this day the world's largest religion with a substantial presence on every continent, and has shaped world culture more than perhaps any other force.