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Jesus did not seek fame; recall that the betrayal by Judas was to identify Jesus for capture, because otherwise most people would not recognize Him.  But non-believing historians recorded Jesus's life and the rise of Christianity.  For example, the Jewish historian Josephus (A.D. 37-100) wrote:

Jesus did not seek fame; recall that the betrayal by Judas was to identify Jesus for capture, because otherwise most people would not recognize Him.  But non-believing historians recorded Jesus's life and the rise of Christianity.  For example, the Jewish historian Josephus (A.D. 37-100) wrote:

:"At this time there was a wise man who was called Jesus. ... Pilate condemned Him to be condemned and to die. And those who had become His disciples did not abandon His discipleship. They reported that He had appeared to them three days after His crucifixion and that He was alive; accordingly, He was perhaps the Messiah concerning whom the prophets have recounted wonders"<ref>Antiquities, xviii.ch. 3, subtopic 3, Arabic text.  http://www.bibleviews.com/non-biblical.html.</ref>

:"At this time there was a wise man who was called Jesus. ... Pilate condemned Him to be condemned and to die. And those who had become His disciples did not abandon His discipleship. They reported that He had appeared to them three days after His crucifixion and that He was alive; accordingly, He was perhaps the Messiah concerning whom the prophets have recounted wonders"<ref>Antiquities, xviii.ch. 3, subtopic 3, Arabic text.  http://www.bibleviews.com/non-biblical.html.</ref>

Thanks to martyrs like Lawrence and many others, Christianity ultimately prevailed over the mighty Roman empire.  The persecutions of Christians continued until the Edict of Milan in A.D. 313, issued by the emperor Constantine.  This edict established Christianity as an acceptable religion to be practice in Rome, and in A.D. 391, emperor Theodosius declared Christianity to be the official religion of the Roman Empire and the worship of Roman gods was outlawed.  The only legal religions in the Roman Empire were then Christianity and Judaism.  All the Roman emperors after Constantine were Christian, with one exception (Julian "the Apostate").

Thanks to martyrs like Lawrence and many others, Christianity ultimately prevailed over the mighty Roman empire.  The persecutions of Christians continued until the Edict of Milan in A.D. 313, issued by the emperor Constantine.  This edict established Christianity as an acceptable religion to be practice in Rome, and in A.D. 391, emperor Theodosius declared Christianity to be the official religion of the Roman Empire and the worship of Roman gods was outlawed.  The only legal religions in the Roman Empire were then Christianity and Judaism.  All the Roman emperors after Constantine were Christian, with one exception (Julian "the Apostate").

Constantine built a new Christian capital in the East for the Roman empire that would be safe from the German invaders, and he called its Constantinople.  The city was located to benefit from the expanding trade with the East.  He built a beautiful Church of Holy Wisdom there, now known as the Cathedral of the Hagia Sophia.  This city survived and thrived for another 1000 years, as the eastern portion of the Roman Empire did not decline and fall as the western portion did.  The architecture of this city, now known as Istanbul, Turkey, is a mixture of Christianity and Hellenistic classicism.  It is on the Bosporus Strait at the point where Europe meets Asia, and was the wealthiest city in Europe throughout the Middle Ages.  Half the city is in Europe and the other half is in Asia.  It was sometimes called the “Queen of Cities.”

Constantine built a new Christian capital in the East for the Roman empire that would be safe from the German invaders, and he called it Constantinople.  The city was located to benefit from the expanding trade with the East.  He built a beautiful Church of Holy Wisdom there, now known as the "Cathedral of the Hagia Sophia." This city survived and thrived for another 1000 years, as '''the eastern portion of the Roman Empire did not decline and fall as the western portion did'''.  The architecture of this city, now known as Istanbul, Turkey, is a mixture of Christianity and Hellenistic classicism.  It is located on the Bosporus Strait at the point where Europe meets Asia, and was the wealthiest city in Europe throughout the Middle Ages.  Half the city is in Europe and the other half is in Asia.  It was sometimes called the "Queen of Cities."

   

   

Meanwhile, Christianity was hindered by internal conflicts over doctrine, otherwise known has heresies.  The biggest heresy was “Arianism”, based on teachings of a Libyan priest in Alexandria, Egypt, who declared that Jesus was merely an exceptional man and that he was not divine.  To address this heresy, Constantine convened the Council of Nicaea, in A.D. 325 in Asia Minor (present-day Turkey), and he presided over it.  This was the first of several important ecumenical councils held by Christians, typically one being held every 50 or 100 years.  The 300 Christian leaders declared that Jesus was a human who was also fully and eternally divine, and they excommunicated and banished Arian (i.e., the emperor Constantine forced him into exile).  This issue did not generate as much of a division amongst the bishops as some modern authors suggest, and only two of over 300 bishops dissented when the nature of Jesus’ divinity was voted upon.  The Christian leaders issued the Nicene Creed, which confirms the divine Trinity of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  Virtually all Christians of almost any denomination today adhere to the Nicene Creed, and many Christians recite it daily or weekly.  As to Arianism, it was simpler than Christianity and gained popularity among Germanic invaders of the Roman Empire, but lost influence after the 8th century.

Meanwhile, Christianity was hindered by internal conflicts over doctrine, otherwise known has heresies.  The biggest heresy was "Arianism", based on teachings of a Libyan priest in Alexandria, Egypt, who declared that Jesus was an exceptional man but was not divine (God).  To address this heresy, Constantine convened the Council of Nicaea, in A.D. 325 in Asia Minor (present-day Turkey), and he presided over it.  This was the first of several important ecumenical councils held by Christians, typically one being held every 50 or 100 years.  The 300 Christian leaders declared that Jesus was a human who was also fully and eternally divine, and they excommunicated and banished Arian (i.e., the emperor Constantine forced him into exile).  This issue did not generate as much of a division amongst the bishops as some modern authors suggest, and only two of over 300 bishops dissented when the nature of Jesus's divinity was voted upon.   

 

The Christian leaders issued the Nicene Creed, which confirms the divine Trinity of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  Virtually all Christians of almost any denomination today, Protestant and Catholic, adhere to the Nicene Creed, and many Christians recite it daily or weekly.  As to Arianism, it was simpler than Christianity and gained popularity among Germanic invaders of the Roman Empire, but lost influence after the 8th century.

Another Christian heresy was “Gnosticism”, based on the Greek work for knowledge (“gnosis”).  The Gnostics claimed to rely entirely on knowledge or reason, and later the word “agnostic” was coined to describe people who claim that recognition of God is impossible because it is somehow beyond human reasoning.  There are implied criticisms of the Gnostics in the letters included in the New Testament (see, e.g., 1Timothy 1:4), so this dispute goes back to the very early days of Christianity.  The Gnostics promoted works as scriptures that were doubted or rejected by other Christians, such as the “Gospels” of Thomas and Judas, with the latter obtaining much publicity just this year.  Gnostics would also edit out passages from accepted Gospels if they felt it could not be proven, such the reference in Luke to an angel coming to strengthen Jesus during his agony prior to the Crucifixion (Luke 22:43-44).  Gnosticism had its roots in pre-Christian philosophy, and it persists to this day in attempts to pick and choose from the New Testament, and supplement it with Apocrypha (non-authentic works) as in the Da Vinci Code book and movie.

Another Christian heresy was "Gnosticism", based on the Greek work for knowledge (“gnosis”).  The Gnostics claimed to rely entirely on knowledge or reason, and later the word “agnostic” was coined to describe people who claim that recognition of God is impossible because it is somehow beyond human reasoning.  There are implied criticisms of the Gnostics in the letters included in the New Testament (see, e.g., 1Timothy 1:4), so this dispute goes back to the very early days of Christianity.  The Gnostics promoted works as scriptures that were doubted or rejected by other Christians, such as the “Gospels” of Thomas and Judas, with the latter obtaining much publicity just this year.  Gnostics would also edit out passages from accepted Gospels if they felt it could not be proven, such the reference in Luke to an angel coming to strengthen Jesus during his agony prior to the Crucifixion (Luke 22:43-44).  Gnosticism had its roots in pre-Christian philosophy, and it persists to this day in attempts to pick and choose from the New Testament, and supplement it with Apocrypha (non-authentic works) as in the Da Vinci Code book and movie.

The Roman Empire was brutal not only to the Christians.  In A.D. 66, Jewish “Zealots” from Judea rebelled against the Romans and a bitter struggle followed.  Titus’s Roman army was far more powerful, however, and killed many of the Zealots and then senselessly destroyed the sacred temple in Jerusalem in A.D. 70, leaving only the Wailing Wall that remains to this day for Jewish believers to pray before.  Then, in A.D. 73, Jewish holdouts in a fortress near Masada finally succumbed after years of courageous fighting against the more powerful Roman army.  Herod the Great had built a fortified palace there in a rocky hill on the southwest shore of the Dead Sea, between 37 and 31 B.C.  Herod built it for his own protection in case there were a Jewish revolt against him, but the Zealots later captured it for the purposes of their own revolt.  After two years of a courageous defense against the Romans, the Romans finally prevailed with a battering ram in breeching the defenses.  The oral tradition is that the Romans used Jewish slaves who the Zealots were reluctant to kill.  Instead, the Zealots all committed suicide rather than submit to Roman authority, though another oral tradition is that the Zealots killed each other (except for the last one) out of respect for the Jewish prohibition on suicide.

The Roman Empire was brutal not only to the Christians.  In A.D. 66, Jewish “Zealots” from Judea rebelled against the Romans and a bitter struggle followed.  Titus’s Roman army was far more powerful, however, and killed many of the Zealots and then senselessly destroyed the sacred temple in Jerusalem in A.D. 70, leaving only the Wailing Wall that remains to this day for Jewish believers to pray before.  Then, in A.D. 73, Jewish holdouts in a fortress near Masada finally succumbed after years of courageous fighting against the more powerful Roman army.  Herod the Great had built a fortified palace there in a rocky hill on the southwest shore of the Dead Sea, between 37 and 31 B.C.  Herod built it for his own protection in case there were a Jewish revolt against him, but the Zealots later captured it for the purposes of their own revolt.  After two years of a courageous defense against the Romans, the Romans finally prevailed with a battering ram in breeching the defenses.  The oral tradition is that the Romans used Jewish slaves who the Zealots were reluctant to kill.  Instead, the Zealots all committed suicide rather than submit to Roman authority, though another oral tradition is that the Zealots killed each other (except for the last one) out of respect for the Jewish prohibition on suicide.