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Christians were persecuted, crucified, burned alive, and literally thrown to the lions for centuries. This, of course, until Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and ended the persecution in 312 CE.

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An example can be found in Romans 16:3-5, where Paul the Apostle makes reference to meetings held in the house of a couple, Priscilla and Aquilla.

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In the early days, there was no such thing as physical Christian churches. Groups would gather for worship in each other's homes.

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Nero used Christians as a scapegoat for the Great Fire of Rome, and they paid for it with their lives in atrocious ways.

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In addition, gentile males were also not circumcised. These and other Jewish rules and traditions became relaxed as early Christianity took form and more and more gentiles joined the movement.

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Jesus was a Jew who taught mostly to Jewish people, but an audience of gentiles (non-Jewish people) started to follow his teachings as well.

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"Saints" comes from the Greek hagios, which means "holy," or "sacred." "The Way" is a reference to the Hebrew concept of halakhah, which comprises a set of rules by which Jews should live by.

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It's not until Acts 11:26 that we find a reference to "Christians," when the leaders at Antioch use it to describe the followers of Christ. It reads: "[...] The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch."

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There is no mention in the Bible of Jesus referring to his followers as "Christians." Instead, those who followed Christ called themselves "saints" or members of "The Way."

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The spread of Christianity owes a lot to Roman roads. The network of roads sweeping across the vast empire allowed for early Christian leaders such as Paul the Apostle to travel and share the Gospel.

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Coming from a pagan background, many didn't follow Jewish principles, and things such as dietary restrictions were not followed.

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The Christian message of hope was particularly appealing to those experiencing social problems, including poverty, and these roads allowed it to reach large metropolises.

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Emperor Septimius Severus started torturing and killing Christians in the gladiatorial arena for entertainment around 192 CE.

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This then led to some Christian groups being ostracized, some of whom were even considered heretics and lost their legal status.

Sources: (Grunge)

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Christianity was recognized legally in 313 CE, when Emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan.

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By 202 CE, Romans were forbidden to convert to Judaism or Christianity. Those who defied the Emperor ended up being attacked by wild animals, beheaded, and burned, among other punishments.

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It was not easy being a Christian in ancient Rome, particularly during the days of persecution. Martyrdom was just around the corner for many of them.

Famous Christian martyrs include Paul the Apostle, who was beheaded, and Peter the Apostle, who was infamously crucified upside down in Rome.

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In a nutshell, "low Christology" defended that Jesus was a human, except he had no sin.

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Galatians 2:11-13 reads: "When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray."

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This was particularly accentuated when Peter the Apostle succumbed to the pressure of religious leaders and started to distance himself from gentiles—an action that was condemned by Paul the Apostle.

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On the other hand, "high Christology" argued that Jesus was part of the Holy Trinity, and therefore divine.

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Being a Christian back then meant being an outcast. They would organize themselves in close-knit communities where both Jews and gentiles mixed as followers of Christ.

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While gentiles made up a considerable part of early Christians, they still felt somehow like second-class citizens amongst Jewish followers.

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They would dedicate themselves to helping the poor and those in need, as well as studying and worshiping. Early Christians redefined what it was to have a sense of community in ancient Rome.

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Christ was not around for a long time and had quite a sudden, tragic death, so there was some debate over a number of things. This included the concepts of "low Christology" and "high Christology."

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The persecution of Christians in ancient Rome came in waves. Indeed, 12 of the 54 Roman emperors who ruled between 30 CE and 311 CE persecuted Christians, with Emperor Nero (pictured) taking the trophy as the most ruthless.

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Jesus challenged and argued with numerous Jewish leaders in his day. But despite early tensions, Jews and Christians coexisted peacefully for the most part during the Roman Empire.

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Others might not have gotten their names mentioned in the Bible or in any other books, but nonetheless lost their lives for being followers of Christ.

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While this was great news for Christians in general, who no longer would be persecuted, it brought new problems as to how the religion would be organized and which set of rules would be adopted.

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The tension between Roman and Judeo-Christian beliefs led to a rollercoaster of events in the ancient world. From the days of persecution to eventually going mainstream, Christianity went through many changes during the days of the Roman Empire. But what was it like for early Christians back then? How did Christians live in Roman times, and what challenges did they face?

Click through the following gallery to discover all this and more.