Dear all,

being born into a Central European society which, to my understanding, still mostly sees its values rooted in „Christianity“ made me wonder what Christiany had to offer over the ancient polytheistic religions. It certainly did not change our overall stance towards violence, war and conquest much, when one looks at European history. From my cursory understanding of how Christianity came into prominence (and power), for many pagan rulers, it appeared to be a simple choice of gaining access to influential circles and being able to construct a certain continuity to justify their power or claim to power. But what of the ancient Roman emperors? Why would they choose Christianity over their ancestral religious views? Was it the promise of an afterlife/eternal life?

What do we know about the (individual) process that led to Christianity becoming dominant?

Thank you, in advance!