Editing Religious persecution (section)

===Roman Empire===
[[File:Caravaggio-Crucifixion of Peter.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Saint Peter]], an apostle of Jesus, was executed by the Romans.]]
{{See also|Persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire|Persecution of pagans in the late Roman Empire}}
Early Christianity also came into conflict with the Roman Empire, and it may have been more threatening to the established polytheistic order than Judaism had been, because of the importance of [[evangelism]] in Christianity. Under [[Nero]], the Jewish exemption from the requirement to participate in public cults was lifted and Rome began to actively persecute [[Monotheism|monotheists]]. This persecution ended in 313 AD with the [[Edict of Milan]], and Christianity was made the [[Edict of Thessalonica|official religion of the empire]] in 380 AD. By the eighth century, Christianity had attained a clear ascendancy across Europe and neighboring regions, and a period of consolidation began which was marked by the pursuit of [[Heresy|heretics]], [[Paganism|heathens]], Jews, [[Muslim]]s, and various other religious groups.