In that lifetime I was a Roman Soldier there when Jesus was Crucified so I got to see him up close and personal at that time. I didn't like what was going on at all. I thought it was ridiculous but I didn't want to die right then. Jesus spoke with me more than once and forgave me being a soldier there and told me I needed to stay alive to teach his teachings. So, I returned to Rome and starting teaching people what Jesus had taught me under Rome in the catacombs. This was very dangerous. But, you have to remember I was a Roman Soldier and very well trained and quite capable of defending myself and other Christians because my training as a soldier. So, I was one of the many who helped Christianity take hold in Rome. I was one of many many Roman Soldiers who became Christians. So, there literally was an army of us who stuck together in Rome after returning from the Holy land.
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- Roman Law: Laws strictly banned burying or cremating the dead inside the city limits, forcing cemeteries to the outer roads.
- Shift in Customs: Romans shifted from cremation to inhumation (burying unburnt bodies) by the 2nd century AD.
- Early Communities:Built largely by Jewish communities first, followed extensively by early Christians who rejected cremation because they believed in bodily resurrection.
- Not Hideouts: Popular myth claims Christians hid from persecutions in the tunnels, but the strong odors, lack of ventilation, and visibility made them impractical as refuges.
- Shrines and Pilgrimages: Martyrs and popes were buried inside, turning locations like the Catacombs of St. Callixtus into major pilgrimage sites.
- Abandonment: By the 9th century, Germanic invasions and pillaging led church authorities to move sacred relics into inner-city churches, leaving the tunnels abandoned and forgotten.
- Are you planning a visit to Rome and need to know which catacombs are open?
- Do you want to learn more about early Christian frescoes and symbols?
