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What Difference Did Christianity Make? Why the Ancient Greeks, Romans, and Irish Converted – Fr. Terence Crotty, O.P.

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Dec 23, 2025

Guest

Fr. Terence Crotty

Fr. Terence Crotty, O.P., a Scripture scholar and Regent of Studies in the Irish Dominican Order, delves into the rapid spread of Christianity among the Greeks, Romans, and Irish. He argues that Christianity uniquely satisfied humanity's quest for truth and happiness through charity, dignity for women and slaves, and a loving God. Crotty highlights how Christian communities attracted various social classes and discusses the transformative impact of figures like St. Patrick and St. Brigid on Irish society, emphasizing the religion's profound societal effects.

55:48

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INSIGHT

Rapid Religious Expansion Explained

Christianity exploded across the Roman Empire within decades, becoming widely known and numerous in cities like Rome.
Fr. Terence Crotty attributes this rapid growth to Christianity answering deep human desires for truth and happiness.

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INSIGHT

Human Desire For Truth And Happiness

Humans seek both truth (intellect) and happiness (will), so any persuasive faith must address both desires.
Crotty argues Christianity uniquely presented God as the ultimate truth and ultimate good, meeting those core human longings.

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INSIGHT

Two Routes To Conversion

Christianity appealed differently across social strata: charity and dignity attracted lower classes while philosophical truth appealed to elites.
Crotty divides converts into those persuaded by goodness and those persuaded by truth.

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Question: What difference did Christianity make?

00:32 • 1min

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Early growth of Christianity in the Roman Empire

01:53 • 2min

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Historians' testimonies on early Christians

04:09 • 9min

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Human desire for truth and happiness

12:41 • 7min

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Christianity versus paganism and philosophy

20:11 • 6min

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Two audiences: persuaded by goodness or truth

26:15 • 41sec

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Charity, communities, and conversions among the poor

26:56 • 2min

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Pagan critics acknowledge Christian charity

28:46 • 7min

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Christianity's impact on slaves and social dignity

35:41 • 4min

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Women, marriage, and new social roles

39:25 • 4min

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Philosophical engagement with Christianity

42:59 • 6min

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Christian philosophers and apologetics

49:19 • 52sec

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Ireland: St. Patrick's conversions

50:11 • 55sec

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Charity and St. Brigid's influence

51:06 • 3min

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Summary: Why Christianity triumphed

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Fr. Terence Crotty argues that Christianity spread so rapidly because it uniquely answered the human search for truth and happiness while transforming social life through charity, dignity for slaves and women, and a compelling vision of a good and loving God that pagan religion and philosophy could not provide.

This lecture was given on September 6th, 2025, at Dominican House of Studies.

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About the Speakers:

Fr. Terence Crotty is the Regent of Studies in the Irish Province of the Dominican Order. Since graduating with his doctorate from the University of Fribourg in Switzerland in 2011 he has been mainly involved in formation and in teaching Scripture Studies to the Dominican students in the Studium of the Irish Province in his community in Dublin and to the lay faithful in the Priory Institute, Tallaght. His first monograph is about to appear, The Irish Dominicans: 800 Years and he has also published various articles in reviews and journals, including a chapter in The Glenstal Companion to the Easter Vigil.

Keywords: Caritas and Christian Charity, Conversion of the Roman Empire, Dignity of Slaves and Women, Greek and Roman Pagan Religion, Irish Conversion and St. Patrick, Letter to Diognetus and Early Apologetics, Pagan Philosophy and Stoicism, Roman Empire and Early Christianity, St. Brigid and Irish Monasticism, Truth, Happiness, and Human Desire

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