Before the acceptance of Christianity, Roman polytheism was dominant in the western world. Rome’s borders extended as far west as Britain and as far east as modern day Greece and Turkey. To help ease the transition to Christianity, the Christians cleverly chose to disguise Jesus in such a way as to hide him from the pagans, blending him into the existing society. By likening his imagery to an already existing Roman god, Christianity found a foothold in the Empire while also protecting its followers from religious treason. Bacchus, the Roman god of wine and ecstasy, was the Christians’ iconographic choice.
