The Second and Third Century Church

Note the key churches-Rome, Ephesus, Antioch, Alexandria and Carthage. The more the Church was persecuted, the more was its evangelical zeal and the greater its growth in numbers. The Church began with around 500 followers of Christ in Jerusalem, and from the Day of Pentecost (where 3000 were added) until 300 CE it is estimated that between five and twelve per cent of the population of the empire, which was about 75 million, were Christians. A reasonable estimate might be that there were five million professing Christians by 300.