“An Empire Conquered” is an interesting look at the early church and its persecution by the Roman Empire. Hosted and narrated by the likable and award-winning actor Joseph Campanella, the film makes use of paintings, commentary, location shots from Italy, and reenactments to present a history of martyrdom that many viewers likely do not know.
The paintings include depictions of beheadings—with blood—as well as bloody severed hands and comments about the gruesome deaths of the early Christian martyrs. Yet it also speaks of the multiplication of Christian converts every time these deaths occurred. The documentary focuses also on the conversion of Constantine and how that opened up a time of liberty for Christians living in or near the Roman Empire.
Various church fathers are featured including Augustus and Clement, as well as the female martyr Cecilia. We are pleased to award “An Empire Conquered” our “Faith-Friendly” Seal for ages twelve plus. It does a good job showing that persecution didn’t stop the early church—it ignited it!