Paganism

In early Christianity, paganism (from Latin: paganus, lit. 'rustic') collectively referred to the diverse religious practices of all people who were pantheists. More specifically, it denoted anyone who did not adhere to an Abrahamic religion in the Roman Empire. Individuals fell into the pagan class either because they were increasingly rural and provincial relative to the Christian population or because they were not a soldier of Christ (miles Christi). Terms synonymously used in Christian texts of the period include heathen, Hellene, and gentile.