ABSTRACT
Chromatius was able to frame Christianity as a continuation of the classical tradition. Those who could etch their names in stone were now not only powerful but also beloved and following the call of God. As Chromatius said of Aquileia, "where earthly advantage is not neglected, one must strive even more after a heavenly profit". A study of donations during the period notes that Aquileia and Sicily had numbers of Greek inscriptions which outpaced the rest of Italy. The synagogue in Aquileia was a powerful example of the survival of traditional Roman patterns of giving even as the Christian church became dominant in the region. The basilica is clearly an example of the sudden influx of wealth which came to a single church in the early fourth century. The churches are in various states of preservation, they share one commonality: donative inscriptions.
