Christianity arrives on the scene and offers the world a linear view of human history -- a Christian way of thinking that is very different from the Greek and Roman views of history. This difference partially explains why Christians become persecuted in Rome -- at least initially. To the Christians in Rome, history has meaning. History has purpose. And history has a goal.

Sources:
Paul Johnson, A History of Christianity

Ernst Breisach, Historiography: Ancient, Medieval, and Modern

Charles Hummel, The Galileo Connection