Born as a movement within Judaism Emphasized a personal relationship between God and the people Movement was led by Jesus of Nazareth Many of the beliefs conflicted with the polytheistic beliefs of the Roman Empire

Most of what is known about Jesus (life and teachings) comes from the New Testament First four books of the New Testament are called The Gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John: details of Jesus’ life The rest of the New Testament deals with the teachings of the apostles and disciples of Jesus Prior to the birth of Jesus, Rome took control of Judea, home of the Jews Became a province of the Empire in 6 CE According to biblical (Old Testament) tradition, God had promised that a savior, known as the Messiah, would come and restore the kingdom of the Jews

Jesus was born in the small village of Bethlehem between 6-4 BCE Began his public ministry at the age of 30 His teachings were basic tenets of Judaism He also preached that he came to fulfill the prophesies of the Messiah As Jesus preached, his notoriety grew Attracted crowds His popularity concerned the Roman leaders and the elite of Jewish society They arrested Jesus and took him before Pontius Pilate—Roman governor Pilate sentenced Jesus to crucifixion—a common punishment of the time

After his death on the cross, Jesus’ body was place in a tomb According to the Gospels, 3 days later… There was no body in the tomb A living Jesus appeared to his disciples After teaching his disciples, he ascended into heaven Considered both the Son and incarnation of God Christos is Greek for “messiah”

Paul Originally an enemy of Christianity Became an Apostle Travelled throughout the Mediterranean Basin spreading Christianity and starting churches Wrote letters explaining Christianity  Epistles

Emperor Nero and others ( CE) saw Christianity as a threat to the empire Christians were killed, arrested, and tortured Most Christians were willing to die for their cause Martyr: someone who is willing to die for the sake of a belief or cause Inspired others  helped spread Christianity further

Emperor Theodosius made Christianity the official religion of the Empire in 380 CE Christianity was the source of moral authority and unity in Western Europe Loyalty to the Church was more important that loyalty to the Emperor