Chapter 13.1 Early Christianity

SPI 6.68  Describe the origins and central features of Christianity. (C, G, H, P)  monotheism  the belief in Jesus as the Messiah and God’s Son  the concept of resurrection  the concept of salvation  belief in the Old and New Testaments  the lives, teachings and contributions of Jesus and Paul  the relationship of early Christians to officials of the Roman Empire

Judaism and Rome  Roman allowed Judaism to be practiced  Romans ruled Jews with iron fist  Jews hoped that God would send a deliverer

Control by Romans  Romans took over Israel  Allowed Jewish kings to rule  Renamed Israel – Judah

Control by Romans  Jews disagreed over how to deal with Romans Some wanted to avoid conflict Some wanted to avoid conflict Some wanted to cooperate Some wanted to cooperate Some wanted to limit contact Some wanted to limit contact Some ignored Romans Some ignored Romans

Jewish Revolts  Zealots rebelled against Romans  Romans crushed the uprising  Destroyed the Jewish temple

Masada  1,000 Jewish defenders lived here  Held off Romans for two years  When Romans overtook Masada, only 2 women and 5 children were alive  The others had committed suicide rather than live under Roman rule

Jewish Revolt  A.D. 132, Jews rebel again  Romans force all Jews to leave Jerusalem  Declared that no Jews could ever return

Jesus of Nazareth  Born in Bethlehem  Why Christians celebrate Christmas

Jesus of Nazareth  Jesus grew up in Nazareth  Started preaching at around 30  12 disciples traveled with Jesus

What was the Message of Jesus?  According to the Christian Bible, God created all people God created all people God loves all people the way a father loves his children God loves all people the way a father loves his children People should love God and each other People should love God and each other

Sermon on the Mount  “The Beatitudes” Not enough to follow religious laws Not enough to follow religious laws People need to love God and forgive from the heart People need to love God and forgive from the heart

Parables  Jesus spoke in parables-stories about things his listeners could understand, using events from everyday life

The Good Samaritan  Good Samaritan helped an injured man along side of the road even though he was not a Samaritan

Prodigal Son  Father forgives wasteful son

Parables Teaching  Both “The Good Samaritan” and the “Prodigal Son” teach God loves people who have erred and will forgive them if they trust him

How Did Christianity Begin?  Jesus and his message sparked strong reactions  Followers spoke of Jesus performing miracles  Many believed Jesus was the deliverer

Divisions  Most Jews did not follow Jesus  Romans feared his preaching

Last Supper  In A.D. 33, Jesus traveled to Jerusalem  Jesus celebrated Passover with disciples

Betrayal of Jesus  Jesus was arrested and crucified

Resurrection  According to the Christian belief, Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to some of his disciples

Birth of Christianity  Jesus showed himself to Mary Magdalene  The message of the resurrection-or rising from the dead, led to the birth of Christianity

Who Were the Apostles?  Early Christian leaders who spread the message of Jesus were called Apostles

Who Were the Apostles  Those who accepted Jesus and his teachings became known as “Christians”  The word comes from Jesus Christ  Christ comes from Christos which is Greek for “the anointed one”

Christians  First Christians formed churches  Met in homes  Prayed and studied the Hebrew Bible

Early Christian Leaders  Apostles played important in growth of Christianity  Peter and Paul were two important apostles in Early Christian Church

Peter  Jewish fisher from Galilee  Knew Jesus  Helped set up a Christian church in Rome

Paul  From Tarsus  Raised as a Roman  Distrusted Christians  Hebrew name was Saul  While traveling to Damascus, Paul saw a great light and heard the voice of Jesus  Soon after, Paul became a Christian

What are Basic Christian Beliefs?  Monotheistic  Believed Jesus was the Son of God  Believed Jesus came to save people By becoming Christians, people could gain salvation By becoming Christians, people could gain salvation They would be saved from their sins They would be saved from their sins Allowed to enter heaven Allowed to enter heaven

What are Basic Christian Beliefs?  Like Jews, Christians believed in the God of Israel  Studied the Hebrew Bible  Also believe in the Christian Trinity- God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit