Christianity Beginnings & Spread during the Pax Romana

Religion in Roman Empire  Polytheistic  Incorporated gods of many cultures  People show loyalty by honoring Roman gods and the emperor

Jews in the Empire  Excused from worshipping Roman gods  Waiting for Messiah (Savior)  Divisions within Judaism  Absorbed Greek customs  Wanted return to tradition  Wanted revolt against Rome

Founder  Jesus Christ 4 B.C A.D. (approximate)  Born in BethlehemBethlehem  At about 30 years old Jesus started preaching  Jesus had many followers, but twelve men followed him as Disciples

Life & Teaching  Believed in one God  Claimed he was the Son of God, and the only way to achieve salvation was through him  He would bring spiritual salvation and eternal life to all who believed.  Preached forgiveness, love, and that the poor would be rewarded in heaven

Life & Teaching Cont.  This was a new message to Jews of the time  Salvation available to anyone who believes, even prostitutes, tax-collectors and outcasts of society  Preached forgiveness of sins, instead of the strict adherence to following customs and laws

The Death of Jesus  Jewish leaders felt challenged by Jesus' message  Romans were afraid he could lead rebellion  Jewish leaders had him arrested and crucified  Followers said he rose and ascended to heaven

The Death of Jesus

Sacred Text  Jesus’ teachings were based on the Jewish faith, which became the Old Testament of the Bible  After Jesus’ death his apostles and disciples wrote down the accounts of his life and his teachings, which would become the New Testament

Spread of ChristianityChristianity  Started by Jesus’ disciples  Paul was a large contributor  Paul’s ministry: preaching to non- Jews  Sets up churches  Writes letters to churches  It took a long time to spread throughout the Roman Empire because it was seen by many as a threat to the empire.

Persecution of Christians  Christians were persecuted because they refused to worship Roman gods and emperors  Thousands of Christians became martyrs  Despite persecutions, Christians practiced secretly and Christianity continued to spread.

Why did it continue to spread?  Appealed to all people, was accepting of anyone  Gentiles (non-Jews)  Outcasts of Society  Women  Incorporated ideas from Greek philosophy

Early Church  Organized w/ bishops leading each area  Councils decided official Christian teachings  Edict of Milan – issued by Constantine A.D. 313 (freedom of worship)

Triumph  The persecution of Christians ends (for a time) in roughly 313 A.D.  Constantine issues Edict of Milan  Christianity will grow throughout empire, while the Roman Empire gets weaker