1.  World History

2.  Under Julius Caesar, Rome became an empire.  Octavian Augustus was the first emperor of Rome.

3.  Rome became too powerful to be challenged and entered a 200 year period of peace in the empire, known as the Pax Romana or “Roman Peace.” o Allowed ideas to spread across the world.

4.  3 million square miles  80 million people  1 million residents in city of Rome.

5.  In 63 BC, Rome took over Judea, the home of the Jewish religion.  Judea was controlled by King Herod, a Jewish governor for Rome.  After Herod’s death, fighting broke out among his sons.  Rome sent troops to create peace in Judea.

6.  Judaism was tolerated by the Romans at first. o First Monotheistic Religion: Only one supreme god.  Jesus of Nazareth was born under the rule of Octavian (Caesar Augustus) o Grew up preaching the idea of one true god o Spread a message of peace, love, forgiveness.  Many Jews believed that Jesus was the Messiah or Savior, from the Romans. Jesus preached a different type of salvation o Jesus was called Christ which means “savior” in Greek.

7.  Followers of Jesus wrote about the teachings and experiences that occurred during his life.  These writings were called Gospels, meaning ‘good news’  Roman Records

9.  When was Jesus probably born? o probably sometime around 4 – 6 b.c.  At what age did he start his ministry? o 30 years old, his ministry lasted for only 3 years

10.  What did Jesus do during his ministry? o Preached o Taught o Served/did good works o Performed Miracles

11.  Why did his message appeal to so many? o He ignored wealth and status o In a violent world, he was peaceful o He was a healer o He offered hope and comfort in this life and beyond o He embraced all people o Equality, comfort, and peace in the afterlife

12.  The popularity of Jesus with the poor angered the Romans and the Jews. o Jesus was called the “Son of God” and a “King” o Jews feared Jesus’s preaching would anger the Romans

13.  Jewish leaders turned Jesus over to the Roman governor of Jerusalem, Pontius Pilate to be Crucified. o “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God.”

14.  Christian ideas are quickly spread: o Because of the Pax Roman making travel safe and the vast network of Roman roads making it easy to travel, news and ideas spread quickly o Because the followers of Jesus started new churches o Because of its popular message

15.  Paul, who had once persecuted Christians, converts o Becomes the greatest missionary o Starting churches throughout the Mediterranean world including Greece, Turkey, and Rome itself o Wrote much of the New Testament of the Bible

16.  Why did the Romans hate Christianity/Judaism? o Monotheism vs. Polytheism o Christians refused to worship Roman gods o Christians/Jews didn’t recognize the emperors as gods. o Blamed for any problems in Roman society. o Emperors such as Nero crucified and tortured Christians and Jews as traitors. o Many Jews fled their homeland to escape- Known as the Jewish Diaspora- or “spreading out” Christians and Jews became Martyrs: Dying for their beliefs.

17.  Not allowed to openly practice their religion  Hunted & Arrest  Killed for entertainment o Publicly executed o Fed to lions in gladiator arenas o Burned at night to provide light for further gladiator battle s  Forced to practice in secret o Ichthus

18.  Peter the Apostle traveled to Rome and was crucified upside down by Nero. o Believed to be the first “Bishop” or Pope of the Christian Church. o Today, all Popes are believed to be descendants of St. Peter. o We now call this the “Catholic” church which means “Universal”.

21.  In 312 AD, Constantine became Emperor of Rome. o During Battle, he saw an image of a cross and won.  313 AD- Constantine issues the Edict of Milan making Christianity a legal religion in Rome. Ending the persecution of Christians  To strengthen the religion he called the Council of Nicaea to establish the core beliefs of Christianity, leading to the Nicene Creed.

22.  In 380 AD, Emperor Theodosius declared Christianity the Official Religion of the Roman Empire.