1. Chapter 6 Ancient Rome and Early Christianity
Section 3 The Rise of Christianity
Chapter 6 Ancient Rome and Early Christianity

2. The Rise of Christianity
Roman religion was polytheistic; the worship of many gods
Impersonal
A new religion called Christianity emerged
Started as a movement within Judaism
Emphasized personal relationship between God and people

3. Jews Come Under Roman Rule
The Roman Empire expanded to Judea, home of the Jews, in 63B.C.
Plans to “Romanize” Jerusalem
Jews were waiting for a savior known as the Messiah to arrive
Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea – approximately 6 B.C.
Jew and Roman subject
Carpenter
Began public ministry at age 30
The majority of what we know about Jesus comes from the Gospels.

4. Jesus’ Message
For 3 years Jesus preached, taught, did good works, and performed miracles
Emphasized God’s personal relationship to each human being
teaching contained many ideas from the Jewish tradition, such as monotheism
stressed the importance of people’s love for God, their neighbors, their enemies, and themselves

5. Jesus’ Message Spreads
12 special disciples were to spread his teachings – Apostles
Appealed to many people
special appeal to the poor because Jesus ignored wealth and status
Growing popularity concerned Jewish and Roman leaders
many people in Jerusalem started calling Jesus the Messiah
Sentenced to death for defying the authority of Rome

6. Spread of Christianity
After Jesus’ death and resurrection the apostles were convinced that Jesus was the Messiah
from this belief Jesus became known as Jesus Christ
Christos is Greek for “messiah” or “savior”
Christianity is derived from Christ
The apostles, led by Peter, spread Jesus’ message.
Jews created a new religion called Christianity that spread throughout the Roman Empire
faced political and religious opposition

7. Spread of Christianity
Christianity was easily spread
Era of Pax Romana – made travel and the exchange of ideas safe
Excellent Roman road system
Common languages

8. Spread of Christianity

9. Jewish Rebellion A.D. 66 a group of Jews rebelled against Rome
A.D. 70 Romans stormed Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple
all that remained of the Temple was the western portion of the wall (The Wailing Wall)
500,000 Jews were killed
Most Jews were driven from their homeland into exile
This spread of Jews was called the Diaspora

10. Persecution of Christians
New Christians refused to worship Roman gods
seen as opposition to Roman rule
Roman leaders blamed economic and political troubles on Christians
Many Christians were exiled, imprisoned, and put to death for their beliefs
Martyrs - people willing to sacrifice their lives for the sake of a belief or a cause
In-Depth Resources Unit 2 pg. 36 – Emperor Galerius’s Edict of Toleration (W. Hist. Honors)
In-Depth Resources Unit 2 pg. 48 – Reteaching Activity (W, History)

11. Appeal of Christianity
Christianity grew into a world religion because it:
Embraced all people
Gave hope to the powerless
Appealed to those who were exiled by Rome
Offered a personal relationship with a loving God
Promised eternal life after death

12. Constantine
A.D.312 – Roman emperor Constantine believed he had a vision from God of a cross and ordered artisans to put the Christian symbol on his soldiers’ shields
Ended the persecution of Christians in A.D. 313
Edict of Milan – declared Christianity to be one of the religions approved by the emperor
In A.D.380 Christianity became the empire’s official religion under emperor Theodosius
Reading Study Guide – pg

13. Chapter 6 Ancient Rome and Early Christianity
Section 4 The Fall of the Roman Empire
Chapter 6 Ancient Rome and Early Christianity

14. The Decline of the Roman Empire
A series of weak rulers led to the fall of the Roman Empire
Economic problems
Hostile tribes and pirates on the Mediterranean disrupted trade
Frequent wars – expensive and destroyed farmland
Government raised taxes – many poor farmers became jobless
Government minted more coins
Inflation – drastic drop in the value of money with a rise in prices
Overworked soil lost its fertility

15. The Decline of the Roman Empire
Military problems
Germanic tribes constantly attacked the empire
Barbarians
Discipline and loyalty collapsed
Soldier gave their loyalty to the commander who was fighting for the throne
Recruited mercenaries – foreign soldiers who fought for money
No sense of loyalty to the empire

16. Emperors Attempt Reform
A.D.284 Diocletian, an army leader, became Roman emperor
Restored order to the empire
Absolute ruler – he limited personal freedoms
controlled inflation by setting fixed prices for goods
Divided the empire into the Greek-speaking East and the Latin-speaking West
East = Greece, Anatolia, Syria, and Egypt
West = Italy, Gaul, Britain, and Spain
Shared authority but kept total control
Diocletian slowed the decline of the empire

17. Constantine and the End of the Empire
By A.D. 324 Constantine gained control of the Eastern and Western parts of the empire
restored concept of a single ruler
continued many of the social and economic policies of Diocletian
Moved the capital of the empire from Rome to the Greek city of Byzantium
located on the Bosporus Strait
strategically located for trade and defense purposes on crossroads between East and West
Renamed the city Constantinople

19. The End of the Empire
After Constantine, the Western part of the empire fell to Germanic invasion
Germanic people pushed into Roman lands to escape from the Huns, a group of fierce nomads from central Asia
All non-Roman invaders were called barbarians
Attila the Hun united the Huns in 444 and attacked both halves of the empire with 100,000 soldiers
The last Roman emperor was overthrown by German forces in 476.
The western part of the empire ceased to exist.
The eastern part became the Byzantine Empire and flourished under Greek and Roman cultures for 1,000 years