1. ROME and the RISE OF CHRISTIANITY

2. Essential Question:
What impact did the rise and spread of Christianity have on the Classical World?

3. What was religion like in Rome?

4. Religion in the Roman Empire
Religion in Rome was polytheistic and Roman gods were based on the Greek gods

5. Religion in the Roman Empire
Romans worshipped the gods in daily rituals, but most Roman citizens were not very emotional about their religion

6. THE ROMAN EMPIRE AT ITS HEIGHT
The Romans conquered an enormous amount of territory; with that territory came many different people and their own cultures and religions

7. How do you think the Romans treated people they conquered who had different religions?

8. Religion in the Roman Empire
Emperors were mostly tolerant of other religions; but they expected everyone who lived in their empire to respect Roman gods as a sign of loyalty

9. In 63 BCE, the Romans conquered the Hebrew kingdom of Judea and allowed “Romanized Jews” (who showed respect to Roman gods and obeyed Roman laws) to govern Judea
But the Hebrews were monotheistic and many refused to pay respect to the Roman gods

10. Many Hebrews began to resist Roman rule; they believed that God would send the Messiah to restore the kingdom to the Jews

11. What major event occurred in Judea during the time of Roman rule?

12. Some time between 6 BCE and 4 BCE, a Jew named Jesus was born in Judea; many considered Jesus to be the Messiah who would restore control of Judea to the Jews
The Life and Teachings of Jesus
Roman power spread to Judea, the home of the Jews, around 63 B.C. At first the Jewish kingdom remained independent, at least in name. Rome then took control of the Jewish kingdom in A.D. 6 and made it a province of the empire. A number of Jews, however, believed that they would once again be free. According to biblical tradition, God had promised that a savior known as the Messiah would arrive and restore the kingdom of the Jews. Roughly two decades after the beginning of Roman rule, many believed that such a savior had arrived.
Jesus of Nazareth Although the exact date is uncertain, historians believe that sometime around 6 to 4 B.C., a Jew named Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea. Jesus was raised in the village of Nazareth in northern Palestine. He was baptized by a prophet known as John the Baptist. As a young man, he took up the trade of carpentry. At the age of 30, Jesus began his public ministry. For the next three years, he preached, taught, did good works, and reportedly performed miracles. His teachings contained many ideas from Jewish tradition, such as monotheism, or belief in only one god, and the principles of the Ten Commandments. Jesus emphasized God’s personal relationship to each human being. He stressed the importance of people’s love for God, their neighbors, their enemies, and even themselves. He also taught that God would end wickedness in the world and would establish an eternal kingdom after death for people who sincerely repented their sins. (Refer to pages 286–287 for more about Christianity.)
A Growing Movement Historical records of the time mention very little about Jesus. The main source of information about his teachings are the Gospels, the first four books of the New Testament of the Bible. Some of the Gospels are thought to have been written by one or more of Jesus’ disciples, or pupils. These 12 men later came to be called apostles. As Jesus preached from town to town, his fame grew. He attracted large crowds, and many people were touched by his message. Because Jesus ignored wealth and status, his message had special appeal to the poor. “

13. This version of Judaism would later be known as Christianity
At the age of 30, Jesus began preaching a unique version of Judaism throughout Judea
This version of Judaism would later be known as Christianity

14. What were the basic teachings of Jesus?

15. Jesus did good works, performed miracles, and delivered his religious teachings
Jesus preached a religion based on the Jewish belief in a single God (monotheism)

16. He taught about God’s love, mercy, and forgiveness towards people
Jesus taught that he was God’s son and that God would rid the world of evil
He taught about God’s love, mercy, and forgiveness towards people

17. Jesus proclaimed there would be eternal life in Heaven for those who repent their sins
He based much of his good works and teachings on the Hebrews’ Ten Commandments

18. What kind of person would Christianity appeal to?

19. Jesus and the Disciples
Jesus’ message of eternal life in Heaven appealed to many people, especially the poor
Jesus’ followers were known as disciples

20. How did Jesus die? For what reasons did he die?

21. Many Jews in Judea did not accept the idea that Jesus was the Messiah (the one who would free the Jews from Rome)
Part of Jesus’ message was that of equality, which threatened the positions of leading Jews

22. Some of these leading Jews accused Jesus of the crime of blasphemy (contempt for God)

23. The Roman rulers of Judea also feared Jesus’ rising popularity amongst Jews
They were concerned that Jesus might lead a rebellion against the Romans occupying Judea

24. In the year 29 CE, Jesus was arrested on charges of blasphemy against the Jewish religion and defying Roman authority

25. He was executed by crucifixion, the Romans’ favored form of capital punishment

26. After Jesus’ death, the religion of Christianity was formed and began to spread

27. The Spread of Christianity
The Apostles (disciples of Jesus who became teachers themselves), especially Paul, molded Jesus’ teachings into a new religion called Christianity
Christianity was based upon the idea that Jesus was God’s son and that he died as way to atone for humanity’s sins
Paul’s Mission One man, the apostle Paul, had enormous influence on Christianity’s development. Paul was a Jew who had never met Jesus and at first was an enemy of Christianity. While traveling to Damascus in Syria, he reportedly had a vision of Christ. He spent the rest of his life spreading and interpreting
Christ’s teachings. The Pax Romana, which made travel and the exchange of ideas fairly safe, provided the ideal conditions for Christianity to spread. Common languages—Latin and Greek—allowed the message to be easily understood. Paul wrote influential letters, called Epistles, to groups of believers. In his teaching, Paul stressed that Jesus was the son of God who died for people’s sins. He also declared that Christianity should welcome all converts, Jew or Gentile (non-Jew). It was this universality that enabled Christianity to become more than just a local religion.

28. The Apostles taught that Jews and non-Jews were welcome as Christians
The Apostle Paul was especially influential in the development of Jesus’ teachings into a religion called Christianity

29. After Jesus’ death, Paul helped spread Jesus’ teachings throughout the Roman Empire
Paul’s Mission One man, the apostle Paul, had enormous influence on Christianity’s development. Paul was a Jew who had never met Jesus and at first was an enemy of Christianity. While traveling to Damascus in Syria, he reportedly had a vision of Christ. He spent the rest of his life spreading and interpreting
Christ’s teachings. The Pax Romana, which made travel and the exchange of ideas fairly safe, provided the ideal conditions for Christianity to spread. Common languages—Latin and Greek—allowed the message to be easily understood. Paul wrote influential letters, called Epistles, to groups of believers. In his teaching, Paul stressed that Jesus was the son of God who died for people’s sins. He also declared that Christianity should welcome all converts, Jew or Gentile (non-Jew). It was this universality that enabled Christianity to become more than just a local religion.

30. Christianity spread quickly due to roads, numerous trade routes, and common language throughout the Roman Empire; the peaceful time of Pax Romana made travel safe for those spreading Jesus’ teachings
Paul’s Mission One man, the apostle Paul, had enormous influence on Christianity’s development. Paul was a Jew who had never met Jesus and at first was an enemy of Christianity. While traveling to Damascus in Syria, he reportedly had a vision of Christ. He spent the rest of his life spreading and interpreting
Christ’s teachings. The Pax Romana, which made travel and the exchange of ideas fairly safe, provided the ideal conditions for Christianity to spread. Common languages—Latin and Greek—allowed the message to be easily understood. Paul wrote influential letters, called Epistles, to groups of believers. In his teaching, Paul stressed that Jesus was the son of God who died for people’s sins. He also declared that Christianity should welcome all converts, Jew or Gentile (non-Jew). It was this universality that enabled Christianity to become more than just a local religion.

31. Persecution of Jews and Christians
The spread of Judaism and Christianity was seen as a problem by the Roman emperors:

32. Persecution of Jews and Christians
Jews and Christians refused to worship the Roman gods or recognize the emperors as more important than God

33. Persecution of Jews and Christians
Christians and Jews were persecuted by the Romans; many were crucified, exiled, or killed during gladiator events (such as by being fed to lions)

34. Persecution of Jews and Christians
Christians who were executed were honored by other Christians as martyrs, those who sacrifice their lives for their beliefs
This only helped spread Christianity

35. CHRISTIANITY BECOMES RECOGNIZED
Despite Roman efforts to suppress it, Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire and gained popularity
In the year 312 CE, Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity after recognizing that the Christian religion was becoming the dominant one in his empire

36. CHRISTIANITY BECOMES RECOGNIZED
Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, a ruling that gave freedoms and equality to Christians within the Roman Empire
In the year 395 CE, Emperor Theodosius made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire

37. ORGANIZATION OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH

38. ORGANIZATION OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH
The early Christians organized a hierarchy of leadership
Priests were supervised by regional bishops; the overall head of the Church was the Pope
Popes later operated from the city of Rome (and still do to this day)

39. ORGANIZATION OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH
Teachings that the Christians believed in (Jesus’ teachings as well as some of Judaism) were collected into one official text called the Bible

40. DID CHRISTIANITY LEAD TO THE FALL OF ROME?
Some historians think that Christianity helped lead to Rome’s fall
Romans spent more time thinking of the afterlife than the here and now
As a result, the Christianized Romans were unprepared for the invaders who eventually conquered the Roman Empire

41. Closure Activity
What are the similarities and differences between Christianity and other religions of the Ancient World?
Review your notes from Units 1 and 2
Complete the graphic organizer on the back of your notes

42. Comparing Christianity to Other Religions of the Ancient World