The Rise of Christianity

Review  The Gracchus brothers fought for the rights of the ___________  Poor  Julius Caesar was named dictator for ____  Life  Pax Romana means _____________  Roman Peace  How large was the Roman Empire during Pax Romana?  3 million square miles

Roman Power Spreads  Roman power spread to Judea, the home of the Jews in 63 B.C.

Judea becomes part of Rome  Rome made Judea a province of Rome in A.D. 6  Zealots wanted to rid their homeland of Romans.  Another group awaited the ‘Messiah’.  According to Biblical tradition, God had promised that the Messiah would restore the kingdom of the Jews.

Jesus  Born in Bethlehem, Judea, in 6 – 4 B.C.  Both a Jew and a Roman  Raised in the village of Nazareth  Baptized by the prophet, John the Baptist  Carpenter

Teachings  Began public ministry at age 30  Miracles  Good works  Helped people  Monotheism  10 commandments  Message of love  Repentance

12 Apostles  Jesus gathered 12 disciples, who later became known as apostles.  The main source of information about Jesus’ life is in the New Testament of the Bible.  The New Testament is believed to have been written by Jesus’ disciples.

Jesus message is appealing  Many people called him the ‘Messiah’, the son of God.  Since Jesus ignored wealth and status, his message was especially appealing to the poor.  Jesus’ growing popularity concerned both Roman and Jewish leaders.

 When Jesus visited Jerusalem in 29 AD, enthusiastic crowds greeted him as the Messiah, or king.  The chief priests of the Jews denied that Jesus was the Messiah.  They said his teachings were blasphemy, or contempt for God.

 The Roman governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate thought that Jesus, whom the Romans mockingly called, ‘King of the Jews’ challenged the authority of Rome.  Pilate arrested Jesus and sentenced him to be crucified.

Resurrection  According to the New Testament, after 3 days Jesus resurrected.

Christianity  People were even more convinced that Jesus was the true son of God.  Christos is a Greek word meaning “messiah” or “savior”  This was how he became Jesus Christ.  The name Christianity derived from the word Christ.

Christianity Spreads  His followers spread the teachings of Jesus throughout Palestine and Syria.  The Pax Romana, which made travel and exchange of ideas safe, provided ideal conditions for Christianity to spread.  The excellent Roman road system made traveling easier, and common languages allowed the message to be communicated.

 During the early years of Christianity, much Roman attention was focused Jesus’ birthplace.  In A.D. 66, Zealots rebelled against Rome.  In A.D. 70, the Romans destroyed the Temple.  All that remained was a western portion of a wall, which today is the holiest Jewish shrine.

The Wailing Wall

 The Western Wall is part of the retaining wall supporting the temple mount built by Herod in 20 B.C. After the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 A.D., Jews were not allowed to come to Jerusalem until the Byzantine period, when they could visit once a year on the anniversary of the destruction of the Temple and weep over the ruins of the Holy Temple. Because of this, the wall became known as the “Wailing Wall.”  Jews were again not allowed to visit the wall from when it was in the Jordanian section of the city. After the Six Day War, the Western Wall became a place for national rejoicing and prayer, as the last accessible relic of the last Temple.

 About 500,000 Jews were killed in the course of the rebellion.  The Jews made another attempt to break free from the Romans in 132 AD, and another 500,000 Jews died.  Although the Jewish religion survived, the Jewish political state ceased to exist for more than 1800 years.

Diaspora  Most Jews were driven from their homeland into exile.  This dispersal of the Jews is called the Diaspora.

Religious Persecution  Christians refused to worship Roman gods.  This refusal was seen as an opposition to Rome’s rule.  Roman Emperor, Nero, blamed a disastrous fire on Christians and ordered them to be persecuted.  Apostles Peter and Paul were put to death.

 As the Pax Romana crumbled, Christians were exiled, imprisoned, or executed for refusing to worship Roman gods.  Thousands were crucified, burned, or killed by wild animals in circus arenas.  Even though many were killed, the Christian religion grew strong.

A tasteless video clip  2OcVcg 2OcVcg 2OcVcg

Why did Christianity spread so rapidly?  Embraced all people (men, women, slaves, poor, nobles)  Gave hope to the powerless  Appealed to those who were repelled by the extravagances of imperial Rome.  Offered a personal relationship with a loving God.  Promised eternal life after death.

The Apostle Peter  Jesus referred to Peter as the ‘Rock’ on which his church would be built.  Peter was the first bishop of Rome.  Since Rome was the capital of the empire, the church was centered in Rome.

Roman Emperor Constantine  A critical moment in Christianity occurred in A.D. 312, when the Roman emperor Constantine was fighting three rivals for his title.  He had marched to the Tiber River at Rome to battle his chief rival.  He prayed for divine help.

Constantine

Vision  He saw a cross of light in the heavens bearing the inscription, “In this sign, conquer.”  Constantine ordered the Christian symbol of the cross to be put onto his soldier’s shields.  His troops were successful on the battlefield.  He gave all credit to the Christian God.

Roman Soldier’s Shield with Cross

It’s called the Chi Rho  It’s the first two letters of ‘Jesus Christ’ in Greek.

Edict of Milan  In the next year, A.D. 313, Constantine ended Christian persecution.  In the Edict of Milan, he declared Christianity to be one of the religions approved by the emperor.  The Edict granted religious freedom.

 Constantine became converted to Christianity in 312 AD  He was formally baptized on his deathbed in 337 AD

Theodosius the Great  Roman Emperor from A.D.  In 380 A.D. he made the Christian religion the official religion of the Roman Empire.

The Palace Basilica of Constantine

Disagreements in belief  There was a great amount of arguing going on about the true teachings of Christ.  People were accused of heresy, any belief that contradicted the basic teachings of Christianity.  Church leaders compiled gospel writing in one book, known as the New Testament.  It defined the basic beliefs of the Church.

Structure of the Church The Christian Clergy BishopBishopBishop Pope/Patriarch DiocesePriest+CommunityDiocesePriest+CommunityDiocesePriest+Community 41

Fathers of the Church  Influential in defining Church teachings.  Most influential was Augustine who was bishop in the city of Hippo in North Africa.  He taught that humans needed the Grace of God to be saved.  His most famous book is The City of God.