The Rise of Christianity

Judaism and the Empire Christianity began as a sect (group) within Judaism In 6 AD, Augustus turned the Kingdom of Judah into the Roman province of Judea Allowed Jews to practice their religion but they were treated very cruelly

Many Jews began to believe that a messiah (messenger of God) would help them regain their freedom This had been foretold in ancient Jewish prophecies

Believing that God would intervene, Jews rebelled in 66 AD and overpowered the small Roman army in Jerusalem only 4 years later Romans retook Jerusalem destroying the Temple and killing thousands of Jews

After another rebellion in 132 AD, Jews were banned from living in Jerusalem and were forced to move into other parts of the Mediterranean and the Middle East

Jesus of Nazareth Jesus, a Jew from Nazareth, traveled through Galilei and Judea from 30-33 AD preaching a new message and winning disciples (followers) Urged his followers to turn away from sins and stated God was loving and forgiving toward all who repented

Fear of his ability to arouse such feelings in the people led Pontius Pilate, Roman governor of Palestine, to arrest Jesus and ordered he be crucified

Spread of Christianity After Jesus’ death, his disciples proclaimed he rose from the dead and said this was proof he was the mesiah Began preaching he was THE SON OF GOD Those who accepted the teachings of Jesus became known as Christians and formed churches

Paul aided Christianity’s spread by traveling and writing many letters on behalf of the religion—his writings became the New Testament of the Bible Other apostles (Christian missionaries), spread Christianity throughout the Roman world Peter is believed to have brought Christianity to Rome

Paul Peter

Persecution and Competition Christians refused to worship any other religions Refused to recognize emperor as God and rejected military service Many became martyrs—people who die rather than change their beliefs—killed in arenas by wild beasts in front of cheering crowds

Despite this, Christianity grew in 200-300s and became a religion of the cities Their strength in the cities of the Roman Empire gave Christianity great influence

Romans Adopt Christianity Constantine was named emperor of Rome in 312 AD and became the protector of Christianity Issued the Edict of Milan which allowed ALL religions to worship freely in Rome In 392 Theodosius made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire

The Early Church Christians turned to Church Fathers, Christian religious thinkers who explained many of the Christian beliefs in books Christians in the western part of the Empire used the writings of Augustine, a scholar born in North Africa

Church Structure The church was organized into a hierarchy (levels of authority) Local gatherings of Christians, called parishes, were run by priests Several parishes together formed a diocese which was overseen by a bishop

Bishops interpreted Christian beliefs and administered regional church affairs The bishops met at councils to discuss opinions and disputes about Christian beliefs The decisions they made became known as doctrine (the official church teachings)

Council of Nicea and the Bible Large disagreements among Christians as to Jesus’ nature (divine vs. leader) Constantine does not want division in his empire Convenes Council of Nicea in 325 to answer questions Come to agreement that Jesus was divine (of “same substance” of God – Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost) Agree on books of the Bible (New Testament) – although almost all Christian leaders had agreed on the main books since the early 200s