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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

Spread of Christianity

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

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)

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

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. 59-60

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

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

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

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

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

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