Warm Up How do you think Christianity went from one man to the most prominent religion in the world? What are some ways that this diffusion would’ve occurred?

Agenda Unit Cover Page: “Early Modern World” History of Christianity Crash Course History of Christianity Medieval Europe Notes Middle Ages Reading  Life in Europe ~500-1300

Unit Cover Page Title it: “Early Modern World” Page 25 The time period we’re looking at is about 1000-1400 Topics include: Mongols, Bubonic Plague, Middle Ages in Europe, Renaissance, Scientific Revolution, Ottoman and Ming Empires

A Brief History of Christianity

Roots of Christianity in Judaism ~ AD 6 Roman Emperor Augustus took over Judah – renamed it Judea (it is the mountainous southern part of Palestine)

Roots of Christianity in Judaism Jews were allowed to practice their religion but were treated cruelly by Romans Many Jews hoped for a savior (called a “messiah” / “one anointed by God”) to restore Jewish independence One Jew – Jesus – traveled though Judea from AD 30–33 saying that God’s rule was close at hand & people should repent for their sins Some Jews thought Jesus was the messiah

Roots of Christianity in Judaism Because the Jews in Judea disagreed about Jesus’ messiah status, there was much internal Jewish conflict The Romans were afraid that this conflict would de-stabilize Judea – thus they arrested Jesus as a political rebel Jesus was crucified – the typical Roman method of punishing criminals

What was crucifixion?

What was crucifixion? A method of execution – very painful and gruesome – nails inserted into feet & above wrists between radius and ulna Death possibly came through asphyxiation – victim would have trouble exhaling while holding himself up (particularly after his legs were broken) Other possible causes of death: whipping (loss of blood), dehydration, exhaustion

What happened next? Some of Jesus’ followers said that he had risen from the dead & appeared to them Those who believed became known as Christians because the word “messiah” translated into Greek is “Khristos” People like Paul and Peter helped spread the Christian message throughout the Mediterranean region

Why were Christians persecuted? Monotheistic Christians refused to honor the Roman emperor as a god Some Christians refused to provide military service – this led to charges of treason Some Romans also feared the wrath of their own deities because of the rejection of those deities by Christians As a result, Romans killed some Christian martyrs who would not give up their beliefs

How does the story end? Christianity spread – especially in cities In AD 312 the Roman general Constantine had a vision of a flaming cross in the sky before a battle

How does the story end? Constantine had the soldiers paint crosses on their shields and when they won, he attributed his victory to the Christian God When Constantine became emperor of Rome, he issued the Edict of Milan, granting freedom of worship to all religious groups 80 years later (AD 392), Emperor Theodosius made Christianity the official religion of the Empire and banned older religions