Section 4 The Rise of Christianity Chapter 1 Section 4 The Rise of Christianity

Jesus of Nazareth

Christianity Spreads After Jesus’ death, Apostles and disciples spread his teachings Apostles=Greek for “Person sent forth” At first preach only to other Jews Jews who accepted Jesus as the Messiah become known as Christians Messiah=Savior sent by God to lead Jews to freedom Christ=Greek for “annointed one”

Christianity Spreads Peter (the chief apostle) Paul (originally Saul) opens Christianity to non-Jews. Establishes church in Rome Paul (originally Saul) tries to destroy the new religion. Converts begins spreading Christianity to Gentiles (non-Jews) Helps separate Christianity from Judaism

New Covenant Christianity started as a sect within Judaism Different in its focus on Jesus as the Messiah and center of the faith Maintained Jewish monotheism and the Hebrew scriptures Torah and the writings of the prophets (Old Testament) Christian writings about Jesus became the New Testament 4 Gospels, Paul’s letters, etc. Christians saw this as a new covenant with faith in Jesus and observance of his teachings replacing strict observance of the old law

Persecution Romans had a history of tolerance Less tolerant of Jews and Christians Refused to sacrifice to the emperor Refused to honor the Roman gods Suspected of disloyalty Used as scapegoats by Nero and others Jews scattered (diaspora) Christians martyred (including Peter and Paul)

Christianity’s Appeal Continued to spread despite persecution Acceptance of others, particularly the poor Began to incorporated ideas of Plato, Stoics, and other Greek thinkers Wrote in Greek and Latin, spreading message easily throughout empire Constantine Mother a devout Christian Ended persecution with Edict of Milan (313 AD)

Christian Church A person joined Christian community through baptism Scattered communities gradually organized a structured hierarchy Clergy=people authorized to perform ceremonies (sacraments) Priests served each community under authority of a Bishop Bishops responsible for all priests in an area Bishops traced authority to apostles and therefore Jesus himself Bishops of more important Roman cities became known as Patriarchs Patriarchs oversaw Bishops in a region

Christian Church Patriarch of Rome, called the Pope, claimed authority over all bishops Led to disunity and conflict In 1054 the church split into eastern and western churches The eastern church became known as the Orthodox Church Russia, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania The western church under the pope became known as the Roman Catholic Church

Medieval Church Roman Catholic Church held absolute power in religious matters and significant control over European society. Church Laws System of church courts Wealth made it leading secular (worldly) power in Europe Many clergy owned large tracts of land Many clergy given high government positions (often the only educated people)

Spread of Learning

Judeo-Christian Tradition

Assignment Pg. 39 (3-6)