The Roman Empire and Religion Terms to Tackle : Christianity Jesus of Nazareth Messiah Crucifixion Resurrection Apostles Paul of Tarsus Constantine Are there any terms you recognize?

The Tolerant Romans When Romans took over new lands, they allowed the people to continue to practice their own religions. Sometimes, they even adopted the conquered peoples’ religions. Many Romans adopted the Greek gods as their own but renamed them. Some even adopted Egyptian gods.

Religious Freedom Causes Problems If Romans saw a religion as a problem, they made it so the people of that religion couldn’t meet. Judaism was one religion seen by the Romans as a problem. Judaism is a monotheistic religion. Romans found it disrespectful for the Jews to not worship many gods.

Clashes with the Jews The Romans allowed the Jews to practice their religion. However, the Jews resented Roman rule and tried many times to get Romans out of Judea, the territory where many Jews lived. Despite multiple attempts, the Jews failed to get the Romans out of Judea.

Judea See if you can find Rome. Check Out how much the empire grew!

Jerusalem is Crushed Jews were treated harshly and taxed heavily. Wanting to get rid of Jews, certain Jewish rituals were banned. This treatment caused the Jews to rebel. The Romans conquered the Jews’ holy land, Jerusalem. They kicked the Jews out and forbade them to enter. Despite being destroyed, Jews persevered and moved to other places.

A New Religion Before the Jews were kicked out of Rome, some lived in Judea. Since the Romans were SOOO strict, the Jews lived very structured lives. They believed a Messiah would soon be sent to them by God. Messiah means God’s anointed one. Jews believed The Messiah would come if They followed Moses’s rules.

Christianity and Jesus of Nazareth Christianity is a religion that began to appear in Judea based on Jesus’ teachings. Jesus was believed to be the Messiah that the Jews were waiting for. Much of what we know of Jesus is written in the Christian’s holy book, the Bible. The bible is broken into the Old Testament and the New Testament.

The Birth of Jesus Jesus was born in Bethlehem. His birth marks the shift in our dating system from B.C. to A.D. Jesus’ mother’s name was Mary, and Mary’s husband was named Joseph. Christians believe God was Jesus’ father, not Joseph. As a man, Jesus probably studied carpentry with Joseph, but When he turned 30 he began to travel and teach about religion.

Crucifixion Jesus was super popular! However, Jesus’ ideas challenged politicians in Rome. In the Bible it says that Jesus was arrested around AD 30. People were very excited about Jesus and his teachings. Jesus was executed by crucifixion. In other words, he was nailed to a cross and left for dead.

Resurrection After Jesus was crucified, he was buried. According to Christian beliefs, Jesus rose from the dead and exited his tomb. Many of Jesus’ followers believed to have seen him even after he died. It was this resurrection that made his followers sure that he was the Messiah. People began to call him Christ from the word Christos, meaning Messiah in Greek. The Last Supper is a famous painting by da Vinci that shows Jesus eating final meal with his Apostles.

Jesus’ Teachings Jesus taught his followers many things. Jesus was Jewish, so many of his ideas were rooted in Jewish traditions. Be generous to the poor and the sick. Love your enemies. Love God and love others. Salvation from Sin. Love God more than anything. For centuries, Jesus’ teachings have been interpreted. Because people interpret things differently, many denominations of Christianity have developed.

Jesus’ Teachings Spread Jesus chose 12 disciples to receive special training. These disciples earned the name Apostle. These Apostles had the job of spreading Jesus’ teachings. Apostles and disciples wrote gospels, which were stories of Jesus’ life and teachings. Four gospels are found in the New Testament. Matthew Luke John Mark

Paul of Tarsus Paul of Tarsus was the most important part in the spread of Christianity. He wrote letters that told about Jesus’ resurrection and his ideas of salvation. Paul also told Christians they did not have to obey Jewish laws and rituals.

Christianity Grows Christianity spread amongst Jews first and then amongst non- Jews. Romans began to challenge Christians like they had challenged the Jews. Some Christians were killed or arrested for not believing in Roman Gods. Christians were persecuted, or punished because of their beliefs. This persecution did not stop Christians from believing in Jesus’ teachings.

Constantine and Christianity Christians were forced to meet in secret. However, they still spread their faith. In the early 300s, Constantine became emperor and lifted the ban on Christianity. Later, Christianity became the official religion of Rome.

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