7.4 The Birth of Christianity

What we should know when we finish Where was Jesus from? 2. What is the New Testament? 3. Who was this historical Jesus? 4. Who was St. Paul? 5. Who was St. Peter? 6. What was the relationship between the Roman Empire and Christianity?

1. Where was Jesus from? A. Born in Judea – present day Israel B. Controlled by Rome C. King Herod was a puppet of the Roman Empire

2. What is the New Testament? A. The book that contains the stories of the life of Jesus B. Follow up to the Old Testament– known as the Torah as we learned from Ch. 2

3. Who was this historical Jesus? A. He was a teacher B. Some people believed he was the Messiah or Christos in Greek C. Followers became known as Christians D. His message was often told in parables E. His closest followers were known as apostles

4. Who was St. Paul? A. Roman citizen who was a zealous Jew B. As Saul he persecuted Christians C. After his conversion he spread Christianity through out the Roman Empire

5. Who was St. Peter? A. Brought Jesus message to the poor of Rome B. 1 st Bishop of Rome C. Later known as the 1 st Pope

6.What was the relationship between the Roman Empire and Christianity? A. At 1 st the poor and Roman slaves were most attracted to Christianity B. As time went on more and more wealthy people became Christians, especially women C. By the end of the 3 rd century A.D. Christianity had spread to all parts of the empire, but most people are not Christian D. A.D. 311 Emperor Constantine Converts to Christianity and fights with crosses painted on all of the shields – winning a key battle E. Constantine stopped the persecution of Christians F. Christianity became 1 of the official religions in the empire