 The Rise of Christianity World History

Religion in the Early Empire  There was a lot of religious diversity in the Early Empire  Many people practiced polytheism and worshipped traditional Roman Gods  Others looked elsewhere for spiritual fulfillment  Some practiced mystery religions  Means they were not organized and did not follow traditional Roman ideals  Rome practiced religious toleration  Were expected to acknowledge Roman gods as well  Romans conquered Judea  Many Jews were reluctant to live under Roman rule  Worked to preserve Jewish faith

Jesus and His Message  A new religion, Christianity, rose in the Roman Empire  A Jew named Jesus was the founder  When he was 30 years old he began preaching the new religion  His apostles helped spread these new ideas  His preached a new and unique message  Monotheistic  Ten Commandments  Love of God  Justice  Morality  Many people believed Jesus was dangerous  He was tried, condemned, and crucified

The Spread of Christianity  After Jesus’ death, the apostles and other disciples spread Jesus’ message  Early on, most early Christian converts were Jewish  For many years, Christianity was a sect within Judaism  Paul was an important missionary in the spread of Christianity  Romans were not tolerant towards Christianity  Christians refused to make concessions to the Roman Emperor  Many Christians became martyrs  Christianity appealed to many different people  In C.E. 313, Emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan  Legalized Christianity  80 years later, Emperor Theodosius made Christianity the official religion in Rome

The Early Christian Church  Christians were united under a common church with common traditions  Baptism – God would forgive a person’s sins  Common religious holidays  Women’s roles changed in society  Many women were active in the spread of Christianity  Many served as teachers  There was a hierarchy in the Christian Church  United people under common laws and practice

Impact of Christianity  Christianity began to change Roman society  Power struggles began between religion and government  Loyalty often lay with spiritual leaders vs. Roman emperors  Many people obeyed church customs and laws over the laws and ideas of the Roman government  Once Christianity was legalized it began to spread rapidly  Christianity laid the foundation for a changing Roman society