A Brief History of Christianity

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

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 if Jews accepted Jesus as the messiah it would de-stabilize Judea – thus they arrested Jesus Jesus was crucified – the typical Roman method of punishing criminals Roots of Christianity in Judaism

A method of execution – very painful and gruesome – nails inserted into feet & above wrists Death possibly came through suffocation – 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 was crucifixion?

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

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 Christians rejected them As a result, Romans killed some Christian who would not give up their beliefs Why were Christians persecuted?

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? Christianity spread – especially in cities Christianity spread – especially in cities

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 How does the story end?