1. ROME & THE RISE OF CHRISTIANITY
The rise of Christianity marked an important break with the dominant values of the Greek and Roman worlds.

2. Early Roman Religion Played an important role in Roman society
Beginning with Augustus, emperors were often declared gods
Romans worship many gods & goddesses (polytheism)
Roman Worship of Gods:
Impersonal
Practiced without a great deal of emotion

3. Tolerance in Rome Romans were tolerant of other religions
Allowed worship of other gods and goddesses
People desired a more emotional spiritual experience

4. Roman Conquest of Judea
CA 63 BCE—Roman Empire extends to Judea (Home of the Jews)
Jewish kingdom remained independent at first,
6 CE—Roman Empire took total control and made Judea a Roman province
Jews believed the Messiah would arrive to restore kingdom of the Jews

5. Jews in Rome
Most Jews of the time lived in Judea which became part of the Roman empire in 6 A.D.
Jews were monotheistic therefore they could not accept the emperor as being divine
The Romans allowed them not to see the emperor as divine
Many Jews wanted to be independent

6. The Rise of Christianity
Although Christians were initially persecuted, Christianity grew in importance and spread throughout the empire.

7. Jesus of Nazareth

8. The Beginnings of Jesus
He was a carpenter and a student of the writings of earlier Jewish prophets
Historians believe he was born between 6 to 4 BCE in town of Bethlehem, Judea
Raised in the village of Nazareth in Northern Palestine
Baptized by prophet John the Baptist
Public Ministry—began at the age of 30

9. Jesus of Nazareth Teachings:
Reportedly performed miracles, preached, did good works
Teachings:
Contained many ideas from Jewish tradition
Monotheism—belief in one god
Principles of the Ten Commandments
His mission was to complete the salvation that God had promised

10. Followers of Jesus He developed many followers
Of these he chose Twelve to help him preach his message

11. Jesus Travels Messages:
Jesus became popular as he traveled from town to town
Messages:
appealed especially to the poor (he ignored wealth and status)
Simple and direct—people touched by messages (easily understood)

12. Controversy with Jesus
Many Jews believed Jesus was the divine messiah
Other Jews thought he was just a revolutionary and they did not like him
The Romans were scared that he would lead another uprising
Thought of him as a Revolutionary
Around 30 A.D. He was brought to trial before a Roman governor, Pontius Pilate

13. Pilate’s Concerns
Pontius Pilate—accused Jesus of defying authority of Rome
Jesus was arrested, sentenced to death by crucifixion—the nailing of a person to a wooden cross to die

14. Jesus’ Death Jesus’ body placed in a tomb following his death
According to the Gospels, 3 days later, his body was gone, & a living Jesus appeared to his followers.

15. Christianity Spreads throughout the Empire

16. Paul and the Disciples
Jesus' followers, called disciples, spread the Christian message
Paul emphasized that Christianity was not a sect of Judaism, but a religion of all people
Universality enables Christianity to become more than a local religion

17. The Romans and Christians
At first the Romans were tolerant of Christians the same way they were of Jews
By the 100’s A.D. that had changed
Many churches established throughout the empire
Christians made good citizens because the religion taught them to respect government
However they were more likely than Jews to convert people to their religion, which meant not worshipping the emperor
This was seen as an attack on the Roman empire

18. Persecution of Christians
Romans began to persecute, kidnap and kill Christians
Many Christians refused to renounce their religion even in the face of death
They are known as martyrs
The Roman effort would not stop the spread of Christianity

19. Persecution of the Christians
(Left) Picture of St. Ignatius being thrown to the Lions in Rome. (He was a Christian martyr)

21. Christian Appeal
Even with the persecution of the Christians by the 3rd Century A.D. there were millions of Christians in Rome
Widespread Appeal due to:
1) embraced all people
2) gave hope to the powerless
3) appealed to those repelled by extravagances by Rome
4) Personal relationship with loving God
5) promised eternal life after death
6) Pax Romana

22. Catacombs- a refuge for early Christians

23. Martyr
St. Sebastian
St. Stephen

24. The Spread of Christianity

25. Roman Roads and Why they were important

26. Constantine:
Constantine was the 1st Christian Emperor

27. Constantine and Christianity
312 A.D. Emperor Constantine was going to battle when he prayed for help….
He had a vision of a cross; symbol of Christianity
He had a cross painted on his soldiers shields
When he won the battle he gave credit to Christianity
313 A.D. Constantine ended Christian persecution and in the Edict of Milan made Christianity a religion of Rome
380 A.D. emperor Theodosius made it the official religion of Rome.

28. Constantine
Constantine died in 337 A.D. he was baptized on his death bed
A 180 degree turn from the early days of Rome
In about 400 years Christianity spread from little Judea throughout the entire Roman Empire

29. Constantine Moves the Roman Capital
Constantine divides the Roman Empire into two:
Rome = capital of west
Constantinople = capital of east

30. The Early Church
As the Roman empire neared its end the Christian religion became very organized
Priests had the churches and in each city there was a bishop

31. The Pope The patriarch of Rome became known as Pope
Pope means father in Latin
The pope claimed supremacy over the other patriarchs

32. The Vatican

33. Archdiocese/Archbishop
Pope
Archdiocese/Archbishop
Bishop/Diocese
Priest/Parish