1. The Rise of Christianity

2. Keywords Key Locations Bethlehem Messiah Judea Martyr Jerusalem
Rome
Messiah
Martyr
Parables
Apostles
Priests/Bishops
Pope

3. Christianity
Early on in Pax Romana, a new religion, Christianity emerged in a distant corner of the Empire
Many different religions in the empire
By 63 B.C., Romans had conquered Judea where most Jewish people lived.

4. Jesus -Born in 4 B.C. in Bethlehem
-worshipped God and followed Jewish law
-at 30 began preaching to villagers, used parables
-Recruited 12 disciples to help him spread his ideas, called apostles, in Jerusalem
-Some Jews in Jerusalem welcomed Jesus, many of the priests felt he threatened their leadership
-Roman authorities felt Jesus would lead the Jews in a revolt against their rule
-short stories with simple moral lessons to communicate his ideas

5. Death of Jesus
-According to the gospels, Jesus was betrayed by one of his disciples, arrested by the Romans, and killed by crucifixion-a person was bound to a cross and left to die
-Rumors then spread that Jesus had not died but had risen from death and commanded his disciples to spread his teachings
-After the disciples reported he ascended into heaven

6. Christianity Spreads -Followers called Christians
-Disciples preach the messages of Christianity throughout the Roman world
-Peter established Christianity in Rome itself
-Paul played the most influential role in spreading Christianity

7. Christians Oppressed
-Romans were not tolerant towards Christians because:
-they refused to honor the emperor with sacrifices
-they refused to worship Roman gods to protect the state
-Christians were used as scapegoats, blamed for social and economic problems
-Many Christians became martyrs- or people who suffer or die for their beliefs
-However, Christianity continued to spread due to the fact that all people were welcome

8. Early Christian Church
Emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan in A.D. 313.
The Edict granted freedom of worship to all citizens of the Roman empire
By the end of the century, Emperor Theodosius made Christianity the official religion of the Roman empire

9. The Great Schism of 1054
The Roman Catholic Church and The Eastern Orthodox Church disagree about who should have authority; the Pope insists on being recognized as the sole head of the church, and the Patriarch of Constantinople insists the Pope is just one of five great church leaders. They can’t agree, and the church splits permanently

10. Protestant Reformation
A monk named Martin Luther publishes 95 protests against current church policy in Wittenberg, Germany in 1517.
He complained that the church taught faith alone could not ensure salvation. You had to do good works. Conveniently, paying money to the church counted. This was called an Indulgence.
This disagreement led Luther and others to break away from the Pope, forming other Christian denominations.

11. Christianity Today (Abridged)