1. The Rise & Spread of Christianity

2. Birth of Christianity
4 BCE: Augustus orders a census of the empire (something new)
Israelites ordered to return to the city of ancestors’ birth
Records from Bethlehem, Judea show a Joseph and Mary from Nazareth with an unnamed newborn son
Bible matches Roman records

3. Death of Jesus
26 CE: Roman and Jewish records speak of a new rabbi – Jesus of Nazareth – and his growing movement
29 CE: Jesus arrested (by Jewish leaders) and executed (by Roman authorities)
Sedition against Rome (claiming to be long-awaited Messiah – God’s son)
INRI – IESVS NAZARENVUS REX IVDEAORVUM (Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews)

4. Spread of Early Christianity: Peter
Apostle of Jesus, appointed to lead the church (thus the first “pope”)
Jesus was the fulfillment of the Jewish promise of a messiah, so one had to be Jewish first in order to accept Christianity
Most Jews refused to accept Jesus as Messiah
Church spread rather slowly at first under Peter’s leadership

5. Bringing Christianity to the Gentiles: Paul
Originally named Saul
Educated Jew from Tarsus, Anatolia (Turkey) – Roman citizen
Persecuted Christians
On the way to Damascus, Syria he met Christ in a vision and immediately converted
Brought Christianity to non-Jews (Gentiles) of the Empire
Went on 3 missionary journeys
Wrote letters to teach and encourage churches (epistles in the New Testament)
Arrested and executed after Nero’s fires

6. Paul’s Journeys

7. Appeal of Christianity
Promise of life after death
Egalitarian
Message of love, hope, compassion, and equality very appealing to poor, slaves, women
Morality and commitment of new converts
The greater the persecution, the greater the converts
Provided focus
Pagan deities generally disinterested in human condition
Effectively organized bureaucracy
Accepted rites, scriptures, structure

8. CHRISTVS A Union of Strengths Hebrew Greek Roman Monotheism Abraham
Religion as a lifestyle with strong social conscience, not merely an observance
Greek
Logical outline of beliefs which took the form of a philosophy of God (theology)
Roman
Model for organization (empire)
Ease of communication, Pax Romana, road/mail system
CHRISTVS

9. Christianity as a Cancer to the Empire
At first, Rome didn’t really care about Christianity
Problem: citizens must pray to the emperor’s god for the health of the empire
Christians refused = treason
Thousands executed
As Christianity spread, citizens identified themselves with Christianity, not Rome
Shift removed a fundamental pillar of Roman society

10. Jewish Diaspora Use Echoes, p. 212 to create point form notes on Who?
What?
When?
Where?
Changing conditions/treatment of Jews in Roman Empire