1. Chapter Six: The Rise of the Biblical Tradition
Culture and Values, 8th Ed.
Cunningham and Reich and Fichner-Rathus

2. Timeline for Ancient Rome 509 BCE – Rome overthrows the Etruscan Kings
275 BCE – Rome controls the whole of Italy
146 BCE – Rome defeats Carthage
150 BCE – Rome takes control of Macedonia and Greece
44 BCE – Rome conquers Gaul (France)
31 BCE – Augustus defeats Mark Anthony and Cleopatra in Egypt
14 CE – Death of Augustus
98 – 117 CE – Trajan rules. Roman Empire at its largest.
312 – 337 CE – Constantine rules. Beginning of the end….

4. Imperial Rome (31 B.C.E. - C.E. 476)
The year of Four Emperors AD
Nerva and the “Five Good Emperors” (A.D. 96–180)
The Severan Dynasty (A.D. 193–235)
The Crisis of the Roman Empire (A.D. 235–284)
Diocletian and the Tetrarchy (A.D. 284–305)
Constantine and Christianity
Julian, Theodosius, and the Later Roman Empire (A.D. 337–1453)

5. The End of the Roman Empire
Gradual decline and political disunity
Insufficient army / use of mercenary troops
Increased taxes, decreased value of money
Impossibility of trade
Emperor Diocletian ( )
Emperor Constantine ( )

6. Constantine the Great. 325–26 CE. Height of head 8’ 6”.

7. Late Roman Art and Architecture
Last great Roman Imperial buildings
Basilica Nova
Abandonment of Classical ideals
Role of Christianity

8. Age of Hebrew Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob (r. 1800–1600)
2000 bce –1260 bce
Age of Hebrew Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob (r. 1800–1600)
Hebrews in Egypt until Exodus in 1280
1260 bce –1000 bce
Hebrews begin to penetrate land of Canaan
Reign of Saul first king of Israel 1040–1000
1000 bce –922 bce
Reign of King David 1000–961
Reign of King Solomon 961–922; height of ancient Israel’s cultural power
922 bce –587 bce
Civil war after Solomon’s death splits
Israel; prophetic period begins
Northern Israeli kingdom destroyed by Assyria in 721
Mesopotamia
Sumerian ( B.C.E.)
Semitic ( B.C.E.)
Ancient Egypt31 dynasties / 4 groups:
Old Kingdom (2700 B.C.E.)
Middle Kingdom (1990 B.C.E.)
New Kingdom (1570 B.C.E.)
Late Period ( B.C.E.)
Timeline: Ancient Greece
BCE: Geometric Period
BCE: The Archaic Period
BCE: The Classical Period
323-31/30 BCE: The Hellenistic Period

9. Classical period (500-323 B.C.E.) The Hellenistic Period 323-31 bce
587 bce – 63bce
Jews driven into captivity in Babylonia in 587
King Cyrus allows Jews to return to Jerusalem in 539
Dedication of Second Temple in 516
Conquest by Alexander the Great in 332
63 bce – 381ce
Rome conquers Jerusalem in 63
Reign of King Herod 37–4 Herod
Birth of Jesus ca. 6
Titus sacks Jerusalem in 70
Reign of Emperor Constantine 307–327
Edict of Milan 313
Founding of Constantinople
Christianity declared state religion
Greece
Classical period ( B.C.E.)
The Hellenistic Period bce
Rome
Monarchy/ Etruscan Age ( B.C.E.)
Republican Rome ( B.C.E.)
Imperial Rome (27 B.C.E. - C.E. 337)

10. Imperial Rome (31 B.C.E. - C.E. 476)
The year of Four Emperors AD
Nerva and the “Five Good Emperors” (A.D. 96–180)
The Severan Dynasty (A.D. 193–235)
The Crisis of the Roman Empire (A.D. 235–284)
Diocletian and the Tetrarchy (A.D. 284–305)
Constantine and Christianity
Julian, Theodosius, and the Later Roman Empire (A.D. 337–1453)

11. Abraham Age of Hebrew Patriarchs Hebrew Bible
Judaism, Christianity, Islam

12. Biblical History Biblical tradition + Graeco-Roman Culture
Children of Israel, Israelites, Jews, Hebrews
Period of the Patriarchs
Period of the Exodus
Period of the Conquest
The United Monarchy
Divided Kingdom and Exile
The Return

13. 6. 3 The Spoils of Jerusalem, c. 81 ce
6.3 The Spoils of Jerusalem, c. 81 ce. Passageway relief from the Arch of Titus, Rome, Italy// © Werner Forman/ Art Resource, NY
6.2 Spoils of Jerusalem (detail from the Arch of Titus), 81ce. Rome, Italy

14. The Hebrew Bible and Its Message
“Bible”  Byblos
The Law, the Prophets, the Writings
Hebrew canon (C.E. 90)
Septuagint-deuterocanonical books
Moral guide, ethical and religious stability
Not a philosophical treatise

16. Basic Motifs of the Bible
Biblical Monotheism
God exists before the world
God pronounces creation as “good”
Humans are the crown of creation
God deeply involved in the world

17. Basic Motifs of the Bible
The Covenant
“I will be your God; you will be my people”
Testament = Promise
Renewed covenant = New Testament

18. Basic Motifs of the Bible
Ethics
Moral code for individuals and society
Ten Commandments
Prohibitions, positive commands
Prophetic writings
Critics of social injustice, defenders of poor
Reminders of the covenant

19. Basic Motifs of the Bible
Models and types
Events, stories, characters as models
Book of Job
Contemporary impact of biblical tradition
Literature
Art
Social institutions

20. Dura-Europos
Evidence of religious buildings—early Christian meeting house and synagogue
Complex religious existence—pagan temples and homes
Artistic mingling of Eastern and Roman styles

21. Baptistery wall painting: Christ Healing the Paralytic ca. A. D
Baptistery wall painting: Christ Healing the Paralytic ca. A.D. 232 Paint on plaster Object: 145 x 88 cm (57 1/16 x 34 5/8 in.) Yale-French Excavations at Dura-Europos

22. 6. 6 The Crossing of the Red Sea, c. 239 ce
6.6 The Crossing of the Red Sea, c. 239 ce. (© Princeton University Press/Art Resource, NY)
6.6 Fresco of Moses and the Exodus, from the Dura-Europos synagogue. Damascus, Syria

23. The Beginnings of Christianity
Life of Jesus
Gospels
Prophetic tradition of Jesus
Parables, Beatitudes
Jesus as Christ, the Messiah
Significance of resurrection

25. Christianity Spreads Saul of Tarsus (Paul)
Tireless missionary
Theological letters
Early martyrs—Vibia Perpetua
Social, religious factors for growth
Peace, facility of travel, koine, audience
Emphasis on salvation, freedom
No class distinction

27. Christian Persecution
Nero’s Circus
Claudius, Decius, Valerian, Diocletian
Christians as traitors to the state
Refusal to express pietàs
Apologists
Tertullian (155/ )
Justin Martyr ( )
Emperor Constantine

28. Christian Expansion

29. Early Christian Art Catacombs, underground cemeteries Frescoes
Salvation; Communion; Virgin and Child
Glass and Sculpture
Christ as Good Shepherd, glass disks
Carved sarcophagi
Inscriptions
Name, date of death, decorative symbol

30. 6. 7 The Good Shepherd, early 4th century ce
6.7 The Good Shepherd, early 4th century ce. Catacomb of Saints Pietro and Marcellino, Rome, Italy

31. Bowl Base with Old and New Testament Scenes, ca
Bowl Base with Old and New Testament Scenes, ca. 350–400 Byzantine, said to have been found in 1715 in the Roman catacomb of Saint Callisto Glass, gold leaf

32. Sarcophagus with Scenes from the Lives of Saint Peter and Christ, early 300s (with modern restoration) Roman Marble

33. 6. 10 The Good Shepherd, ca 300 ce. Marble, 3’3” (99 cm)_ high
6.10 The Good Shepherd, ca 300 ce. Marble, 3’3” (99 cm)_ high. Museo Pio Cristiano, Vatican Museums, Vatican City, Rome, Italy.
6.6 The Good Shepherd, c. 300 ce. Marble. 3´3˝ (99 cm) high. Museo Pio Cristiano, Vatican Museums, Vatican State//© Scala/Art Resource, NY

34. 6. 9 Chi Rho Monogram, 4th century ce
6.9 Chi Rho Monogram, 4th century ce. From a wall painting in a Roman villa, Lullingstone, Kent, England. © British Museum, London/HIP/Art Resource, NY
6.9 Chi-rho monogram, 4th century ce. From a wall painting in a Roman villa, Lullingstone, Kent, England. Detail of wall painting, 90 cm, diameter of inner circle. The British Museum, London, United Kingdom.

35. 6. 9 Anchor with entwined fish, 4th century ce
6.9 Anchor with entwined fish, 4th century ce. Mosaic from the Catacombs of Hermes, Sousse, Tunisia//© The Art Archive/Archaeological Museum, Sousse, Tunisia/Gianni Dagli Orti
6.8 Anchor with entwined fish, 4th century ce. Mosaic from the Catacombs of Hermes, Sousse, Tunisia

36. The Hinton St Mary Mosaic Dorset, England, Roman Britain, 4th century AD
A mosaic floor from Roman Britain showing one of the oldest surviving depictions of Jesus Christ.
Listen to this programme on the BBC
This mosaic is probably one of the oldest surviving depictions of Christ. It comes from a Roman villa in Dorset. Christ is portrayed as a fair-haired and clean-shaven man wearing a tunic and cloak. Behind his head are the letters chi (X) and rho (P), the first two letters of the Greek word for Christ - Christos. Christ's head is a part of a larger mosaic, also containing pagan elements. These include the Greek hero Bellerophon riding Pegasus and slaying the monstrous Chimera.
When did the Roman Empire become Christian?
In AD 312 the Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and the religion began to spread freely throughout the Roman Empire. Britain was at that point a far-flung province of the empire that would be abandoned 100 years later. This mosaic may have come from a villa's dining room or house-church owned by one of Britain's long-established Roman aristocratic families. Combining Christian and pagan imagery was common in this period and Bellerophon slaying the monster may represent Christ's triumph over death and evil.

37. Asiatic garland sarcophagus, Mid-Imperial, Severan period, 200–225 A.D. Roman Marble

38. Early Christian Architecture
Basilica-Style Churches
Current site of St. Peter’s Basilica (Vatican)
Church of the Holy Sepulcher (Jerusalem)
Jesus’ burial site

39. Floor plan old St. Peter’s Basilica

40. Early Christian Music From Jewish traditions
Chanting sacred texts
Professional Chorus vs. Single Cantor
Greek doctrine of ethos
Instrumental music = unsuitable
Standardization of vocal music
Responsorial, antiphonal

41. 6. 14 The Blind Harper, ca 1340-1330 B. C. E
6.14 The Blind Harper, ca B.C.E. From the tomb of Paatenemmhib, Saqqara, Egypt. Limestone basalt relief, detail, 11 ½” (29 cm) high. Rijksmuseum van Oudheden Leiden, Netherlands.
6.14 The Blind Harper, c. 1340–1330 bce. From the tomb of Paatenemmheb, Saqqara, Egypt. Limestone basalt relief, detail, 111⁄2˝ (29 cm) high. Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden, Netherlands// © Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY

42. Chapter Six: Discussion Questions
Discuss contemporary examples that illustrate the permeation of the biblical tradition in our culture.
Explain why Nero and other Roman emperors were unwilling to tolerate Christianity. From a political standpoint, was the severity of punishment inflicted on Christians warranted? Why or why not?
Consider the archeological findings of Dura-Europos. In what ways does history over-simplify past events? In two thousand years, what will future generations assume about our culture, religions, and religious tolerance? Explain.