Transcript The Roman Empire & Religion

The Roman Empire & Religion
Freedom to Worship
 As Rome expanded it
came to include
many people who
spoke different
languages & had
different religions.
 The Romans did not
force the conquered
to follow their
religion.
Better Safe than Sorry
 The Romans also
adopted other
cultures gods. Ex.
– Greeks.
 The Romans were not
sure what gods
actually existed.
 To avoid offending
any of the gods, the
Romans prayed to
many different ones.
Banning a Religion
 The only time a
religion was banned is
when a ruler
considered it a political
problem.
 Judaism was seen as
one of these problems
because they only
prayed to one god
A New Religion
 During the 1st century ( 199 A.D.) a new religion
appears.
 Christianity based on
the life and teachings of
Jesus of Nazareth.
 Christianity was rooted in
the ideas and traditions of
Judaism, but developed
as a separate faith.
 At this time Jesus was
born around the end of
the first century.
A Prophecy
 According to prophecy, the
Jew’s new leader would
restore the ancient kingdom
of Israel.
 The Prophets called this
leader the Messiah, which
means “God’s appointed
one”
 In other words, the Jews
believed that God would
choose the Messiah that
would lead them.
 Many Jews believed this
Messiah would appear soon.
Jesus of Nazareth
 Born in Bethlehem
 His birth marks the shift
between B.C. & A.D.
 Started as a carpenter then
at 30 he traveled to spread
his teachings.
 He attracted many followers
but his teachings
challenged the authority of
political and religious
figures.
 He was arrested and
executed around 30 AD.
Christianity Banned
 Many people who became
Christian faced challenges.
 Few emperors feared that
Christianity would cause
unrest, so they banned it.
 This began a period of
persecution against the
Christians.
 Persecution is punishment
of a group because of its
beliefs.
 People who did not worship
the Roman gods were
arrested or sentenced to
death.
Constantine
 Christianity spread
even though the
people had to meet in
secret.
 In 300’s emperor
Constantine became
Christian and removed
the ban.
 Later emperors made
it Rome’s official
religion.