Transcript The Rise of Christianity - Miami Beach Senior High School

Mr. Ermer
World History
Miami Beach Senior High
THE RISE OF CHRISTIANITY
THE ROMAN RELIGION

Caesar Augustus restores Roman religion




Greek gods worshiped with Roman names
Emperors worshiped as gods
Observation of rituals brought humans into better
relationship with gods



Religion had declined during the late Republic
Success comes from pleasing the gods
Romans tolerant of others’ faiths; worship of native
gods allowed in provinces
Religions of the East were considered trendy,
became popular among Romans looking for a more
emotional religion/faith
JEWISH BACKGROUND
In Hellenistic times, Jews given much more
independence than other cultures
 A.D. 6: Roman province of Judaea covers land of
the Israelites, ruled by a procurator
 Unrest, difference of opinion about Rome

 Sadducees:
cooperate with Rome
 Pharisees: observe religious law to keep Jewish
identity
 Essenes: lived as hermits waiting for God to save
them from Roman oppression
 Zelots: called for open revolt against Rome
RISE OF CHRISTIANITY
A.D. 30: Jewish prophet named Jesus begins
preaching in Judaea and Galilee
 Jesus’ Mission: complete salvation God
promised to the people of Israel “Messiah”
 Taught people to look for inner peace by
practicing humility, charity and love toward
others
 Put to death for “revolutionary” ideas

 Followers
later
said he rose from the dead three days
WORDS OF JESUS:
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the
Law or the Prophets; I have not come to
abolish but to fulfill them”
 “So in everything, do to others what you
would have them do to you, for this sums up
the Law and the Prophets”
 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your mind
and with all your strength. This is the first
commandment. The second is this: Love
your neighbor as yourself.”

SPREAD OF CHRISTIANITY
Began as a movement with Judaism
 Prominent leaders include:

 Simon
 First
Peter: Jesus’ friend, Jewish fisherman
leader of the Christian religion
 Paul:
educated Jewish citizen of Rome, who took
the message of Jesus to Gentiles
Paul believed that Jesus was the Son of God,
and humanity can be saved from sin by
accepting the teachings of Jesus
 Paul wrote letters outlining his beliefs

SPREADING THE WORD OF JESUS
Followers wrote down Jesus’ sayings, and
stories from his life
 A.D. 40-100: Christians use these stories,
sayings to create Gospels (good news)
 Together with the letters of Paul and others,
they form New Testament
 By 100, churches found in most cities in
Eastern empire, and some in West

THE CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION
Christian values vs. Greco-Roman values
 Christians refuse to worship emperors

 Romans
think of this as treason
 Christians believe in only one God, and
worshiping another endangers soul
Nero begins persecution (harassing to cause
suffering), blaming them for fire
 By the end of the rule of the five “Good
Emperors”, persecution mostly stopped

CHRISTIAN TRIUMPH

Even with persecution, Christianity grows
 Persecution
seen as strengthening faith
 Persecution forces organization

Bishops lead whole communities in prayer
 System
of organization gives specific jobs to clergy
(church leaders) and laity (followers)

Christianity grew quickly in the 1st Century A.D.,
took root in the 2nd, and spread widely in the
3rd Century
REASONS FOR GROWTH

Christian message appealed to Romans
 Christianity
gives purpose to life
 Roman religion was impersonal and existed for
the benefit of the Roman Republic/Empire
 Christianity=personal, eternal life, salvation
Christianity seemed familiar, shared qualities
with other trendy faiths from East
 Christianity offered sense of belonging

 Churches=close
community with common goals,
help one another; inclusive (rich/poor)
CHRISTIANITY: RELIGION OF THE PEOPLE
“You have put on the new self…Here there is no
Greek nor Jew, barbarian, Scythian, slave or
free, but Christ is all, and is in all.”~ Paul’s
Letter to the Colossians
 Christianity preached of spiritual equality

 Rich,

poor, free, slave all could be saved
Last persecution was in 4th Century, under
Emperor Diocletian, who admitted the strength
of Christianity was too much
CHRISTIANITY: OFFICIAL RELIGION OF ROME

A.D. 313: Emperor Constantine issues Edict
of Milan, giving freedom of religion
 Constantine
becomes first Christian emperor of
Rome, baptized at the end of his life

Theodosius the Great establishes
Christianity as the official state religion of
Rome
CHAPTER 2, LESSON 1 REVIEW:

On page 26, write and answer questions 1-5