Chapter 36: The Origins and Spread of Christianity
361. Introduction
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Christianity spread through the Roman empire
o Christians are followers of Jesus Christ, who was put to death on a Roman cross
in the first century C.E
Many Romans saw Christianity as a threat to Roman order and traditions
o Several emperors tried to stop the spread of the new religion through violent
persecutions
 Then in 312 C.E, the emperor Constantine had a dream about Jesus the
night before going into battle against a rival. The next day, he had a vision
of a cross hanging in the sky in front on the sun. Around the cross were
the words “In this sign, you will conquer.”
36.2 Judea: The Birthplace of Christianity
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The birthplace of Chrisitianty was a remote territory on the eastern end of the
Mediterranean Sea where Jesus was born
o The Romans called it Judea
 Once it had been part of the ancient kingdom of Israel ruled by Kings
David and Solomon
 Came under rule by the Romans in 63 B.C.E
 In 37 B.C.E, Rome appointed a man named Herod to be the king of
Judea
o Converted to the Jewish religion and rebuilt the Temple of
Jerusalem
o When Herod died in 4 B.C.E, his kingdom was divided
among his 3 sons, but unrest broke out, so they replaced his
son’s with a prefect, or military governor
At the time of Jesus’ birth, Judea was outwardly peaceful, but many Jews hated the
Romans
o In their sacred writings, they saw prophecies that one day God would send a
savior to restore the glorious kingdom of David
 This savior was called the Messiah or “anointed one”
36.3 Writings about the Life of Jesus
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Most of the writings of Jesus, a little known teacher, came from the writings of his
followers
o These writings make up the New Testament of the Christian Bible
 Among them are four gospels which are accounts of Jesus’ life that were
written by four of his followers (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John)
 The word gospel means “good news”
o The gospels were written down from oral and written
sources 30 to 70 years after Jesus died
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They describe him as working miracles, healing the
sick, and befriending the poor and the friendless
o The Greek word for Messiah was “Christos” (Christ)
 In time, Jesus became known as Jesus the Christ, or simply Jesus Christ
 He preached of God’s mercy and love, and urged his followers to
love one another
36.4 The Birth of Jesus
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Jesus was probably born in 6 B.C.E during the reign of King Herod
o According to the gospel, Jesus’ mother, Mary, lived in a town called Nazareth, in
the Roman territory of Galilee
 Gospels told Mary that she would have a child and that she would name
him Jesus
 Joseph, a carpenter, was Mary’s husband
 Mary and Joseph set out for Bethlehem for a empire-wide census
o “the City of David”
o Mary and Joseph has to seek shelter in a stable, where she
gave birth to Jesus, because the inns were already filled
and occupied
There is little known about Jesus’ childhood, but at the age of 12, he astonished his rabbis
with his wisdom and knowledge of Jewish law
When he was 30, Jesus was baptized (ritual by which a person is welcomed into religion)
in the Jordan river by a preacher known as John the Baptist
Jesus became known as “the savior of the Jews”
36.5 Jesus’ Teachings
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Jesus began his ministry in the towns and villages of Galilee
o Jesus called a small number to be his followers, or disciples
 Laborers and fishermen
o Based his teachings on traditional Jewish beliefs
 Told his followers that the kingdom of God was coming soon
 Meant a time when people would live according to God’s will
o Taught through parables, simple stories with moral or religious messages
 People worried that Jesus’ growing following would stir up trouble with
the Romans
36.6 The Crucifixion and Resurrection
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Jesus went to Jerusalem for the Jewish festival of Passover
o Celebrated God’s rescue of the Jews from Egypt more than a thousand years
before Jesus’ time
 Jesus saw the traders and money-changers who were allowed to do
business in the outer court. In a fury he drove them from the Temple.
“This is a house of prayer,” he cried, “but you have made it into a den of
thieves!” Jesus’ bold action enraged the temple’s priests
 Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus’ disciples, had decided to betray him.
After the Last Supper with his disciples, Jesus went to pray and
Judas then reported where Jesus could be found.
o Romans were afraid that Jesus himself might lead such a
revolt. To end his threat, they decided that he must die
 Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, found
Jesus guilty and ordered him to die on a cross
because that was proper Roman punishment
 Nailed him to a cross and left him to die
with two other condemned men. A few
hours later, Jesus died and a few followers
took his body and buried it that Friday in a
tomb carved out of rock.
36.7 The Missionary Work of Paul
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When Jesus’ followers began preaching that he was the Son of God, they ran into
opposition
o Saul from Tarus, enemy of Jesus, was riding on a horse one day and fell and heard
the voice the Jesus
 Convinced that Jesus was the promised Messiah and the son of God and
became a missionary, someone who tries to persuade others to believe in
his or her religious teachings.
 Known as “paul”
Early converts to Christianity were Jews, just as Jesus and his disciples were
o Paul tried to convert people, but that caused riots, which ended in decapitation
(head cut off)
36.8 Persecution and Triumph
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Christians refused to worship the other Roman gods and would not admit that the
emperor was a god
o As the number of Christians grew, many Romans saw them as a threat to Roman
order and patriotism
 Christian religion became illegal
 Christians died in brutal ways
o (crucified, burn to death, hauled in arenas, and devoured by
wild animals in front of cheering crowds)
Christianity taught that even the poor and slaves could look forward to a better life after
death if they followed the way of Christ
o Entire world adopted Christianity
 Emperor Constantine gave Christians the freedom to practice their religion
openly