Chapter 6 Section 3:
The Rise of Christianity
Group C: James H, Will J, Thomas H,
Veronica H, and Shauna K
CHAPTER 6 SECTION 3:
“The Rise of Christianity”
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MAIN IDEA
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Christianity, which derived from Judaism, became a major world religion despite
being repressed and developed during the fall of the Roman Empire.
KEY POINTS
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Roman Empire ruled over the Jews
Jesus’ Ideas and Life
Christianity spreads through the Empire
A World Religion
Location
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Palestine
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Southeastern edge of Mediterranean
Sea
Now part of Israel & Jordan
“Holy land” - birthplace of Christianity
Judea: southern region of Palestine
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Homeland of Jews
This map of Palestine shows the different
regions. Judea, in orange, is between the
Dead Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.
Maccabees’ Revolution
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Seleucid Kingdom
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Maccabee family
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Wealthy Jewish family
Led large revolt
Judea gains some independence
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Controlled Palestine in 165 BCE
Political & religious disputes
Power struggles → weak & disunited
Judea
Pompey sees opportunity to expand
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Pompey (106 - 48 BCE): Roman general
This is a map of the Seleucid Empire, fought over and
won by Seleucid, one of Alexander the Great’s
generals. The empire lasted from 312 to 63 BCE and
controlled most of the old Persian Empire.
Roman Rule
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63 BCE: Pompey takes Jerusalem
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Rome conquers Judea
Bring Greco-Roman culture & ideas
Improve transportation
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Built paved roads
Roman navy makes Med. Sea safe
Increased contact with other cultures
Jewish kings rule as representatives for Rome
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“Loyalties were divided between Rome and the
Jewish people”
A bust of King Herod I (74 - 4 BCE).
Herod was chosen by Rome to rule
Palestine in 33 BCE.
A map of the roman
empire c. 125 CE.
The Roman empire
controlled all lands
around the
Mediterranean Sea.
It navy protected
the waters for easy
trade and travel.
Paved roads linked
cities all over the
empire.
Connects Palestine
to the entire
western world.
Rulers in Palestine
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King Herod is chosen to rule 30 BCE
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Religious freedom & prosperity
Disliked by some for bringing in Greek & Roman ideas
Known for large building projects, including
expanding temple of Jerusalem
Died in 4 BCE
Palestine was split between his 3 sons
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Philip, Herod Antipas, Archelaus
6 BCE: “Jews began a revolt against Roman influence”
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Judea became Roman province with Roman governor
In attempt to restore order, Rome gave power to
Jewish court named Sanhedrin
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Controlled religion & local affairs
Herod’s kingdom is divided between
his sons. Herod Antipas ruled Galilee
and Perea, Philip ruled Trachonitis,
and Archelaus controlled Judea.
Disunity
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Struggles for power led to split between Jews
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Different views on religion & Roman influence
Zealots: “wanted to rid their homeland of the Romans”
Pharisees: mainly commoners
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Sadducees: aristocrats; conservative in religion & politics
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Used God’s law in every situation
Benefited from luxuries & favored by Romans
Essenes: obeyed law by withdrawing from society
Every faction:
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Ethical monotheists
Revered Scriptures
Believed Messiah would restore Kingdom of Jews
The Star of David has been a
symbol for Judaism for
thousands of years. Even
though these groups disagree
on religious and political ideas,
they all believe in the
fundamental Jewish ideas.
Jesus’ Message
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Jesus: c. 4 BC-AD 30
Preached, taught, good works,
performed miracles
Ideas: monotheism & 10
Commandments principles
God’s relationship with each individual
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People’s love for God, neighbors,
enemies, themselves
God would end wickedness in world &
would establish eternal kingdom
Main source: Gospels (Matthew, Mark,
Luke, John)
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1st 4 books of New Testament of Bible
Written by 1 or more apostles, Jesus’
disciples
This is an image of a nineteenth-century
engraving that depicts Jesus preaching on the
Shore of Galilee. Galilee, along with Jerusalem, is
one of the places where events from the Gospels
took place.
Cause of Jesus’ Popularity
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Jesus preached from town to town
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Attracted large crowds
Message touched many people
Believed he was Messiah
Appeal to poor
Throughout Galilee
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Sermons
Healing sick, performing miracles
One of the miracles Jesus supposedly
performed was he made a blind man see,
which is found in the Gospel Mark 8.22-26.
Other miracles include performing exorcisms,
driving out demons, walking on water, and
feeding people with bread and fish.
This is an image of Gustave Doré’s version of one
of Jesus’ most famous lectures, the Sermon on
the Mount. This lesson contains dozens of
immortal phrases, such as “Blessed are the poor
in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” It
also contains the Lord’s Prayer, which begins
“Our Father who art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy
name.”
Jesus’ Death
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Roman & Jewish rulers denied Jesus
was Messiah
Teachings = blasphemy
Disagreed God’s Kingdom had
already begun to arrive on Earth
Jesus gathering & attracting large
crowds = troublemaker
This is an image of Jesus teaching the message of God’s
love and how to be a good person. Similar to the previous
image, this is his most famous lecture, Sermon on the
Mount. This shows one of the main reasons Jesus was
arrested, namely that he attracted large crowds, which
officials thought made him a troublemaker.
Jesus’ Death
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Jesus, disciples, followers traveled to
Jerusalem to observe Passover
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Arrested & handed over to Pontius Pilate
Convicted of sedition
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Drove out money-changers & merchants
in courtyard
Jewish high priest & advisors: Jesus =
threat to law, order, authority
Ordered to be crucified
“The charge of sedition was based on
Jesus’ refusal to deny that he was the
“king of the Jews,” which, in Roman eyes,
implied that he might pose a threat to
Rome’s imperial throne”
Followers believed Jesus had risen from
dead; decided to spread messages
This is a dramatic sketch of Jesus’ crucifixion
by Gustave Doré, which depicts what this
may have looked like at the time. Jesus was
crucified “on a hill near Jerusalem and died
after a brief period of suffering.”
Peter the Apostle
● Before Conversion
○ Called Simon/Simeon
○ Fisherman with brother Andrew, friends
John & James
○ Lived in Capernaum on Sea of Galilee
● Very hesitant to accept Jesus
● One of first Twelve apostles
● Beaten, imprisoned, ordered to stop preaching
by authorities
St. Peter the Apostle, stainedglass window, 19th century; in
St. Mary's Church, Bury St.
Edmunds, England.
Peter’s Contribution
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Became Jesus’ right hand man
Leader among 12 Disciples
First Pope
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Became pope because Jesus called him
foundation of Christian Church
Pope: head of Christian Church
Bishop of Rome = Pope
Other priests/bishops below Pope
First Christian to convert Gentiles
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Gentile: person who is not Jewish
Mainly converted Jews
This painting shows a parable
Jesus told called the Good
Samaritan. Peter taught stories
like these as a bishop sharing the
news of Jesus.
Paul the Apostle
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Before conversion
○ Known as Saul
○ Jew
○ “I persecuted the church of God violently
and tried to destroy it”
■ Beat, imprisoned, ordered
execution of Christians
Conversion
○ Wanted Christian Damascenes to be
imprisoned
○ Bible: on trip to Damascus, light from
heaven came & saw Jesus
Believe he was called to bring Jesus’ news to
Gentiles
The Conversion of St. Paul, 1767 by
Nicolas-Bernard Lepicie.
Paul’s Contribution
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Did not think Christianity was separate
religion
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Converting Gentiles
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Jews expected Messiah & he believed Jesus =
Messiah
Dropped some Jewish requirements to
attract converts
Was missionary in Asia Minor, Greece, Rome,
& perhaps Spain
New Ideas
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Christianity accepts everyone
Jesus died for your sins
Paul the Apostle in prison, writing his
epistle, or letter, to the Ephesus Church
around 60 AD Ephesians is a book in the
Bible that contains the letter Paul wrote.
Jewish Diaspora
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66 AD Zealots rebelled against Rome
70 AD Rome invades Jerusalem to destroy
Temple
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Another rebellion in 132 AD
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Jews stay in fortress by Masada until AD 73
About half a million killed
Another half million dies in 3 year fight
No Jewish political land for over 1,800
years
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Finally had land when Israel created
This photo shows the ruins of the Jewish
fortress near Masada in modern day Israel.
This map
illustrates
how the
Jews were
dispersed
after their
rebellions
against the
Roman
Empire.
Enemies of Roman State
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Imperial decree made conversion to
Christianity illegal
Crime was refusing to honor Roman gods
Allegiance to Christ rather than emperor
Lived in fear & practiced Christianity in secret
Roman state had secret police called
“frumentarii”
○ Hunted down dissidents - people who
oppose official policy
Punishment was death, usually in gruesome
manner
This is an image of Perpetua, a
Christian Saint and one of the
most famous martyrs.
Persecution of Christians in Roman Empire
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Romans used Christians as scapegoats
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64 AD - Blamed for massive fire
Christians exiled, imprisoned, or
executed for refusing to worship
Roman gods
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These Christians were referred to as
martyrs, people willing to sacrifice
their lives for a belief
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Pax Romana began to fall apart:
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Rome began decline
Persecutions became more severe &
frequent
Christianity spread rapidly
The Colosseum is generally regarded by
Christians as a site of the martyrdom of
large numbers of believers.
The Great (Diocletianic) Persecutions
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Diocletian was Roman emperor 284-305
AD
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303 AD for about 10 years
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Conservative, old fashioned
Near end of Diocletian's rule
Last period of persecution in Rome
Edicts created which ordered
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Church buildings to be destroyed
Sacred writings to be burned
Christians to lose civil rights
Clergy to be imprisoned
(304 AD) All Christians to sacrifice to
Roman gods on pain of death
This is the head of Diocletian
taken from a statue. He began the
Great Persecutions.
This map shows the spread of Christianity from 300 AD to 500 AD and outlines Paul’s journeys.
Alluring Aspects of Christianity
● Embraced all people
● Gave hope to powerless
● Appealed to those who were
repelled by extravagance of
imperial Rome
● Offered personal relationship
with loving God
● Promised eternal life after
death
These are men and women of a poor class being
welcomed into Christianity.
Christianity’s Popularity
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Persecutions brought Christians together
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Declining Roman Empire led to unhappy &
impoverished citizens
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“In bitter times men turn with much more
alacrity [quickness] to religion”
Lost faith in their gods & converted to
Christianity
Attracted by promise of happy afterlife for
everyone
Constantine I, Roman emperor who favored
Christianity, helped to develop religion &
greatly influenced its popularity
A group of Christians are being
persecuted for refusing to worship
Roman gods. They are all praying to
God in hope that they will receive
salvation.
Structure of the Church
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Pope/Patriarchs: father, or head, of
Church
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Bishops: supervised several churches
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Bishops of Rome claimed to be heirs of
Peter
Peter was first Pope
Therefore, bishop of Rome became
Pope
Each city had 1 bishop
Peter was first bishop; preached at
Jerusalem
Priests: each led group of Christians
This is a diagram of the structure of
the Christian Church.
The Importance of Constantine
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AD 312: critical turn in Christianity
happened; Roman Emperor, Constantine,
was in battle for control of Rome
Praying day before battle & saw cross of
light
Light had inscription which said “In this
sign, Conquer”
Ordered artisans to paint cross onto
shields
Won battle & Constantine stopped
persecutions of Christians in AD 313
This is a painting of Constantine's victorious battle of Milvian
Bridge. The X and P’s on their shields represent the greeks
word for ‘Christ’.
The Importance of Constantine
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Edict of Milan 313 AD - Constantine declared Christianity
one of religions approved by emperor & tolerated
throughout the empire
○ Ended Diocletianic Persecutions
○ Was not put in place during meeting between
Constantine & Licinius, was put in place after
Licinius got back from battle in which he beat
Maximian
Compiled beliefs of New Testament, contained four holy
Gospels
New Testament led to many disagreements, which led to
disputes & disorder
False beliefs were called heresy
AD 325: Constantine called group of church leaders
together to end disputes
○ Wrote Nicene Creed: stated basic beliefs of
Christianity
This is an image of Constantine and
under it are the years in which
Constantine made big changes with
Christianity.
Fathers of Church
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Fathers of Church were early writers &
scholars
One of most important was St. Augustine
Important because he taught that people
did indeed need grace from God, but God
gave grace freely
Taught that fall of Roman Empire was not
very important because God’s kingdom
can never be destroyed
This is a picture of St. Jerome who was the
first Father of the Church to translate the
Bible into the latin form.
Conclusion
● Christianity originated in Judea and spread throughout the
entire empire of Rome.
● Although it arose in the time of Roman decline and against
strong opposition, Christianity is now the most widespread
religion on Earth.
● As the Christian church continued to grow in numbers, the
Roman empire began its decline.