Bellwork
• From what religion did Christianity
originate from? What do you think the
general attitude towards early Christians
was?
World History
Section 3, Unit 6
Ancient Rome p. 3
Objectives
• Discuss the beginnings of Judaism and
analyze the story of Moses in comparison to
the actual history of slavery in Egypt.
• Analyze the life and message of Jesus Christ
and the impact of his death.
• Evaluate how Christianity spread through
the Roman empire after Jesus’s death.
• Explain why the Roman’s persecuted the
Christians.
Where we are in History
• The origins of the Hebrews goes farther
back than the Greeks and Romans. We will
be going back and discussing an era during
the existence of both the early Egyptian
empire and Mesopotamia.
Palestine
• Ancient Palestine is the
region near the coast of
the Mediterranean, and
had hosted many
different nations within
the region: Judah, Israel,
Philistia, Canaan, and
Phoenicia.
– When we talk about any
of these places, they are
situated within Palestine
itself. Palestine itself did
not become an
independent empire or
state until the early 20th
century.
Geography of the Hebrews
• The Hebrews would originate from the area known
as Canaan (present day Israel/Palestine). Their
history, legends, and moral laws would become a
major influence on western culture and begin a
tradition by both Christians and Muslims.
Beliefs
• The Hebrews were
monotheistic, meaning they
only believed in one god–
Yahweh.
• In their eyes, Yahweh was a
god of all people and all
places, unlike other faiths
which believed that their
god only existed within that
one region or for those
people within the area.
• Because their god did not
belong to any one place, the
Hebrews could carry their
worship of him wherever
they went.
Origins of Judaism
• Canaan was in a cultural crossroads, an area
that connected Africa and Asia, with empires
that wanted to expand and grow.
• To the west lay Egypt and the east lay Babylon.
• The Hebrews settled in Canaan, which lay
between the Jordan River and the
Mediterranean Sea. According to the Bible,
Canaan was the land God promised to the
Hebrew people.
Early History
• Most of what historians know about the
Hebrews come from the Hebrew Bible, or
Torah. The Torah is the most sacred writing
in their traditions.
– The Torah is what makes up the Old Testament
of the Christian Bible and Quran.
• The Torah is a sacred text and describe
events that the Hebrews believe to be true.
Abraham
• According to Hebrew
legend, Yahweh chose
Abraham to be the
“father” of the Hebrew
people.
– This might be more
literal, as he and his
children are said to be
the ancestors of the
Jewish people.
Abraham
• The Torah says that Abraham was a
shepherd who lived in Mesopotamia and
that Yahweh told him to move his people
and flocks to Canaan in the west, which
may have occurred around 2000 B.C.
– Many historians do agree that Abraham may
have not existed, but rather represents the
move by the Hebrews to Canaan.
After Abraham
• Over the course of several generations,
Hebrews did eventually live in the Egyptian
empire.
• The Bible states that they came to Egypt
because of a drought and threat of famine.
According to the Torah and Old Testament,
they were forced to become slaves for the
Egyptian empire.
– Although plausible, no archeological or historical
evidence supports this claim (as we discussed in
the Egypt unit) and, more than likely, the Hebrews
were probably nomads in Egypt.
Moses
• Another important
figure, Moses is
believed to have been
saved by his mother
who was hiding him
from the Egyptian
Pharaoh who was
trying to kill all the
Hebrew newborns.
Moses
• He was found by an Egyptian Princess who
adopted and raised him.
• Though raised in luxury, he did not forget
his birth and, according to legend, he was
told by Yahweh to lead the Jews out of
Egypt.
The Exodus
• According to Hebrew legend, the Hebrews fled
Egypt after being saved by Moses.
• The stories state that Moses led the Hebrews
out of Egypt, across the Red Sea to Canaan.
Historicity
• Most archeologists and historians agree that
the mass exodus may have not occurred, but
the story acts as symbolism for the actual
development of Canaan by the Hebrews.
Judah
• Canaan– the land that the Hebrews believed was
promised to them by God– was situated near the
ancient Philistines in Ancient Palestine.
• The Hebrews got along well with other neighbors
within the Palestinian region, such as the
Canaanites, but were often in conflict with the
Philistines .
– The Philistines are believed to have been the “sea
peoples” that may have attacked Egypt.
• Sometime after the purported date of the exodus,
the Hebrews began to refer to themselves as “Jews”,
after the name of the largest Hebrew tribe of Judah.
Israel and Judah
• From about 1020 to 922 B.C., the Hebrews
united under three able kings: Saul, David, and
Solomon (each one succeeded the next to the
throne).
• They formed a new kingdom, Israel and for 100
years experienced a great period of power and
independence.
• However, a smaller kingdom would form with
the tribe of Judah being the creator. Both
kingdoms, despite being divided, shared the
similar Hebrew faith.
Judah and
Israel
Jerusalem
• King David was said to have united the
tribes of Israel under his rule and
established Jerusalem as the capital of
Israel.
• Jerusalem was a sacred home to not just the
Hebrews, but also to Christians and
Muslims.
What happens next?
• The Palestinian region would, overtime,
become conquered by many different
groups who would even bring the Hebrews
under their control, including the
Egyptians, Greeks, Persians, and– for the
purposes of this lesson– the Romans.
Abrahamic Religions
• The Hebrew faith
would be the
backbone of the other
two Abrahamic
religions: Christianity
and Islam.
• Overtime, the Romans
would learn more
about Judaism and a
new growing faith in
Israel- Christianity.
Class-wide Review
Directions: As the questions are brought up, please raise your hand to
answer the question. Do not shout out.
1. What was the name of the God the Jews believed
in?
2. Who was the “father” of the Hebrews?
3. What was the land that the Hebrew’s believed God
promised them?
4. What three kings did the Jews unite under to form
Israel and Judah?
5. What two religions grew out of Judaism?
6. What relationship did the Hebrew’s believe God
had with everyone? What was different between
their believe in God and other religions?
Break
• Please take two
minutes to breathe.
Roman rule in Judea
• Roman power spread to Judea, the home of
the Jews, around 63 B.C. At first, the Jewish
kingdom remained independent, at least in
name.
• Jewish kings ruled as representatives of
Rome. Some Jews allied with Romans and
accepted their plans to “Romanize”
Jerusalem.
Roman Rule
• Due to issues between the people and the
rulership, the Jews began a revolt against
the Roman influence that lasted almost 10
years starting in 4 B.C.
• Rome finally took control of the Jewish
kingdom and made it the province of Judea
in A.D. 6.
Roman Rule
• To restore order in
Judea, the Romans
gave control of
religious matters and
local affairs to the
Jewish court called
Sanhendrin.
Roman Rule
• Jews were then divided into two major
factions:
– Zealots who wanted to rid their homeland of
the Romans
– Another group who believed that the Messiah
(savior) would soon appear. For the Jews, they
believed the Messiah would restore the
kingdom of the Jews.
Roman rule in Judea
Jesus of Nazareth
• Jesus was born in the
town of Bethlehem in
Judea. The date is
uncertain, but is
thought to be around 64 B.C. Jesus was both a
Jew and Roman subject.
• He was raised in the
village of Nazareth in
northern Palestine.
• As a child, he was
baptized by the prophet
known as John the
Baptist and was a skilled
carpenter.
A 2001 CGI of Jesus– suggesting
that his features would be
darker and his face more broad.
Jesus’ Message
Head of Jesus (1890) Enrique Simonet
• At the age of 30, Jesus
began his public ministry.
For the next three years,
he preached, taught, did
good deeds, and
reportedly performed
miracles.
• His teachings were very
similar to the basics of the
Jewish faith: a single god,
belief in the 10
commandments, and that
God has a personal
relationship with each
human being.
Teachings
• Jesus stressed the importance of people’s
love for God, their neighbors, their enemies,
and even themselves.
• He also taught that God would end
wickedness in the world and would
establish an eternal kingdom after death for
people who sincerely repented their sins.
Apostles
• Jesus gathered twelve disciples, or pupils, to
teach his word. Historical records mention
very little about Jesus’ existence, so most
evidence that does exist are the Gospels, or the
first four books of the New Testament of the
Bible.
– Arguably, nothing was written during Jesus’
lifetime because those who followed him would
have believed that “salvation” was near—meaning
that writing anything down was unnecessary.
• Some of the Gospels are thought to have been
written by one or more of Jesus’ disciplines, or
Apostles.
Increasing Fame
• As Jesus’ fame grew as he preached from
town to town.
• He attracted large crowds, and many people
were touched by his message.
• Many believed him to be the long-awaited
Messiah, the son of God. Because Jesus
ignored wealth and status, his message
appealed to the poor and vulnerable of
society.
Concerns
• Jesus’ growing popularity concerned both
Roman and Jewish leaders.
• When Jesus visited Jerusalem around 29
A.D., enthusiastic crowds greeted him as the
Messiah, or king.
• The chief priests of the Jews denied that
Jesus was the Messiah. They said his
teachings were blasphemy– contempt for
God.
Crucifixion
• Roman authorities
feared that Jesus was
challenging their
authority.
• The Roman governor
had Jesus arrested, tried
in the Jewish courts
and– after a short
process of torture and
cruelty– Jesus was
crucified by Roman
authorities.
After his Death
• According to Biblical tradition, his body was
placed in a tomb and, three days later, his
body was gone--- having ascended to
heaven.
• The apostles became ever more convinced
that Jesus was the Messiah and felt the need
to spread the teachings of Jesus across the
empire.
Peter
• Peter, the first apostle,
lead the others to
spread the teachings
of Jesus throughout
Palestine and Syria.
• The cross in which
Jesus was crucified
became a symbol for
their beliefs.
Spread
• Jesus’ teaching did not contradict Jewish
law, and his first followers still considered
themselves to be Jewish.
• Soon, however, those followers would create
a new religion based on his message.
• Despite both political and religious
opposition, the new religion– Christianity–
spread slowly throughout the Roman
Empire.
Paul the Apostle
• One man, Paul, had
enormous influence on
Christianity’s
development.
• He had never met Jesus
and was at first an enemy
of Christianity.
• However, while traveling
to Damascus in Syria, he
reportedly had a vision of
Christ. Afterwards, he
spent his life spreading
and interpreting Christ’s
teachings.
Pax Romana and Christianity
• The Pax Romana made travel and exchange
of ideas fairly safe and provided the ideal
conditions for Christianity to spread.
• The excellent Roman road system made
passage by land easy and common
languages– Latin and Greek– allowed the
message to be easily understood.
Paul
• The excellent road systems—and that Paul
was a Roman citizen-- allowed him to travel
freely from city to city around the eastern
Mediterranean and preach.
• Paul stressed that Jesus was the son of God
who died for people’s sins.
Paul
• He also declared
Christianity should
welcome all converts, Jew
or non-Jew.
• It was the universality that
enabled Christianity to
become more than a local
religion and spread quickly.
What allowed Christianity to Spread?
1. Safe travel
2. A positive message about God’s personal
relationship
3. An appeal to the poor and underprivileged
4. Common language to spread Jesus’ teachings
5. Acceptance of any group into the religion
(universality)
6. Promise of life after death (Roman and Greek
religions had a bleak concept of afterlife)
Jewish Rebellion
• During the early years of Christianity, much
Roman attention was focused on the Jews.
In A.D. 66, a band of Zealots rebelled
against Roman rule and, in A.D. 70, the
Romans stormed Jerusalem and destroyed
the temple complex.
• About a half million Jews were killed during
the course of the rebellions against Rome.
Diaspora
• The Jews made another attempt to break
free of Roman rule in A.D. 132.
• Another half million Jews died in three
years of fighting and, though their religion
survived, the Jewish political state ceased to
exist for another 1,800 years.
• Most Jews were forced from their homeland
into exile, which was been referred to has
the Jewish Diaspora.
The Jewish Diaspora
• Centuries of Jewish exile followed after they
lost Judea to Rome in 70 A.D.
• This period was called the Diaspora, the Greek
word for “dispersal”.
• Jews fled to many parts of the world, including
Babylonia, Syria, Egypt, and Spain.
• Eventually, Jews would spread to Europe where
they would be the ancestors of modern
European Jews.
Persecution of Christians
• Christians also posed a
problem for Roman
rulers because
Christians refused to
worship roman gods.
• This refusal was seen as
opposition to Roman
rule.
• Some Roman rulers
used Christians as
scapegoats for political
and economic troubles,
which more easily
allowed for their
persecution.
Nero
• Emperor Nero of Rome (one of the three
bad emperors) blamed a disastrous fire on
Christians and ordered them to be
persecuted. Both the apostles Peter and
Paul were put to death in Rome sometime
around 60 A.D.
– Peter, like Jesus, was crucified, but requested to
be crucified upside down as he saw himself as
lesser than Jesus.
– Paul was beheaded by Roman officials.
Changing times
• The emperors who followed Nero did not
continue the persecutions, at first.
• However, when the Pax Romana began to
crumble, the Romans exiled, imprisoned, or
executed Christians for refusing to worship
Roman gods.
Changing times (cont.)
• Thousands were crucified, burned, or killed
by wild animals in the Colosseum.
• However, the Roman’s plan had an
unintended effect: Christians killed became
martyrs (people who are willing to die for a
cause) for the survivors, only strengthening
the belief system.
Early Christian Church
• Christians soon began to give their religion
a structure, much as the Roman Empire had
a hierarchy.
• At the local level, a priest led each small
group of Christians. A bishop supervised
several local churches.
• Eventually, every major city had it’s own
bishop.
Papacy
• According to tradition,
Jesus referred to Peter as
the “rock” on which the
Christian church should
be built.
• As a result:
– All priests and
bishops traced their
authority to Peter
– Peter became the first
Pope or father/head
of the Christian
church.
Papacy
• As well, the Christians also said that who
ever the bishop of Rome was the leader of
the whole church, since they identified
Rome as the center of the empire and
therefore, the center of the Church.
• These beliefs would lead into the creation
of the Roman Catholic church
Growth of Christianity
• Despite persecution, Christianity became a
powerful force. By the late third century,
A.D. there were millions of Christians in the
Roman Empire. Missionaries spread the
faith throughout the empire and beyond.
• Soon, the power of Christianity would even
spread to the upper echelons of society–
including the Roman Emperor.
Review Objectives
• Discuss the beginnings of Judaism and
analyze the story of Moses in comparison to
the actual history of slavery in Egypt.
• Analyze the life and message of Jesus Christ
and the impact of his death.
• Evaluate how Christianity spread through
the Roman empire after Jesus’s death.
• Explain why the Roman’s persecuted the
Christians.
Questions
• If you have any questions, please ask now.
Next lesson
• In the next lesson, we are going to talk
about the fall of Rome and the rise of
Constantinople.
Review
1. Why did Christianity spread so well through the
empire? Name at least 3 reasons it spread so well.
2. What made Jesus so popular and how did this
popularity lead to his death?
3. What were the names of the two apostles who
spread Christianity through the Roman empire?
Why did they both die?
4. Why did the Romans persecute the Christians?
What effect did persecution have on Christians?
5. What was the hierarchy of the early Christian
church and where was the church’s “center”?
6. What did Rome do to Judea after the revolts and
what affect did this have on the Jews?
7. Why did early Christians still consider themselves
to be Jewish?