The Rise of Christianity
Early Empire Includes
Diverse Religions
•Polytheism
•Stoicism=Cicero
•Cult of Isis=started in Egypt,
women equal to men
•Cult of Mithras=Persian, good
over evil, life after death,
military following
Roman Government allowed
other religions as long as
citizens showed loyalty by
honoring the Roman gods,
paying taxes, and not
rebelling.
Jews Come Under Roman Rule
•Roman power spread to Judea
(Palestine) around 63 B.C.E.
•Jerusalem “Romanized”, King
Herod
•Jews began to revolt
•Judea was made a Roman
province in 6 B.C.E.
•Sanhedrin, Jewish court, had
control
•Two factions of Jews: one
wanted to rid homeland of
Romans, other believed God would
send a Messiah to save them
(Essenes)
•Born in Bethlehem,
Judea around 4 B.C.E.
•Jew and Roman
subject
•Raised in Nazareth
•Carpenter
Jesus’ Message:
•Began ministry at 30
•Did good works,
reportedly performed
miracles
•Continued traditional
Jewish beliefs
•Emphasized God’s personal relationship to
each human being
•Love God, your neighbors, and your
enemies
•Repent of your sins and go to Heaven
Jesus had pupils or
followers that were his
disciples. Not much is
written in historical records
about Jesus.
Most information about
him comes from the
Gospels (Good News) and
epistles written by
apostles found in the
Holy Bible.
Jesus’ Death:
•His popularity grew which upset
Jewish and Roman leaders
•Jewish priests said he was a
blasphemer, not a messiah
•Roman leaders thought he
challenged Roman authority,
“kingdom of God is at hand”
•Jesus was
arrested and
sentenced to death
by crucifixion by
Pontius Pilate, the
Governor of Judea,
for plotting to
overthrow the
Roman government.
After Jesus’ death his body was
placed in a tomb. According to
the Gospels, three days later his
body was gone, and a living Jesus
began appearing to his followers.
Then Jesus ascended into heaven.
Jesus came to be known as Christ,
from Christos the Greek word for
“messiah” or “savior”.
Christianity Spreads:
•First followers were Jews, then
non-Jewish peoples converted
•Paul of Tarsus, traveled and
wrote to churches (epistles)
•Common languages in Empire,
also roads
•Universal, accepted everyone
Jewish Rebellion (Jewish War):
•66 C.E., Zealots rebelled against Rome
•70 C.E., Romans destroyed the Temple
of Jerusalem, except West Wall
•132 C.E., another rebellion
•The Jewish political state ceased to
exist until 1948.
•Diaspora or dispersal from homeland
Persecution of the Christians:
•Christians refused to worship Roman
gods or emperor
•Peter and Paul put to death around
60 C.E.
•Many Christians became martyrs
•Numbers kept rising, missionaries
spread the faith
Christianity, A World Religion:
•Embraced all people
(male/female, rich/poor)
•Gave hope to the powerless
•Offered a personal relationship
with a loving God
•Eternal life after death
•Structure: priests
at local level,
bishop over several
churches, bishop of
Rome was the Pope
•Peter: first bishop
of Rome, the
“rock”, first Pope
or head of
Christian Church
•The conversion of Emperor
Constantine made it legal to be
Christian through the Edict of
Milan in 313 C.E.
•325 C.E., disputes over beliefs
led to the Nicene Creed
•380 C.E., Emperor Theodosius
made it the official religion of
the Empire