The Rise of Christianity
Review
 The Gracchus brothers fought for the rights of
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the ___________
Poor
Julius Caesar was named dictator for ____
Life
Pax Romana means _____________
Roman Peace
How large was the Roman Empire during Pax
Romana?
3 million square miles
Roman Power Spreads
 Roman power spread to Judea, the home
of the Jews in 63 B.C.
Judea becomes part of Rome
 Rome made Judea a province of Rome in
A.D. 6
 Zealots wanted to rid their homeland of
Romans.
 Another group awaited the ‘Messiah’.
 According to Biblical tradition, God had promised
that the Messiah would restore the kingdom of the
Jews.
Jesus
 Born in Bethlehem,
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Judea, in 6 – 4 B.C.
Both a Jew and a
Roman
Raised in the village
of Nazareth
Baptized by the
prophet, John the
Baptist
Carpenter
Teachings
 Began public ministry at age 30
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Miracles
Good works
Helped people
Monotheism
10 commandments
Message of love
Repentance
12 Apostles
 Jesus gathered 12 disciples, who later
became known as apostles.
 The main source of information about
Jesus’ life is in the New Testament of the
Bible.
 The New Testament is believed to have
been written by Jesus’ disciples.
Jesus message is appealing
 Many people called him the ‘Messiah’, the
son of God.
 Since Jesus ignored wealth and status, his
message was especially appealing to the
poor.
 Jesus’ growing popularity concerned both
Roman and Jewish leaders.
 When Jesus visited Jerusalem in 29 AD,
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,
or contempt for God.
 The Roman governor of Judea, Pontius
Pilate thought that Jesus, whom the
Romans mockingly called, ‘King of the
Jews’ challenged the authority of Rome.
 Pilate arrested Jesus and sentenced him
to be crucified.
Resurrection
 According to the New Testament, after 3
days Jesus resurrected.
Christianity
 People were even more convinced that
Jesus was the true son of God.
 Christos is a Greek word meaning
“messiah” or “savior”
 This was how he became Jesus Christ.
 The name Christianity derived from the
word Christ.
Christianity Spreads
 His followers spread the teachings of
Jesus throughout Palestine and Syria.
 The Pax Romana, which made travel and
exchange of ideas safe, provided ideal
conditions for Christianity to spread.
 The excellent Roman road system made
traveling easier, and common languages
allowed the message to be communicated.
 During the early years of Christianity,
much Roman attention was focused Jesus’
birthplace.
 In A.D. 66, Zealots rebelled against Rome.
 In A.D. 70, the Romans destroyed the
Temple.
 All that remained was a western portion of
a wall, which today is the holiest Jewish
shrine.
The Wailing Wall
The Wailing Wall
 The Western Wall is part of the retaining wall supporting
the temple mount built by Herod in 20 B.C. After the
destruction of the Second Temple in 70 A.D., Jews were
not allowed to come to Jerusalem until the Byzantine
period, when they could visit once a year on the
anniversary of the destruction of the Temple and weep
over the ruins of the Holy Temple. Because of this, the
wall became known as the “Wailing Wall.”
 Jews were again not allowed to visit the wall from 19481967 when it was in the Jordanian section of the city.
After the Six Day War, the Western Wall became a place
for national rejoicing and prayer, as the last accessible
relic of the last Temple.
 About 500,000 Jews were killed in the
course of the rebellion.
 The Jews made another attempt to break
free from the Romans in 132 AD, and
another 500,000 Jews died.
 Although the Jewish religion survived, the
Jewish political state ceased to exist for
more than 1800 years.
Diaspora
 Most Jews were driven from their
homeland into exile.
 This dispersal of the Jews is called the
Diaspora.
Religious Persecution
 Christians refused to worship Roman
gods.
 This refusal was seen as an opposition to
Rome’s rule.
 Roman Emperor, Nero, blamed a
disastrous fire on Christians and ordered
them to be persecuted.
 Apostles Peter and Paul were put to
death.
 As the Pax Romana crumbled, Christians
were exiled, imprisoned, or executed for
refusing to worship Roman gods.
 Thousands were crucified, burned, or
killed by wild animals in circus arenas.
 Even though many were killed, the
Christian religion grew strong.
A tasteless video clip
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nO1NN
2OcVcg
Why did Christianity
spread so rapidly?
 Embraced all people (men, women,
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slaves, poor, nobles)
Gave hope to the powerless
Appealed to those who were repelled by
the extravagances of imperial Rome.
Offered a personal relationship with a
loving God.
Promised eternal life after death.
The Apostle Peter
 Jesus referred to
Peter as the ‘Rock’ on
which his church
would be built.
 Peter was the first
bishop of Rome.
 Since Rome was the
capital of the empire,
the church was
centered in Rome.
Roman Emperor Constantine
 A critical moment in Christianity occurred
in A.D. 312, when the Roman emperor
Constantine was fighting three rivals for
his title.
 He had marched to the Tiber River at
Rome to battle his chief rival.
 He prayed for divine help.
Constantine
Vision
 He saw a cross of light in the heavens
bearing the inscription, “In this sign,
conquer.”
 Constantine ordered the Christian symbol
of the cross to be put onto his soldier’s
shields.
 His troops were successful on the
battlefield.
 He gave all credit to the Christian God.
Roman Soldier’s Shield with Cross
It’s called the Chi Rho
 It’s the first two letters
of ‘Jesus Christ’ in
Greek.
Edict of Milan
 In the next year, A.D. 313,
Constantine ended
Christian persecution.
 In the Edict of Milan, he
declared Christianity to
be one of the religions
approved by the emperor.
 The Edict granted
religious freedom.
 Constantine became converted to
Christianity in 312 AD
 He was formally baptized on his deathbed
in 337 AD
Theodosius the Great
 Roman Emperor
from 378-395 A.D.
 In 380 A.D. he made
the Christian religion
the official religion of
the Roman Empire.
The Palace Basilica of Constantine
Disagreements in belief
 There was a great amount of arguing going
on about the true teachings of Christ.
 People were accused of heresy, any belief
that contradicted the basic teachings of
Christianity.
 Church leaders compiled gospel writing in
one book, known as the New Testament.
 It defined the basic beliefs of the Church.
Structure of the Church
The Christian Clergy
Pope/Patriarch
Bishop
Bishop
Bishop
Diocese
Diocese
Diocese
Priest
Priest
Priest
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Community Community Community
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Fathers of the Church
 Influential in defining Church teachings.
 Most influential was Augustine who was
bishop in the city of Hippo in North Africa.
 He taught that humans needed the Grace
of God to be saved.
 His most famous book is The City of God.