The Rise of
Christianity
Judaism and the Empire
• Christianity began as a sect (group)
within Judaism
• In 6 AD, Augustus turned the Kingdom
of Judah into the Roman province of
Judea
–Allowed Jews to practice their religion
but they were treated very cruelly
• Many Jews began to believe that a
messiah (messenger of God) would help
them regain their freedom
–This had been foretold in ancient Jewish
prophecies
• Believing that God would
intervene, Jews rebelled in 66 AD
and overpowered the small Roman
army in Jerusalem
– only 4 years later Romans retook
Jerusalem destroying the Temple and
killing thousands of Jews
• After another rebellion in 132 AD,
Jews were banned from living in
Jerusalem and were forced to move
into other parts of the
Mediterranean and the Middle East
Jesus of Nazareth
• Jesus, a Jew from Nazareth, traveled
through Galilei and Judea from 30-33
AD preaching a new message and
winning disciples (followers)
• Urged his followers to turn away from
sins and stated God was loving and
forgiving toward all who repented
• Fear of his ability to arouse such
feelings in the people led Pontius Pilate,
Roman governor of Palestine, to arrest
Jesus and ordered he be crucified
Spread of Christianity
• After Jesus’ death, his disciples
proclaimed he rose from the dead and
said this was proof he was the mesiah
–Began preaching he was THE SON OF
GOD
–Those who accepted the teachings of
Jesus became known as Christians and
formed churches
• Paul aided Christianity’s spread by traveling
and writing many letters on behalf of the
religion—his writings became the New
Testament of the Bible
• Other apostles (Christian missionaries),
spread Christianity throughout the Roman
world
–Peter is believed to have brought
Christianity to Rome
Paul
Peter
Persecution and Competition
• Christians refused to worship any other
religions
–Refused to recognize emperor as God and
rejected military service
–Many became martyrs—people who die
rather than change their beliefs—killed in
arenas by wild beasts in front of cheering
crowds
• Despite this, Christianity grew in 200300s and became a religion of the cities
–Their strength in the cities of the Roman
Empire gave Christianity great influence
Romans Adopt Christianity
• Constantine was named emperor of
Rome in 312 AD and became the
protector of Christianity
–Issued the Edict of Milan which allowed
ALL religions to worship freely in Rome
• In 392 Theodosius made Christianity
the official religion of the Roman
Empire
The Early Church
• Christians turned to Church Fathers,
Christian religious thinkers who
explained many of the Christian beliefs
in books
• Christians in the western part of the
Empire used the writings of Augustine,
a scholar born in North Africa
Church Structure
• The church was organized into a
hierarchy (levels of authority)
–Local gatherings of Christians, called
parishes, were run by priests
–Several parishes together formed a
diocese which was overseen by a bishop
• Bishops interpreted Christian beliefs
and administered regional church affairs
–The bishops met at councils to discuss
opinions and disputes about Christian
beliefs
• The decisions they made became known
as doctrine (the official church teachings)