Section 4: The Rise of Christianity
I. Jesus of Nazareth
A. Jesus was a descendant of King David and
was believed to be the messiah (a savior
sent by God to lead the Jews to freedom)
B. Jesus followed Jewish laws
C. Went around preaching the word of God
by using short stories with a moral lesson
to communicate his ideas
D. Jesus’ preaching upset some Jewish
leaders, because he interpreted the laws
differently
He taught the need for justice, morality
and service to others (poor)
F. Jewish priests considered Jesus a
troublemaker. One of Jesus disciples
betrayed him and led a group of
Roman soldiers to him and they
arrested. Then had him executed by
crucifixion
II. Christianity Spreads
A. After Jesus’ death, his disciples spread
his teachings throughout the Roman
empire
B. Paul helped to separate Christianity
E.
C.
D.
E.
F.
Romans were usually tolerant towards
other religions, except Judaism and
Christianity, because they refused to
make sacrifices to the emperor
Romans began persecuting them,
especially when there was trouble in the
empire
Missionaries spread Christianity through
the Roman Roads and across the
Mediterranean sea
Edict of Milan—issued by Constantine,
granting freedom of worship
III. The Christian Church

During the middle ages, the Christian
church emerged as the most powerful
force in Europe
IV. The Early Communities
A.
All members were equal and called each
other “brother” or “sister”
B.
Women led the way and served as
teachers or administrators
C.
Clergy—performed religious ceremonies
D.
Had priests were controlled by bishops
who were controlled by the pope (a.k.a.
patriarch of Rome)
E.
F.
G.
Church splits after fall of Rome—
eastern (Orthodox Church  antipope) and western (Roman Catholic
Church  pope)
Roman Catholic Church grew stronger
and began to run gov’t
Ideas of Aristotle and other Greek
thinkers were translated into Latin and
spread into Western Europe and
challenged Christian beliefs (faith vs.
reason)
Thomas Aquinas—Christian scholar,
brought together Christian faith and
Greek philosophy  stated both faith
and reason existed in harmony (God
ruled over an orderly universe)
V. The Judeo-Christian Tradition
A.
Shared heritage of Jews and
Christians
B.
Judeo-Christian principles played a
central role in the development of the
democratic tradition
H.