Transcript 2. The Romans (pp. 5–11) - Midwest Theological Forum

Background:
The Roman World
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH
Introductory Lesson (for first day of class)
 Syllabus
 Instructional policy
 Texts, Bibles, and any other materials
Introductory Lesson (for first day of class)
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT
Read “The Roman World” through “Alexander’s Empire” (pp. 2–4)
1. The Hellenistic Worldview (pp. 2–4)
ANTICIPATORY SET
Draw a venn diagram in your notebook with three overlapping circles
with Hellenistic worldview in one of the circles and Christ and Church in the
center where the three circles overlap. Do not label the other two circles at
this time.
This lesson is about how Greek influence helped the Church grow.
Complete a Think/Pair/Share using the following question:
 What do you know already about ancient Greece?
1. The Hellenistic Worldview (pp. 2–4)
BASIC QUESTIONS
 What were the major features of the Hellenistic worldview with respect
to Christianity?
 How did the Hellenistic worldview support the spread of the Gospel?
KEY IDEAS
 Hellenism gave the Church a rich language and a deep philosophical
heritage.
 This proved useful to express doctrines and explain the Faith.
1. The Hellenistic Worldview (pp. 2–4)
FOCUS QUESTIONS
What is Hellenization?
Hellenization is the process by which Greek ideas, culture, philosophy, and
religion are adopted by people of another culture.
What did Alexander the Great do to Hellenize the lands he conquered?
Alexander the Great wanted to build a unified empire, so he and his officers
married Persian wives, and he founded new cities populated with native Greeks in
order to introduce Greek language, dress, and learning in the areas he had
conquered.
What effect did Hellenism and Judaism have on each other?
Though Jews and Persians considered Greek religion simplistic, Greek thought
gave them a new language and a rich philosophical tradition that furthered their
development. The introduction of Aristotle inaugurated a tradition of Jewish
commentaries on his texts.
1. The Hellenistic Worldview (pp. 2–4)
GUIDED EXERCISE
Read aloud from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 285 (p. 25), and
then discuss the philosophical question of the origin of the universe.
1. The Hellenistic Worldview (pp. 2–4)
GRAPHIC ORGANIZER
Complete the following table about the languages of Christ’s time.
1. The Hellenistic Worldview (pp. 2–4)
1. The Hellenistic Worldview (pp. 2–4)
FOCUS QUESTIONS
How did the Greek language benefit the spread of Christianity?
It provided a common language through which the teachings of Christ could be
spread throughout the known world.
What did Greek language and philosophy provide the teachings of Christ?
The richness of the Greek language allowed people to explain the intricacies of
Christian beliefs. The philosophies of Plato and Aristotle provided invaluable ideas
for the development of theology and Church teachings.
What role did Greek philosophers—especially Aristotle—play during the
Middle Ages?
Aristotle was held in such high esteem by theologians such as St. Thomas Aquinas
that he was called “the Philosopher,” the greatest of all philosophers.
1. The Hellenistic Worldview (pp. 2–4)
GUIDED EXERCISE
“There is something which moves without being moved.” He concluded
this unmoved mover is God. “We say therefore that God is a living being,
eternal, most good, so that life and duration continuous and eternal belong
to God.” (Aristotle, Metaphysics, Book XII)
“What can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown
it to them. Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature,
namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things
that have been made.” (St. Paul, Romans 1:19–20)
Compare what Aristotle and St. Paul wrote about the ability of human reason
to know God.
1. The Hellenistic Worldview (pp. 2–4)
CLOSURE
Complete a Think/Pair/Share using the following question:
How did the influence of Hellenism help make it an ideal time for Christ to be born
and found the Church?
1. The Hellenistic Worldview (pp. 2–4)
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT
Study Question 1 (p. 24)
Workbook Questions 1–11
Read “The Romans” through “All Roads Lead to Rome” (pp. 5–11)
Read “The Æneid” (p. 22)
1. The Hellenistic Worldview (pp. 2–4)
ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT
Write an answer to the question from the Closure on a separate sheet of
paper for a quiz grade.
2. The Romans (pp. 5–11)
ANTICIPATORY SET
Write “Roman Empire” in one of the two unoccupied circles in the venn
diagram in your notebook.
The basic objective of the next two lessons is to learn how the Roman
Empire helped the Church grow.
2. The Romans (pp. 5–11)
BASIC QUESTION
 What major historical events were most important within the Roman
Empire?
KEY IDEA
 The Roman Empire had a unifying system of laws and organization
and entered into the Pax Romana.
2. The Romans (pp. 5–11)
GUIDED EXERCISE
Review the selection from Virgil’s Æneid on page 22, and then discuss it.
2. The Romans (pp. 5–11)
GUIDED EXERCISE
(1) Write in your notebook the names of four Roman provinces that have
corresponding modern names in English;
(2) Write the name of one province that does not have a corresponding
modern name in English.
2. The Romans (pp. 5–11)
GRAPHIC ORGANIZER
Work with a partner and a dictionary to complete the following table.
2. The Romans (pp. 5–11)
2. The Romans (pp. 5–11)
GUIDED EXERCISE
Study the map of the city of Rome (p. 26), and then discuss the following
questions:
 If you were at the Forum of Augustus on business and wanted to visit the Temple
of Venus to perform a sacrifice, which street would you likely take?
 If you then wanted to see a gladiatorial show, what amphitheater would you likely
attend?
 If you needed to go the capitol from the gladiatorial show, what direction would you
probably travel?
2. The Romans (pp. 5–11)
FOCUS QUESTIONS
What is a triumvirate?
From the Latin trius (“three”) and vir (“man”), a triumvirate is an
agreement between three men to share power, especially one of the
triumvirates that ruled the Roman Empire.
How did Julius Caesar become dictator of the Roman Empire, and
what was his fate?
A member of the First Triumvirate, Julius Caesar conquered Gaul and
invaded Italy. The Roman senate was forced to elect him dictator; soon
after, a group of senate conspirators assassinated him.
2. The Romans (pp. 5–11)
FOCUS QUESTION
Who was in the Second Triumvirate, and what happened to each
man?
Marc Antony, a follower of Julius Caesar; the nineteen-year-old Octavian,
Julius’s stepson; and Marcus Lepidus formed the Second Triumvirate.
These men eliminated their political opponents ruthlessly. After Lepidus
retired, Marc Antony and Octavian vied for power. When Marc Antony
and Cleopatra saw their defeat was certain, they committed suicide,
leaving Octavian to be sole ruler of the Roman Empire.
2. The Romans (pp. 5–11)
GUIDED EXERCISE
Brainstorm:
(1) Why a nation would want to have a large number of slaves; and
(2) Some of the inherent problems with a large slave population.
Then, read aloud Spartacus, Leader of a Slave Revolt, and discuss how his
story ties into the brainstorming you just did.
2. The Romans (pp. 5–11)
FOCUS QUESTIONS
How many Punic Wars were there?
There were three Punic Wars.
Against what city did Rome fight the Punic Wars?
Rome fought against Carthage in North Africa.
Which territories did the Punic Wars bring under Roman control?
They won for Rome Sicily, Spain, and North Africa.
2. The Romans (pp. 5–11)
GRAPHIC ORGANIZER
Review the section “The Roman Empire: The Reign of Augustus” (p. 10),
and then work with a partner to complete the following table.
2. The Romans (pp. 5–11)
2. The Romans (pp. 5–11)
FOCUS QUESTIONS
What was the Pax Romana?
The Pax Romana (Roman Peace), was the 200-year period of relative peace
and prosperity within the Roman Empire beginning under Caesar Augustus
(Octavian), the first emperor of the Roman Empire.
What specific changes implemented by Augustus helped to facilitate
the Pax Romana?
Augustus convinced the Senate to give him exclusive control over the
provinces in which most of the Roman legions were stationed, precluding
further civil wars. He centralized the bureaucratic, republican administration,
which dramatically improved communication within the empire. He also had
new highways built and encouraged marriages and the family.
2. The Romans (pp. 5–11)
FOCUS QUESTION
How did the Pax Romana contribute to the growth and spread of
the Church?
The Pax Romana made possible safe and efficient travel and
communication over vast distances, which made the spread of Christianity
easier. Extension: Christians could move throughout the empire and
maintain communication with one another. For example, the Apostles
undertook missionary journeys; St. Clement I, the fourth Pope of Rome,
was kept abreast of what was happening in Corinth and wrote a letter to
that Church; and ordinary Christians emigrated to other cities and so
brought the Faith into new regions.
2. The Romans (pp. 5–11)
GUIDED EXERCISE
Read aloud the excerpt from Tacitus’s Annals (p. 22), and then discuss it.
2. The Romans (pp. 5–11)
GUIDED EXERCISE
Review “All Roads Lead to Rome,” and then discuss the following
questions:
 Have you ever taken a road trip in which you did not travel on highways but on
country roads? What happened when you came to a town or city?
 What would travel be like if there were no interstate highways and all traffic
traveled only on city streets and two-lane highways?
 What would travel be like if there were no paved roads whatsoever?
2. The Romans (pp. 5–11)
CLOSURE
Free write for five minutes using the following question:
 Based on what you have learned and your previous knowledge, what is the most
important relationship between Christianity and the Roman world into which it was
born?
2. The Romans (pp. 5–11)
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT
 Study Questions 2–7 (p. 24)
 Workbook Questions 12–32
 Read “Cultural Impact of the Romans” through “Categories of Roman
Slaves” (pp. 12– 16)
 Read “The Annals” (p. 22)
2. The Romans (pp. 5–11)
ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT
Create a simple timeline of the Roman Empire that includes the following
items, finding the dates in your text:
 The founding of the city of Rome
 The founding of the Republic
 The Punic Wars
 Julius Caesar’s invasion of Italy
 The beginning of the First and Second Triumvirates
 The beginning of Caesar Augustus’s (Octavian’s) reign.
3. The Romans (continued) (pp. 12–16)
ANTICIPATORY SET
Open your notebooks and review the graphic with the three intersecting
circles.
 The emphasis of this lesson is how the Roman Empire helped the
Church grow.
3. The Romans (continued) (pp. 12–16)
BASIC QUESTION
 How did conditions in the Roman Empire support the spread of the
Gospel?
KEY IDEA
 A unified system of laws and organization and the Pax Romana aided
the spread of the Gospel greatly.
3. The Romans (continued) (pp. 12–16)
FOCUS QUESTIONS
What does it mean to call the Romans a practical people?
While the Greeks excelled at philosophy and art, the Romans flourished in practical
disciplines, including organization, administration, government, building, the military
sciences, and law.
What is the orbis terrarum?
The orbis terrarum was the circle of lands comprising the Roman Empire (cf. pp. 6–7). It
was the known world of the Romans.
In what ways did the Romans influence other peoples living within the orbis
terrarum?
Latin culture had a profound impact on the peoples living in the northern and western
provinces and in North Africa before the rise of Islam. In the East Roman law was
respected, and Latin was spoken alongside Greek.
3. The Romans (continued) (pp. 12–16)
GUIDED EXERCISE
Complete a Think/Pair/Share using the following questions:
 What Roman religious duty did the Jews refuse to perform, and why?
 What was the eventual outcome of the intransigence of the Jews?
3. The Romans (continued) (pp. 12–16)
FOCUS QUESTIONS
What was the trend with respect to morality within the Roman Empire?
Generally, it declined infamously.
What did Caesar Augustus do to promote population growth after the
devastating civil wars?
He enacted laws to restrict the rights of those who did not marry and who
remained childless. This demonstrated Romans saw the family as the place to
cultivate moral values.
What is the source of Roman ideas about virtue?
The Roman understanding of virtue developed from the Hellenistic tradition.
This is evident in the Roman literature that flourished during Caesar Augustus’s
3. The Romans (continued) (pp. 12–16)
GRAPHIC ORGANIZER
Complete the following table about three widely spoken Romance
languages.
3. The Romans (continued) (pp. 12–16)
3. The Romans (continued) (pp. 12–16)
FOCUS QUESTIONS
Where did the Romans get their religion?
They imported it from Greece; it was a result of Hellenization.
Were the Romans tolerant of other religions?
Generally, the Romans allowed conquered peoples to worship their own gods as long
as they sacrificed to the Roman gods, too. Sacrifice to the emperor was a civic duty.
What does it mean to say the Romans had a practical outlook on religion, and
how was this reflected in their concept of piety (pietas)?
Religion was a way to enforce political unity; thus, everyone sacrificed to the Roman
gods. It was an act of piety to placate the gods so they would protect the Roman
state.
3. The Romans (continued) (pp. 12–16)
FOCUS QUESTIONS
Why did the Roman emperors associate themselves with the god Jupiter?
Jupiter was the chief Roman god. The emperors wanted to place themselves at
the center of pagan worship.
What class of Romans was most interested in Mithraicism?
Soldiers were most interested in this cult because it was a fraternal order that
cultivated virtues important in the life of a soldier.
How were some of the rituals of Mithraicism similar to Christianity?
The Mithraic cult shared a communal meal in which members ate flesh that
symbolized their god. They also believed in personal salvation.
3. The Romans (continued) (pp. 12–16)
FOCUS QUESTIONS
What were bread and circuses?
To keep the poor happy and content, the emperors began to supply them with taxsubsidized food and entertainment.
What was the condition of the poor and women in the Roman Empire?
Because of high taxes and competition from slave-labor agricultural estates, the poor in
the countryside tended to be forced into cities. Life was precarious for freemen in the
cities as there was little money and employment for them. Though during the republic the
role of woman as wife and mother was honored, during the era of the empire women
were often sold as concubines, a destructive substitute for marriage.
How were most slaves obtained, and how numerous were they?
Most slaves were obtained as prisoners of war. During the time of the empire, more than
one-fourth of the population was enslaved.
3. The Romans (continued) (pp. 12–16)
GUIDED EXERCISE
Read silently the section “Slavery” (pp. 15–16), and then answer the
following question in your notebook:
 What was the original relationship between slavery and Christianity?
3. The Romans (continued) (pp. 12–16)
GUIDED EXERCISE
1.Mini-Lecture on religion, philosophy and the natural law.
2.Review the section “Stoicism” (p. 15), and then identify the tenets of
Stoicism.
3. The Romans (continued) (pp. 12–16)
GUIDED EXERCISE
Discuss how Jews and Christians might have viewed emperor worship.
3. The Romans (continued) (pp. 12–16)
FOCUS QUESTIONS
What is a chattel slave?
A chattel slave is considered not a person but property. Therefore, the owner
held the power of life and death over the slave.
Was slavery always a permanent condition?
No, a slave could be freed by his master or even earn enough money to purchase
his freedom. Once free, it was even possible for a slave to become a Roman
citizen.
What kinds of work did slaves do?
Slaves did every kind of work in the Roman Empire except hold public office.
Plautus’s comic plays illustrate the wide variety of jobs slaves performed.
3. The Romans (continued) (pp. 12–16)
CLOSURE
Free write for five minutes about the Basic Questions of the past two
lessons:
 What major historical events were most important within the Roman Empire?
 How did conditions in the Roman Empire support the spread of the Gospel?
3. The Romans (continued) (pp. 12–16)
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT




Study Questions 8–11 (p. 24)
Practical Exercise 1 (p. 24)
Workbook Questions 33–51
Read “The Jews” through “Conclusion” (pp. 17–21)
3. The Romans (continued) (pp. 12–16)
ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT
Closed-book, open-workbook quiz on one or two questions from last
night’s homework.
4. The Jews (pp. 17–21)
ANTICIPATORY SET
Return to the three interlocking circles you drew in the first lesson and
label the final circle Judaism.
This lesson will include an introduction to Kashrut.
4. The Jews (pp. 17–21)
BASIC QUESTION
 How did the Jewish religion and people contribute to the spread of the
Gospel?
KEY IDEA
 The Jews, God’s Chosen People, prepared the way for the coming of
the Messiah, Jesus.
4. The Jews (pp. 17–21)
GUIDED EXERCISE
Read aloud the two paragraphs on page 17 (“The history of the
Jewish…” and “The Jewish world…”).
Complete a Think/Pair/Share using the following question:
 In what ways were the Jews singular, that is, unlike any other people of their time?
4. The Jews (pp. 17–21)
FOCUS QUESTIONS
Who were the major figures of Jewish history?
Major figures include Abraham, with whom God made a covenant and who
founded the Hebrew people; Moses, who led the Hebrews out of slavery in
Egypt and gave the Law; Joshua, who conquered the promised land for the
Chosen People; and David and Solomon, under whom the Jewish Kingdom of
Israel reached its zenith.
What were the staples of Jewish religious life?
The staples of Jewish life were reading the Torah, sacrificial worship in the
Temple in Jerusalem, and (later) rabbi-led worship in the synagogue.
4. The Jews (pp. 17–21)
GRAPHIC ORGANIZER
Work with a partner to complete the following table about major persons
and events in Jewish history.
4. The Jews (pp. 17–21)
4. The Jews (pp. 17–21)
FOCUS QUESTIONS
What is the distinction between the Pentateuch, the Torah, and the
Septuagint?
The Pentateuch and the Torah are synonymous; they refer to the five
books of the Law, the first five of the Old Testament. The Septuagint a
the Greek translation of the Old Testament.
Why was the Septuagint helpful to the spread of Christianity?
Non-Jews as well as Grecophone converts to Christianity could read and
hear the Scriptures in their own language. The Sacred Authors of the
New Testament used the Septuagint to quote the Old Testament.
4. The Jews (pp. 17–21)
FOCUS QUESTIONS
Why was the Temple so important to the Jews?
The First Temple housed the Ark of the Covenant, and it became the
only place the Jews offered sacrifices to God. After the Jews had returned
to Israel from the Babylonian Exile, they built the Second Temple to
replace the one the Babylonians had destroyed.
4. The Jews (pp. 17–21)
FOCUS QUESTIONS
How did the Old Testament come to be translated into Greek, and
what is that translation called?
The King of Egypt requested a Greek copy of the Scriptures for his
library in Alexandria. Since many Jews throughout the empire knew both
Hebrew and Greek, a group of rabbis in Alexandria translated the
Scriptures into Greek. This translation is called the Septuagint (from the
Latin for “seventy”) because seventy-two scholars worked on the project.
4. The Jews (pp. 17–21)
FOCUS QUESTION
What was the Diaspora?
The Diaspora was the emigration of Jews to areas outside the Promised Land.
During the time of Christ, there were more Jews living outside Judea than within;
for example, there were 1,000,000 Jews in Alexandria. There was considerable
emigration after Jewish revolts in Judea in 63 BC and AD 115–117.
4. The Jews (pp. 17–21)
FOCUS QUESTIONS
What special concessions did the Jews enjoy in the Roman Empire?
They were often exempt from emperor worship.
What was the eventual fate of Judea under the Romans?
The Romans destroyed the Temple AD 70 and later razed Jerusalem.
They forbade entrance except one day per year to weep before the ruins
of the Temple.
4. The Jews (pp. 17–21)
GRAPHIC ORGANIZER
Complete the following table about the Sadducees and Pharisees.
4. The Jews (pp. 17–21)
4. The Jews (pp. 17–21)
CLOSURE
Free write for five minutes on the following question:
 How might the influence of the Pharisees on Israel have helped make it the right
time for Christ to have been born and found the Church?
4. The Jews (pp. 17–21)
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT
 Study Questions 12–16 (p. 24)
 Practical Exercises 2–3 (p. 24)
 Workbook Questions 52–70
4. The Jews (pp. 17–21)
ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT
Review the Vocabulary (p. 23), and then write a paragraph about the term
related to Judaism you believe has the most significance for the history of
Christianity.
THE END