Transcript The Rise of Christianity

The Development of
Christianity
Chapter 5 Section 4
Roman Religion
 Augustus
revived traditional
festivals & ceremonies
 Official
state religion: worship of
multiple gods & goddesses,
including Senators (state gods)
What other nationality worshipped
multiple gods & goddesses?
Greek vs. Roman Gods/-essess
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Zeus vs. Jupiter (Chief Gods)
Hera vs. Juno (Wives of Chief
Gods)
Aphrodite vs. Venus (Godesses of
Love)
Roman Religious Beliefs
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Pleasing the gods by observing rituals
In exchange for peace & prosperity
Building an empire was a sign of satisfied
gods and goddesses
Romans were tolerant of other religions
Even adopted certain Hellenistic beliefs
e.g. an after-life superior to the present
The Jewish Background
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Judea, including the province of Judah,
was conquered by the Romans in 6 A.D.
Placed under a Roman official:
procurator
3 different groups of Jews:
1)
Sadducees: cooperated w/ the
Romans
1)
Essenes: a Messiah would save
Israel from oppression
1)
Zealots: violent overthrow of the
Romans
The Rise of Christianity
Jesus of Nazareth begins to preach:
• Did not want to abolish old Jewish religion
• Believed not in strict adherence to the law
• But in the transformation of the inner
person
• Love God & one another  basis for the
value system of medieval civilization
The Judean authorities’ reaction to
Jesus:
 Jesus
as a potential revolutionary
 Captured, prosecuted &
sentenced to death by crucifixion
 Procurator: Pontius Pilate
Pontius Pilate
Jesus’ followers’ reactions:
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He was the Messiah, the long-awaited
savior of Israel
Jesus had overcome death and come back
to life
So which of the three groups of Jews did
Jesus’ followers belong to?
The Spread of Christianity
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Began as a religious movement in Judea
Followers of Jesus (his disciples)
spreading his teachings
After Jesus’ death Christianity spread
rapidly
Orally and in writing (b/w A.D. 40-100)
sayings & personal memories of Jesus
Later formed the basis of the New
Testament
Peter, the fisherman
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Jesus was the Savior, the Son of God
Came to Earth to save all humans from
eternal damnation
Saved humans by dying for them, making
up for all of their sins
Reconciled God & human salvation
If you accept God, you are saved
Paul
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Preached the gospel to both Jews & nonJews (gentiles)
Founded Christian communities in Asia
Minor & along the Aegean Sea
Early Christian communities
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Churches by 100 A.D.
Most early Christians were Jews & Greeks
Regarded as a threat to public order &
morals
WHY?
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Christians publicly believed that there was
only one God
Worshipping multiple gods = worshipping
false gods = endangering their own
salvation
An act of treason  punishable by death
Especially, under Nero (A.D. 54-68), who
blamed Christians for the fire that
destroyed most of Rome.
The Triumph of Christianity
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Persecution  defiance  Christianity
became more organized  had more
followers
Distinct church structure:
- clergy (church leaders, esp. bishops)
- laity (church members, i.e. the public)
Why did Christianity spread so
widely by A.D. 300?
Reasons:
1) Gave purpose & meaning to life
(salvation, no state relationship)
2) Was similar to other religions
(immortality, sacrificial God)
3) Fulfilled the human need to belong:
- loving community taking care of the
sick & the poor
Why did Christianity spread so
widely by A.D. 300?
4) Attractive to the poor & the powerless
5) A sense of spiritual equality to all (eternal
life)
Christianity as the Official Religion
of Rome
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Diocletian: in early A.D. 400  admitted
that Christianity was just too great of a
force to battle against
Constantine in A.D. 313: Edict of Milan –
tolerance toward Christians
Constantine
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Theodosius the Great: Christianity as the
official Roman religion